## Proven & Professional29

Yes And Building Never negate; each person opens with "Yes, and..." and adds to the last idea, stacking a chain of accepted additions Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck · Planning
Brain Writing Round Robin Everyone writes ideas silently, then passes their sheet; you build on whatever lands in front of you, round after round Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature
Random Stimulation Pull a random word or image and force a link to the problem: "how does THIS spark a solution?"Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Role Playing Each person speaks as a different stakeholder, voicing what that role wants, fears, and would demand of the idea Great for: Strategy · Personal / life · Build a feature
First Principles Thinking Strip every assumption to bedrock facts, then rebuild the solution from scratch on truth alone Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Diagnose · Strategy
Reverse Brainstorming Generate problems instead of solutions — 'how could we make this fail?' — then mine each for its inverse Great for: Diagnose · Build a feature · Get unstuck
Five Whys Ask "why?" five times in a chain, each answer feeding the next, until you hit the root cause beneath the symptom Great for: Diagnose
Provocation Technique State something deliberately absurd, then mine it: "how could this be useful?" Extract the usable principle hiding inside Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Assumption Reversal List every assumption baked into the problem, flip each to its opposite, then rebuild a solution on the inverted foundation Great for: Novel concept · Diagnose · Strategy
Question Storming Generate only questions about the problem, zero answers allowed, until the real problem worth solving comes into focus Great for: Diagnose · Strategy · Get unstuck
Causal Loop Mapping Diagram the feedback loops linking causes and effects, find the reinforcing and balancing cycles, and target the leverage point Great for: Diagnose · Strategy
Morphological Analysis List the problem's independent parameters, generate options for each, then combine across them to surface untried configurations Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Planning
Laddering Ask 'and what would that give you?' up the chain until you reach the real underlying need, then ideate fresh at that level Great for: Personal / life · Strategy · Diagnose
SCAMPER Method Run your idea through seven lenses: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put-to-other-use, Eliminate, Reverse Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept
Six Thinking Hats Examine the problem six ways one at a time: facts, feelings, benefits, risks, new ideas, process Great for: Strategy · Diagnose · Planning · Personal / life
Lotus Blossom Put the theme at the center of a 3x3 grid, fill the 8 cells around it, then promote each of those to the center of its own new 3x3 Great for: Build a feature · Planning · Novel concept
Worst Possible Idea Deliberately generate the most terrible solutions you can, then flip each into what it teaches you to do right Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Disney Method Cycle the idea through three rooms: Dreamer (anything goes), Realist (how we'd build it), Critic (what breaks)Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Planning
Starbursting Interrogate the idea with only questions — who, what, where, when, why, how — exhaust each before answering any Great for: Build a feature · Planning · Diagnose
Mind Mapping Branch the central topic outward, each node spawning children; follow tangents wherever they pull and let the web sprawl Great for: Planning · Novel concept · Build a feature
Crazy 8s Eight ideas in eight minutes, one per box, no editing — speed outruns your inner critic Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Get unstuck
How Might We Reframe the problem as a batch of 'How might we...' opportunity questions first, then ideate against the sharpest one Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Strategy · Diagnose
Job to Be Done Ask what the user is really hiring this to do, then ideate around that underlying job, not the feature you assumed Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Novel concept
Empathy Map Map what the user says, thinks, does, and feels around the problem, then mine each quadrant for the unmet need Great for: Build a feature · Personal / life
Backcasting Fix the finished future in vivid detail, then work backward step by step to the one move you'd have to make first Great for: Strategy · Planning · Novel concept
TRIZ Contradiction Name the core contradiction (what only improves by making something else worse), then brainstorm ways to win both instead of trading off Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Diagnose
Fishbone Diagram Branch the problem's spine into cause categories (people, process, tools, environment) and mine each bone for contributing causes Great for: Diagnose
Build on What Works Name what's already succeeding and why, then ideate how to amplify and extend it instead of fixing what's broken Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
Scenario Cross Pick two high-impact uncertainties, cross them into four futures, and ideate the move that wins in every one Great for: Strategy · Planning

