Brainstorming is the most widely used ideation method in design and innovation, and also the most widely misused. When it works, it generates a high volume of diverse ideas in a short time and builds creative momentum across a team. When it does not work, it produces a handful of safe ideas dominated by the loudest voices. The difference almost always comes down to facilitation: brainstorming has clear rules that, when followed, genuinely change the quality and quantity of ideas the group produces.
Brainstorming
Generating a high volume of ideas before judging any of them
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Designers Academy
5 August 2026 · 4 min read
DesignMethods
In brief
Brainstorming is an ideation method developed by Alex Osborn, characterized by four rules: defer judgment, encourage wild ideas, build on others, and go for quantity, all aimed at generating a high volume of diverse ideas.
