ideation

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result through defining a challenge, agreeing on rules, and clustering and selecting outcomes.

Core question: What range of solution ideas can we generate for the challenge before we converge and choose?

30-60 min

4-12

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by gathering insights, extracting tensions, and using them as ideation prompts.

Core question: How do we reformulate our insights and pain points into open opportunity questions that trigger ideation without prescribing a solution?

10-20 min

1-10

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by choosing an object or problem, working through SCAMPER questions, and prioritizing concepts.

Core question: Which of the seven variations of the existing object creates an idea that reaches the goal better than the original?

30-60 min

2-10

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by defining the central challenge, deriving eight major themes, and shortlisting ideas.

Core question: Which eight thematic fields open up the solution space of the central challenge, and what concrete ideas emerge in each field?

45-90 min

3-10

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by defining the problem and dimensions, collecting alternatives per dimension, and working out compelling concepts.

Core question: Which novel solution combinations emerge when all relevant dimensions of the problem are systematically cross-combined?

1-3 h

2-8

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by defining the challenge, asking a reverse question, and turning ideas into improvements.

Core question: How would we make the problem maximally worse, and which improvements emerge when we reverse that deterioration?

30-60 min

3-12

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by clarifying the challenge, collecting the worst ideas, and deriving useful alternatives.

Core question: Which intentionally bad ideas for the challenge reveal principles that can be inverted into usable solutions?

20-45 min

3-12

Turns ideas, open questions, and testable next steps into a tangible result by defining the challenge, setting rules and order, and clustering and selecting ideas.

Core question: Which ideas emerge when every person in the group contributes evenly and without dominance?

20-45 min

4-10

Turns user actions, touchpoints, and design concepts into a tangible result by clarifying the problem and constraints, sketching individually, and iterating together.

Core question: Which solution sketch addresses the design challenge best while taking user insights and constraints into account?

1-3 h

3-8

Turns group input, selection, and decision into a tangible result by asking a focus question, reflecting individually, and sharing the strongest patterns in plenary.

Core question: Which answers, ideas, or concerns about the question emerge when each person first thinks alone and then increasingly in the group?

10-20 min

4-100+

Moves ideas, open questions, and testable next steps toward a concrete result through "place the core idea in the center", "label the six points with who, what, when, where, how, and why", and "mark gaps and follow-up questions".

Core question: Which questions around who, what, when, where, how and why must the team answer before meaningful solution work can start?

30-60 min

3-10

Invented roles shift perspective during ideation and surface options that the normal team viewpoint would miss.

Core question: Which solution ideas for the challenge emerge when the team thinks from clearly defined outside roles?

30-60 min

3-12

Parallel design teams turn a shared challenge into comparable concepts, open questions, and a consolidated direction.

Core question: What solution sketch emerges when multiple stakeholders work on sub-questions of a complex challenge in parallel and combine results in one day?

Halber Tag bis mehrere Tage

10-50

A strict timebox pushes quick idea volume first, then clusters and selects options after the burst is complete.

Core question: What range of ideas does the team generate in a hard timebox when every evaluation is deliberately suppressed?

5-20 min

1-20

A single person uses a chosen prompt technique to create, sort, and sharpen ideas before group discussion starts.

Core question: Which ideas emerge when I work systematically on a challenge in isolation, without group dynamics, and bypass my own filters?

15-60 min

1