PM Gym

Ideation in Design Thinking

Generate wildly, then narrow deliberately

Ideation sits between defining the problem and building a prototype. Done well, it isn't a free-for-all — it's a disciplined swing between opening up as many possibilities as you can (diverge) and narrowing to the few worth testing (converge).

Step-by-step lessons

Diverge, Then Converge

Four short lessons: where ideation fits, the ground rules for brainstorming, a toolkit of techniques, and how to converge without killing good ideas.

1

Ideation's Place in Design Thinking

Design thinking runs through five stages: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Ideation is the hinge — it takes the sharp problem from Define and opens it wide into possible solutions, before Prototype narrows back down to something buildable.

1-2

Empathize & Define

Understand users, then frame a sharp problem statement.

3

Ideate

Diverge widely on solutions to that problem, then converge on a few worth trying.

4-5

Prototype & Test

Build a rough version of the strongest idea and check it with real users.

Skip straight from Define to Prototype and you anchor on the first idea instead of the best one.

Quick check

Why not skip ideation and prototype the first solution that comes to mind?

2

The Rules of Divergent Thinking

Good brainstorms follow ground rules that keep ideas flowing instead of shutting down early. Four matter most:

Rule 1

Defer judgment

No critiquing ideas during divergence — evaluation happens later, in a separate step.

Rule 2

Go for quantity

More ideas raise the odds a great one is in there. Quality gets sorted afterward.

Rule 3

Build on ideas

"Yes, and" — extend a teammate's idea rather than starting over or shutting it down.

Rule 4

Encourage wild ideas

An impossible idea can seed a feasible one. Welcome it before judging it.

Quick check

During a brainstorm, someone says "that would never work" about a wild idea. What's the ideation-rule violation?

3

A Toolkit of Ideation Techniques

Open brainstorming isn't the only way to diverge. A few structured techniques break specific bottlenecks — fixation, imbalance, or dominant voices.

Crazy 8s

Fold paper into 8 panels, sketch one idea per panel in 8 minutes — forces quantity and breaks fixation on the first idea.

SCAMPER

A checklist — Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse — for pushing an existing idea in new directions.

Worst Possible Idea

Deliberately brainstorm terrible ideas to loosen inhibition, then flip them for a real insight.

Brainwriting

Write ideas silently first, then share — avoids groupthink and loud-voice bias.

Quick check

A team's brainstorms are always dominated by the two most senior, loudest voices. Which technique directly addresses this?

4

Converging Without Killing Good Ideas

Convergence is its own skill. Stop too early and you miss the idea buried mid-list; stop too late and you burn all your runway on options instead of building and testing one.

Dot voting, done right

Give each person a fixed number of votes to place on the sticky notes they find strongest — done silently, all at once, so early votes don't sway later ones. Then sort survivors by explicit criteria: feasibility, desirability, impact.

Convergence needs a method, same as divergence does. "Whatever feels right" just reintroduces the loudest-voice problem you just avoided.

Quick check

A facilitator ends ideation after five minutes because "we already have three good ideas." What's the risk?

Review the concepts

Ideation Flashcards

6 cards covering the essentials. Click a card to flip it.

Foundation Card 1 of 6

Ideation

Click to flip

Tip: say the answer out loud before flipping.

Explanation

In practice

1 / 6
Apply what you learned

Practice Scenarios

15 situations that test whether you can spot a broken brainstorm rule, pick the right technique, or catch premature or overdue convergence.

Scenario 1

In a brainstorm, a manager says "let's only write down ideas we could ship next sprint."

What's the issue?

Scenario 2

A remote team's ideation call is a free-for-all; three people talk the whole time and five stay silent.

What would improve this?

Scenario 3

The team has 40 sticky notes and immediately picks the first 3 anyone reads aloud, to save time.

What's wrong?

Scenario 4

A facilitator introduces Worst Possible Idea and the team is confused why they'd brainstorm bad ideas on purpose.

What's the value of this technique?

Scenario 5

A junior PM keeps saying "yes, but" in response to teammates' ideas during a brainstorm.

What's the fix?

Scenario 6

A team runs SCAMPER on an existing subscription-box product and gets to "E: Eliminate."

What should they ask?

Scenario 7

After a Crazy 8s round, one panel is illegible scribbles the sketcher can't even explain.

What should the team do with it?

Scenario 8

A stakeholder insists ideation should only include ideas technically feasible at the outset.

How does this affect divergence?

Scenario 9

A group converges on the very first idea proposed, five minutes into a planned 45-minute session.

What's the concern?

Scenario 10

A team spends 3 hours generating ideas and refuses to stop, worried they'll miss "the best one."

What's the risk on the other side?

Scenario 11

A dot-voting session ends with three ideas tied: one ambitious, two safe and similar.

How should the team break the tie?

Scenario 12

Someone proposes a wild, seemingly-impossible idea and the room goes quiet.

What should the facilitator do?

Scenario 13

A team never captures ideas anywhere — they just talk, and by the end half the ideas are forgotten.

What's the fix?

Scenario 14

A senior exec joins an ideation session and immediately says which idea they personally prefer.

What's the risk?

Scenario 15

A team converges using a show-of-hands vote, and the two most senior people's votes visibly sway the room before others vote.

What's a better convergence method?

Lock it in

Guess the Term

Read the clues and name the concept. The fewer clues you need, the more points you score.

Round 1 Score 0
Keep it handy

Ideation Quick Reference

The whole topic on one screen.

Where Ideation Fits

Empathize → Define → Ideate → Prototype → Test.

Diverge

Widen the option set from the sharp problem in Define.

Converge

Narrow to the few ideas that go on to Prototype.

Divergence Ground Rules

1

Defer judgment

Evaluation waits for a separate step.

2

Go for quantity

More ideas raise the odds of a great one.

3

Build on ideas

"Yes, and" — extend, don't shut down.

4

Encourage wild ideas

They can seed the feasible ones.

Technique Toolkit

Crazy 8s

8 sketches, 8 minutes — breaks fixation.

SCAMPER

7 prompts to push an existing idea further.

Brainwriting

Silent first, then share — beats loud-voice bias.

Converging Well

Anonymous dot voting

Independent votes, not swayed by who spoke first.

Explicit criteria

Feasibility, desirability, impact — not "vibes."

Avoid both extremes

Too early: premature convergence. Too late: paralysis.

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