What needs to be finished first
A central challenge or guiding question is formulated as one sentence and aligned with the sponsor.
What needs to be ready before start
Large whiteboard or Miro board with prepared 9x9 grid (central field plus eight themes, each with its own 3x3 block); pens; sticky notes in two colors (themes, ideas); timer.
A facilitator who leads the grid and enforces timeboxes; three to ten participants with different perspectives on the challenge; one scribe who transfers the shortlist into document at end.
Challenge in one sentence; context for target group or market; known constraints (budget, time, technology); examples of previous solution attempts so theme generation does not loop.
45-90 min
Draw grid in advance and add central challenge in center field. Leave eight surrounding fields empty. State the rule: fill all eight themes first, then generate ideas per theme. Phones away; close parallel Slack threads.
The one question this method answers
Which eight thematic fields open up the solution space of the central challenge, and what concrete ideas emerge in each field?
Marker: Phase
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Phase 1: Sharpen the central challenge | 10 min | Read the challenge out loud, resolve misunderstandings, fix it into one sentence in the center field. Formulate a success picture in one to two sentences so future ideas can be assessed. | If the group understands the challenge differently, invest five more minutes here. Later correction costs the entire session. |
2Phase 2: Derive eight main themes | 15-20 min | As a group, name possible thematic fields around the challenge (for example target groups, channels, timing, materials, technologies, occasions, obstacles, partners). Narrow to exactly eight and write them in the surrounding fields. | Themes should overlap as little as possible. If two themes duplicate each other, remove one and fill the gap, otherwise ideas will repeat later. |
3Phase 3: Ideas per theme (solo, timebox) | 20-30 min | Per theme, 3 minutes of solo sketching: each person writes at least three ideas on sticky notes. Rotate clockwise through the eight themes. Include a one-minute stick pause at the grid after each theme. | Solo work is mandatory. As soon as discussion starts, the loudest voice dominates and diagram becomes skewed. Facilitator should interrupt conversations during solo phases. |
4Phase 4: Cluster and shortlist | 15-20 min | Read ideas per theme, merge duplicates, note cross-theme patterns. Use dot voting (3 dots per person) to choose a shortlist of 5-8 ideas for follow-up. | Cross-theme patterns are often more valuable than single ideas. Anyone noting ideas should surface cross-theme links and set them at the side of shortlist. |
What comes out at the end
Photo or export of complete 9x9 lotus diagram plus structured Markdown file with central challenge, eight themes, all ideas per theme, and separate shortlist with rationale and next step per idea.
One entry per workshop with date, challenge, and participants. Do not overwrite follow-up sessions for same challenge; create a v2 entry. Maintain shortlist status (discarded, in test, implemented) at end of file.
Compact working template for Lotus Blossom with a central challenge, expanded ideas, and promising directions.
Expand a central challenge into related idea clusters and promising directions.
What problem or opportunity should the group expand from the center?
Owner, date, and success signal.
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Challenge: How can we get new users to complete at least three key actions in their first 7 days?
Eight themes: Onboarding, first email, in-app hints, incentives, social pressure, community, data export, premium trial.
Ideas excerpt (incentives):
Shortlist (5 ideas, 3 dots per person, 8 participants):
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Two of the eight themes generate almost identical ideas; one field remains half empty.
Pause Phase 2 and split themes again. It is better to invest 10 extra minutes than waste the whole discussion in Phase 3.
Participants talk over each other during sketching, resulting in strongly similar ideas.
Facilitator sets a visible silence rule and interrupts conversation immediately. If needed, physically separate groups or enforce mute mode in remote format.
Ideas such as “more marketing” or “better onboarding” dominate, no actionable next step can be derived.
Announce concreteness filter: each idea needs actor, timing, and trigger. Post examples on the wall in advance.
Workshop ends with 60 ideas without owners or selection mechanism.
Run Phase 4 strictly. Keep dot voting to 3 dots per person and immediately assign owner and date to shortlist.
With two people themes are underpopulated, with twelve the stick pause becomes chaotic.
With fewer than three participants, reduce method to solo brainstorming with a sparring partner. With more than ten, split into two parallel diagrams and merge at the end.
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.