Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Two phases, kept separate: first go wide without judging, then pick.

1) Diverge — quantity first

• Produce a batch of distinct ideas (aim for ~8–12), not three safe ones.
• Deliberately vary the angle so they're not minor variants:
  • the obvious solid choice,
  • a cheap/fast/minimal one,
  • a premium/ambitious one,
  • a weird/contrarian one,
  • one borrowed from a different domain.
• Don't critique yet. Wild ideas often seed the good one.

2) Converge — pick and sharpen

• Note the 2–3 strongest against what the user actually cares about (cost, time, risk, fit).
• Say why they win, and what the trade-off of each is.
• Offer one concrete next step for the top pick.

Prompts to break a stuck spot

• "What would this look like if it were 10x simpler? 10x bigger?"
• "What are we assuming that might not be true?"
• "How would <a different field/person> solve this?"
• "What's the version we'd be slightly embarrassed to suggest?"

Guidance

• Keep each idea to a tight phrase, not a paragraph — it's a menu, not an essay.
• For naming, give a varied list (descriptive, playful, abstract) and check the obvious clashes.
• End by helping them choose; a pile of options without a recommendation isn't done.