## Structured & Analytical

## Structured15

SCAMPER Method Run your idea through seven lenses: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put-to-other-use, Eliminate, Reverse Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept
Six Thinking Hats Examine the problem six ways one at a time: facts, feelings, benefits, risks, new ideas, process Great for: Strategy · Diagnose · Planning · Personal / life
Decision Tree Mapping Chart every choice point and the paths it forks into, following each branch to its outcome and risk Great for: Planning · Strategy · Diagnose
Solution Matrix Grid problem variables against solution approaches, score every cell, hunt the best pairings and empty gaps Great for: Build a feature · Planning
Trait Transfer Name what makes an unrelated success work, then graft those winning traits onto your own problem Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature
Lotus Blossom Put the theme at the center of a 3x3 grid, fill the 8 cells around it, then promote each of those to the center of its own new 3x3 Great for: Build a feature · Planning · Novel concept
Worst Possible Idea Deliberately generate the most terrible solutions you can, then flip each into what it teaches you to do right Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Disney Method Cycle the idea through three rooms: Dreamer (anything goes), Realist (how we'd build it), Critic (what breaks)Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Planning
Starbursting Interrogate the idea with only questions — who, what, where, when, why, how — exhaust each before answering any Great for: Build a feature · Planning · Diagnose
Mind Mapping Branch the central topic outward, each node spawning children; follow tangents wherever they pull and let the web sprawl Great for: Planning · Novel concept · Build a feature
Crazy 8s Eight ideas in eight minutes, one per box, no editing — speed outruns your inner critic Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Get unstuck
How Might We Reframe the problem as a batch of 'How might we...' opportunity questions first, then ideate against the sharpest one Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Strategy · Diagnose
Job to Be Done Ask what the user is really hiring this to do, then ideate around that underlying job, not the feature you assumed Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Novel concept
Empathy Map Map what the user says, thinks, does, and feels around the problem, then mine each quadrant for the unmet need Great for: Build a feature · Personal / life
Backcasting Fix the finished future in vivid detail, then work backward step by step to the one move you'd have to make first Great for: Strategy · Planning · Novel concept
✨ Invent a Structured technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Structured

## Deep13

Five Whys Ask "why?" five times in a chain, each answer feeding the next, until you hit the root cause beneath the symptom Great for: Diagnose
Provocation Technique State something deliberately absurd, then mine it: "how could this be useful?" Extract the usable principle hiding inside Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Assumption Reversal List every assumption baked into the problem, flip each to its opposite, then rebuild a solution on the inverted foundation Great for: Novel concept · Diagnose · Strategy
Question Storming Generate only questions about the problem, zero answers allowed, until the real problem worth solving comes into focus Great for: Diagnose · Strategy · Get unstuck
Constraint Mapping Map every constraint, sort real from imagined, then attack each: dissolve it, route around it, or turn it into an asset Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Diagnose
Failure Analysis Dissect a relevant failure: what broke, why it broke, what lesson it leaves, and how to apply that wisdom here Great for: Diagnose · Strategy · Build a feature
Emergent Thinking Stop forcing a solution; watch what patterns the system keeps producing and name what's trying to emerge on its own Great for: Strategy · Novel concept
Causal Loop Mapping Diagram the feedback loops linking causes and effects, find the reinforcing and balancing cycles, and target the leverage point Great for: Diagnose · Strategy
Morphological Analysis List the problem's independent parameters, generate options for each, then combine across them to surface untried configurations Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Planning
Laddering Ask 'and what would that give you?' up the chain until you reach the real underlying need, then ideate fresh at that level Great for: Personal / life · Strategy · Diagnose
TRIZ Contradiction Name the core contradiction (what only improves by making something else worse), then brainstorm ways to win both instead of trading off Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Diagnose
Fishbone Diagram Branch the problem's spine into cause categories (people, process, tools, environment) and mine each bone for contributing causes Great for: Diagnose
Build on What Works Name what's already succeeding and why, then ideate how to amplify and extend it instead of fixing what's broken Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
✨ Invent a Deep technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Deep

