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.
What It Is
Brainstorming was developed by advertising executive Alex Osborn in the 1940s and is built on four foundational rules: defer judgement, encourage wild ideas, build on the ideas of others, and go for quantity. The classic format is a facilitated group session where participants call out ideas freely while a facilitator captures them on a shared surface, such as a whiteboard or wall of sticky notes. The emphasis on quantity over quality in the generative phase is deliberate: quantity creates diversity, and diversity is the raw material for breakthrough ideas.
How to Run It
Begin with a warm-up exercise that loosens creative inhibition, such as a rapid round of absurd or impossible ideas. State the HMW question or design challenge clearly at the start of the session and keep it visible throughout. Set a time limit, usually ten to twenty minutes, and a target number of ideas. Encourage participants to build on others' ideas by saying 'yes, and.' After the generative phase, group related ideas together and use dot voting or a decision matrix to identify the most promising directions for further development.
When to Use It
Brainstorming is most effective after research synthesis, when the team has a clear understanding of user needs and a well-framed HMW question to guide ideation. It is less suited to early-stage discovery work where the team is still trying to understand the problem. Use it in combination with individual ideation methods like brainwriting to ensure that quieter team members contribute equally to the idea pool.
Tips for Success
Separate generation from evaluation: the moment the team starts judging ideas during the generative phase, creative flow stops. Set explicit rules at the start of the session and enforce them consistently. Use warm-up exercises to signal that unusual ideas are welcome. After the session, resist the temptation to immediately discard the most outlandish ideas: some of the best final solutions have their roots in ideas that initially seemed absurd.
