methodatlas
Method guideInnovation

Worst Possible Idea

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityLow
Time20-45 min
Participants3-12
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
Plan
01

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstShared challenge

Audience, need and design space are known.

Without a need there is no basis for judging usefulness.
02

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

Design question, paper or board, fields for bad property and constructive transformation.

People / roles

People with different perspectives and facilitator.

Pre-read

Choose a concrete design question and audience; frame bad ideas as a playful thought experiment.

Time needed

30–45 minutes

Setup

First provide space for absurd ideas, then for properties and transformations.

03

Core question

The one question this method answers

Which deliberately bad idea reveals a useful design assumption?

04

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

Deliberately unusable ideas reduce the pressure to produce a good solution immediately. The team examines what makes them bad and transforms selected properties into useful approaches.

Worst Possible Idea· worksheet

Fictional example

Deliberately unusable ideas reduce the pressure to produce a good solution immediately. The team examines what makes them bad and transforms selected properties into useful approaches.

Design question

For whom should which experience improve?

Fictional: new course participants should quickly understand the process.

Worst idea

What deliberately unusable solution can we imagine?

Require memorising an 80-page manual before initial registration.

Bad property

Which property causes the failure?

All information arrives before it is needed, overloading entry.

Transformation

What is reversed, reduced or transferred?

Show only the next action and reveal details when needed.

Concept and test

Which concrete variant do we test against which benefit?

Prototype three short onboarding cards; observe whether new participants find the next step without explanation.

All example details are fictional and illustrate the application.

IxDF: Worst Possible Idea

  1. 1

    Play space

    Play space

    Goal

    Shared challenge

    Inputs for this step

    • User need
    • Context

    Actions

    • Set design question and audience; explicitly ask for the worst imaginable solutions.
    • Exclude personal attacks and defer evaluation of good solutions.

    Output

    Shared challenge

    Is the design space clear?

    Quality check

    Is the design space clear?

    Pitfall

    The task is mistaken for a competition for good ideas. Begin with an obviously absurd, harmless product idea.

    Timing: 5–10 minutes

  2. 2

    Bad ideas

    Bad ideas

    Goal

    Unusual raw ideas

    Inputs for this step

    • Design question
    • Open thinking space

    Actions

    • Silently generate impractical, confusing or contradictory solutions, then share.
    • Build on ideas without improving them yet.

    Output

    Unusual raw ideas

    Did several different bad mechanisms emerge?

    Quality check

    Did several different bad mechanisms emerge?

    Pitfall

    The group stays with slightly worse standard solutions. Exaggerate one property or deliberately violate a usual assumption.

    Timing: 8–12 minutes

  3. 3

    Transformation

    Transform mechanism

    Goal

    Useful transformation

    Inputs for this step

    • Raw ideas
    • User need

    Actions

    • Break down interesting ideas: what makes them bad and what assumption is underneath?
    • Reverse, soften or transfer selected properties to a fitting context.

    Output

    Useful transformation

    Is the link from raw idea to concept traceable?

    Quality check

    Is the link from raw idea to concept traceable?

    Pitfall

    The bad idea is discarded without learning. Record at least one property and its possible transformation.

    Timing: 10–15 minutes

  4. 4

    User value

    Test user value

    Goal

    Concept test

    Inputs for this step

    • Transformation
    • Test access

    Actions

    • Develop one transformation into a concrete concept and test its most uncertain value assumption.
    • Name test participant, observation and next date.

    Output

    Concept test

    Is value tested rather than only originality?

    Quality check

    Is value tested rather than only originality?

    Pitfall

    A funny idea is immediately implemented. Put a small prototype before implementation.

