Got your customer figured out? Challenge defined? Great! Now it's time to crank out tons of solution ideas. Don't just stick to what you know - look beyond your industry, seek fresh perspectives, and dare to challenge the status quo. The more ideas, the merrier!

Benefits

Here's the secret: genius solutions come from a pile of ideas, not just one perfect thought. Group brainstorming isn't about finding the needle in the haystack - it's about building a bigger haystack! Embrace the wild, wacky, and wonderful. The more ideas you have, the better your chances of striking gold.

Teams using structured brainstorming generate 3x more diverse solution concepts compared to individual ideation, achieve 50% higher breakthrough idea rates through "yes, and" collaboration principles - and reduce solution development time by 25% through early exploration of multiple approaches. Systematic brainstorming creates psychological safety that leads to 40% more innovative solutions compared to traditional problem-solving approaches.

When to Use

Ready to unleash the creativity? Use brainstorming when you're staring at a juicy problem that needs solving. Got your customer figured out? Challenge defined? Great! Now it's time to crank out tons of solution ideas. Don't just stick to what you know - look beyond your industry, seek fresh perspectives, and dare to challenge the status quo. The more ideas, the merrier!

Use this method after defining your challenge when you need diverse solution concepts, before prototype development to explore multiple solution directions, when teams need collaborative ideation to break through creative blocks, or when stakeholders need extensive option exploration before solution selection. This is essential for generating broad solution possibilities before narrowing focus to specific development paths.

Time Required

60 - 90 minutes for comprehensive brainstorming session (10 minutes setup; 45 - 60 minutes idea generation; 15 - 20 minutes clustering and voting)

Who

Cross-functional team of 4 - 8 people, facilitator for larger groups, diverse perspectives from different departments or backgrounds

What you will need

Physical Workshop:

Large wall space; flip chart paper; Post-it notes (multiple colors); black markers; dot stickers for voting; timer for timeboxing.

Virtual Workshop:

Digital whiteboard tool (Mural, Miro); breakout room capability; timer functionality

All formats:

Challenge Brief or Problem Statement clearly visible, ground rules poster, camera for documentation

Downloads

Dig Deeper

Creative Confidence

Comprehensive guide to unleashing creative potential with practical frameworks for innovative thinking and collaborative ideation

The Science of Brainstorming

Research-based explanation of effective brainstorming techniques and psychological principles behind successful group ideation

The Right Way to Brainstorm

Evidence-based methodology for conducting effective brainstorming sessions with practical facilitation guidelines

Brainstorming Examples

Collection of practical brainstorming examples and techniques for generating creative ideas in educational and professional settings

Similar Methods

How Might We...?

A powerful question-framing technique that transforms research insights into opportunity spaces, setting the stage for innovative solution brainstorming.

Storyboarding

A visual storytelling technique that uses a sequence of images to illustrate how a user would interact with your solution in a specific scenario.

Scale Transition Planning

A systematic approach for transitioning from innovation mode to execution mode, building the critical systems needed to grow from startup to sustainable business.