## Creative & Generative

## Creative10

What If Scenarios Detonate one constraint at a time — unlimited budget, opposite is true, problem vanished — and chase what rushes in Great for: Novel concept · Strategy · Get unstuck
Analogical Thinking Ask 'this is like what?' and steal the solution pattern from the domain that answers Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Diagnose
First Principles Thinking Strip every assumption to bedrock facts, then rebuild the solution from scratch on truth alone Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept · Diagnose · Strategy
Forced Relationships Grab two unrelated things at random and force a bridge between them until an idea falls out Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Time Shifting Solve the problem as a 1900s artisan, then a 2150 colonist — harvest the era-bound constraints and tricks Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Metaphor Mapping Declare the problem IS a chosen metaphor, extend the metaphor fully, map each part back to find insights Great for: Novel concept · Diagnose
Cross-Pollination Ask how a wildly different industry — casinos, ERs, beekeeping — would crack this, then adapt their move Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature · Strategy
Concept Blending Fuse two concepts into one new hybrid category and name what the merger becomes, not just combines Great for: Novel concept
Reverse Brainstorming Generate problems instead of solutions — 'how could we make this fail?' — then mine each for its inverse Great for: Diagnose · Build a feature · Get unstuck
Sensory Exploration Interrogate the idea through each sense — its taste, smell, sound, texture — to surface non-analytical angles Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
✨ Invent a Creative technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Creative

## Biomimetic6

Nature's Solutions Name an organism that already solved your problem, then copy its mechanism into your design Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept
Ecosystem Thinking Map your problem as an ecosystem: who eats whom, who partners, what decays, what fills the gaps Great for: Strategy · Diagnose
Evolutionary Pressure Spawn many ugly variants, apply a brutal selection rule, breed the survivors, repeat until it adapts Great for: Build a feature · Novel concept
Predator & Prey Pick a threat to your idea, then design the defense, camouflage, or escape an animal would evolve against it Great for: Strategy · Build a feature
Metamorphosis Stages Force your idea through egg, larva, pupa, adult: a radically different form and purpose at each life stage Great for: Novel concept · Strategy
Swarm Logic Forbid the master plan: solve it with dumb local rules each agent follows so order emerges from the bottom up Great for: Build a feature · Strategy
✨ Invent a Biomimetic technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Biomimetic

## Cultural7

Indigenous Wisdom Ask how an indigenous or traditional knowledge system would approach this — name the culture, channel its ancestral problem-solving Great for: Personal / life · Strategy · Novel concept
Fusion Cuisine Pick two unrelated cultures and force-blend their approaches; harvest the hybrid that neither alone would invent Great for: Novel concept
Ritual Innovation Redesign the idea as a ceremony — define the threshold, the gestures, the transformation participants undergo Great for: Novel concept · Personal / life
Mythic Frameworks Map the problem onto a myth: name the archetypes, find the parallel tale, let its structure dictate the resolution Great for: Strategy · Personal / life · Novel concept
Proverb Mining Collect proverbs from many cultures on this theme, then build the solution from the one that clashes hardest with your assumptions Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
Ancestor Council Convene three ancestors or elders from different traditions, voice each one's verdict on your idea, reconcile their disagreement Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
Trickster's Gambit Channel the trickster figure — coyote, Anansi, Loki — and solve it by cheating, inverting, or breaking the sacred rule Great for: Get unstuck · Strategy
✨ Invent a Cultural technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Cultural

