Brainstorming Activities

What is this method about?

An activity that generates a broad range of ideas and solutions through intensive, freewheeling group discussion. It can also be an individual activity, although this is less common.

Why use it

This activity can generate a large number of ideas in a short time frame. When involving people from a variety of business units, the activity can help organizations to view a problem from different perspectives, resulting in more unique solutions.

When should I use it?

At any point within the product/service design and development lifecycle—as a part of any kind of ideation, conceptualization or problem-solving process. It is more traditionally used in ideation by creative teams, but is appropriate across all business units.

What you get

• The group will generate a broad array of actionable, assessed and ranked ideas. • Results will be refined through exercises such as Negative Selection, or taken in to further ideation workshops so that they can be built upon.

At a glance

• Time: Short
• Effort: Low
• Cost: Low

Materials

• Whiteboard
• Sticky notes
• Pen/Pencil
• Markers

Who is involved

• UX/CX/SD Designer dependent on situational use
• Team members from business area in focus / Cross functional team
• Facilitator (A facilitator can be appointed from amongst the team to help keep the timing on track)