    Timing: 5–10 minutes

05

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Worst Possible IdeaAbsichtlich schlechte Ideen nutzen, um Bewertungsdruck zu senken, Prinzipien zu erkennen und brauchbare Ansätze abzuleiten
Worst Possible IdeaDas Visual zeigt psychologische Entlastung, schlechteste Ideen, extrahierte Prinzipien und brauchbare umgedrehte Ideen.Schlechte Ideen als Umweg zu guten Ansätzen nutzenDie Methode senkt Bewertungsdruck und macht aus absurden Vorschlägen erkennbare Gestaltungsprinzipien.bewusst schlechtlernen warumumdrehenDruck rausschlechte Ideen sindausdrücklich erlaubtWorst Ideasabsurd, peinlich,dysfunktionalPrinzipWarum wäre das wirklichschlecht?BrauchbarPrinzip umdrehen und testenmaximal verwirrenkeine RückmeldungKlarheitFeedback sofort
Form

Bad ideas with explained mechanisms and useful concepts derived from them, plus a test question.

Versioning / ownership

Record date and scope; retain the previous version and reason when changing it.

Tool alternatives
  • Paper and pens
  • Digital board
  • Idea–property–transformation table

worst-possible-idea-working-template.md

Choose a concrete design question and audience; frame bad ideas as a playful thought experiment.

Worst Possible Idea: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Complete cycle Time: 30–45 minutes

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

  • Materials: Design question, paper or board, fields for bad property and constructive transformation.
  • Roles: People with different perspectives and facilitator.
  • Advance information: Choose a concrete design question and audience; frame bad ideas as a playful thought experiment.
  • Overall time needed: 30–45 minutes
  • Setup: First provide space for absurd ideas, then for properties and transformations.

Prepare for the work steps

Play space: Play space

  • User need
  • Context

Bad ideas: Bad ideas

  • Design question
  • Open thinking space

Transformation: Transform mechanism

  • Raw ideas
  • User need

User value: Test user value

  • Transformation
  • Test access

Worst Possible Idea· worksheet

Design question

For whom should which experience improve?

...

Worst idea

What deliberately unusable solution can we imagine?

...

Bad property

Which property causes the failure?

...

Transformation

What is reversed, reduced or transferred?

...

Concept and test

Which concrete variant do we test against which benefit?

...

Answer the prompts with your own information. Explicitly mark unknowns and assumptions.

IxDF: Worst Possible Idea

Play space: Play space

Expected artifact: Shared challenge

Is the design space clear?

Entry:

...

  • Is the design space clear?

Bad ideas: Bad ideas

Expected artifact: Unusual raw ideas

Did several different bad mechanisms emerge?

Entry:

...

  • Did several different bad mechanisms emerge?

Transformation: Transform mechanism

Expected artifact: Useful transformation

Is the link from raw idea to concept traceable?

Entry:

...

  • Is the link from raw idea to concept traceable?

User value: Test user value

Expected artifact: Concept test

Is value tested rather than only originality?

Entry:

...

  • Is value tested rather than only originality?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/worst-possible-idea/run-sheet

06

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

worst-possible-idea-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example

Design question: Fictional: new course participants should quickly understand the process.

Worst idea: Require memorising an 80-page manual before initial registration.

Bad property: All information arrives before it is needed, overloading entry.

Transformation: Show only the next action and reveal details when needed.

Concept and test: Prototype three short onboarding cards; observe whether new participants find the next step without explanation.

07

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

  1. Play spaceThe task is mistaken for a competition for good ideas.View in phase
  2. Bad ideasThe group stays with slightly worse standard solutions.View in phase
  3. Transform mechanismThe bad idea is discarded without learning.View in phase
  4. Test user valueA funny idea is immediately implemented.View in phase
08

Stop criteria

When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach

If ridicule targets real people, return to fictional product ideas and protect respectful participation.

Method after Praxisgemeinschaft. The method emerged as a widespread practice and is not clearly attributed to a single originator or organization. Curated with 1 sources.

Sources: IxDF: Worst Possible Idea

Flow, timeboxes, and pitfalls are editorially curated practice recommendations based on the listed sources.

Where to go next?

Paper illustration of Riskiest Assumption Test with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Product Discovery
Riskiest Assumption Test

Tests the reshaped concept's most uncertain benefit assumption first.

Paper illustration of a participant using a prototype while an observer takes notes beside a highlighted usability issue.
UX Research
Usability Testing

Also tests the reshaped concept directly with real users.

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