11 New Methods: Creativity, Ideation and Design

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Idea Generation

Reverse Ideation

Reverse Ideation flips the problem. Instead of asking how to solve it, you ask how to make it worse — then reverse those answers into real solutions. The constraints of backward thinking often unlock ideas that direct brainstorming misses.

When to use it:

• Your team is stuck in the same patterns and generating the same ideas
• You want to surface hidden assumptions about a problem
• You need a warm-up exercise before a longer ideation session

SCAMPER

SCAMPER is a structured ideation method that uses seven prompts — Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse — to push existing ideas further. It works best when you have something to react to rather than a blank canvas.

When to use it:

• You're improving an existing product or service rather than starting from scratch
• Your ideation session is running out of steam
• You want a systematic way to explore variations of an idea

Rapid Ideation

Rapid Ideation is a timed brainstorming technique where participants generate as many ideas as possible in a short window, then refine and cluster. Speed reduces self-censorship and gets more raw material on the table.

When to use it:

• You need a large volume of ideas quickly
• Participants are over-filtering their ideas before sharing them
• You're kicking off a design sprint or innovation workshop

Mind Mapping

Mind Mapping is a visual thinking tool for exploring a topic by branching outward from a central concept. It works well for both individual thinking and group synthesis.

When to use it:

• You're exploring a complex problem and want to see how concepts connect
• You need to organise a lot of information before deciding what to focus on
• You're facilitating a group that needs to share mental models

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Workshop Facilitation

Lightning Demo

A Lightning Demo is a structured team exercise where each participant presents a product, service, or idea that could inspire the challenge you're working on — typically 3 minutes each. It's one of the most efficient ways to build a shared reference library before ideating.

When to use it:

• You're running a Design Sprint or intensive workshop day
• Your team tends to generate ideas in isolation rather than building on each other's thinking
• You want to broaden the team's frame of reference quickly

Hamburger Insight Gathering

The Hamburger Insight Gathering method is a structured approach to extracting insights from research data by layering observations, interpretations, and implications — like the layers in a burger. It stops teams from jumping straight from raw data to conclusions.

When to use it:

• You've completed user research and need to synthesise findings with your team
• Your team treats observations as insights without unpacking what they mean
• You're building a deck or report and need a clear structure for your evidence

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From Concept to Tested

Consumer Trend Canvas

The Consumer Trend Canvas helps you spot and analyse consumer trends, then work out how to use them. It moves from trend identification through to ideation — giving you a structured way to turn market signals into product opportunities.

When to use it:

• You're doing early-stage innovation work and need to anchor ideas in real shifts
• You want to pressure-test whether a product idea taps into something people actually care about
• You're preparing a strategic review and need to scan for emerging opportunities

Vision Grow

Vision Grow is a facilitated exercise for building a shared, ambitious vision for a product, team, or initiative — then working backwards to identify what needs to be true to get there.

When to use it:

• Your team is heads-down on delivery and has lost sight of where you're heading
• You're starting a new product or initiative and need to align stakeholders on direction
• You want to create a clear "north" before building a roadmap

Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping covers the principles and techniques for building low-to-high fidelity representations of an idea to test before committing to full development. The worksheet helps you choose the right fidelity for the question you're trying to answer.

When to use it:

• You need to test an idea without writing production code
• Stakeholders are debating a concept in the abstract and you need something concrete
• You want to get user feedback before a major design or engineering investment

Usability Test

A Usability Test is a structured session where real users attempt to complete tasks with your product while you observe. The method covers how to plan, run, and analyse a test that generates actionable findings.

When to use it:

• You've built something and want to know if people can actually use it
• You're iterating on an existing feature and need to validate your changes
• You want evidence to support or challenge a design decision

Site Maps

A Site Map is a visual diagram of a product's structure — its pages, sections, and how they connect. Creating one forces clarity on architecture before you get too deep into design or development.

When to use it:

• You're designing a new product or section and need to agree on structure before wireframing
• Your existing product has grown organically and navigation is a mess
• You're handing over an architecture to a developer and need to communicate scope

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What's Next

The Rapid Ideation → Rapid Prototyping → Usability Test sequence is worth running in that order if you're moving from idea to validated concept. The worksheets connect across each stage.

Got a method you'd like to see added? Let us know on the feedback page.