## Speculative Future8

Time Horizon Ladder Solve the idea for 1 year out, then 10, then 100 — note what survives, breaks, or becomes absurd at each rung Great for: Strategy · Planning · Novel concept
Post-Scarcity Test Assume the core constraint (money, energy, time, attention) is now infinite and free — what does the idea become Great for: Novel concept · Strategy
Utopia vs Dystopia Split-Screen Write the same future twice: the brochure where it went perfectly and the headline where it went horribly Great for: Strategy · Diagnose
Sci-Fi Artifact From the Future Describe one physical object, ad, or news clip from the world where this idea already won — reverse-engineer it Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature
Emerging Tech Collision Force-marry your idea to a frontier tech (AGI, fusion, neural implants, gene edit) and ask what new thing is born Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature · Strategy
What-If-The-World-Changed Card Flip Draw a wild world-shift (no privacy, half population, 200-yr lifespans) and redesign the idea to fit that world Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Future Anthropologist Dig A scholar in 2200 unearths your idea as a relic — what do they conclude it reveals about us, and what replaced it Great for: Strategy · Novel concept
Scenario Cross Pick two high-impact uncertainties, cross them into four futures, and ideate the move that wins in every one Great for: Strategy · Planning
✨ Invent a Speculative Future technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Speculative Future

## Quantum6

Observer Effect Ask how the act of watching, measuring, or shipping this idea changes the very thing you're trying to capture Great for: Strategy · Diagnose
Entanglement Thinking Pair two distant parts of the problem and insist a change in one instantly flips the other — surface the hidden linkage Great for: Diagnose · Strategy
Superposition Collapse Hold all rival solutions alive at once, then name the one constraint that collapses them to a single winner Great for: Strategy · Diagnose
Relativity Frame Shift Re-run the idea from a wildly different observer's reference frame — the slow user, the rival, future-you — and see what warps Great for: Strategy · Novel concept
Field Lines Treat the goal as a charge and map the invisible forces pulling every stakeholder toward or away from it Great for: Strategy
Quantum Tunneling Assume the idea can pass straight through the 'impossible' barrier instead of over it — what's on the other side, reached cheaply Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
✨ Invent a Quantum technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Quantum

## Wild & Playful

## Wild7

Chaos Engineering Deliberately break your idea every way it could fail, then rebuild only the parts that survive the wreckage Great for: Build a feature · Diagnose · Strategy
Guerrilla Gardening Ideas Plant your solution in the least expected place and let it grow underground until it surprises everyone Great for: Strategy · Get unstuck
Pirate Code Brainstorm Steal the best bits from anywhere, remix without asking permission, grab what works and run Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Zombie Apocalypse Planning Society just collapsed — strip your idea to only what survives with no power, no rules, no backup Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Get unstuck
Drunk History Retelling Explain it like you're three drinks in: no filter, no jargon, just the raw stupid-simple truth Great for: Get unstuck · Diagnose
Anti-Solution Brainstorm how to make the problem spectacularly worse, then invert every sabotage into a fix Great for: Diagnose · Get unstuck
Elemental Forces Let fire, water, earth, and air each sculpt your idea their own brutal way and see what survives Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
✨ Invent a Wild technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Wild

## Absurdist6

Villain's Monologue Pitch your problem as an evil mastermind gloating about their scheme; the diabolical plan reveals the real solution Great for: Diagnose · Strategy · Get unstuck
Explain It to a Golden Retriever Re-pitch the idea to an excitable dog who only cares about treats, balls, and naps; keep only what survives Great for: Get unstuck · Diagnose · Build a feature
Infomercial at 3AM Sell your half-baked idea as a desperate late-night infomercial: 'But wait, there's more!' until features fall out Great for: Strategy · Novel concept
Drunk Uncle at Thanksgiving Have your loudest, least-filtered relative rant about the problem; mine the unhinged hot takes for buried truth Great for: Get unstuck · Diagnose
Cursed Genie Make a wish, then let a malicious genie grant it in the most technically-correct disastrous way; patch each loophole Great for: Diagnose · Build a feature
Three Rounds of Stupid Round 1 absurd ideas, Round 2 make each MORE absurd, Round 3 find the smallest serious thing hiding in the silliest Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
✨ Invent a Absurdist technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Absurdist

## Theatrical7

Time Travel Talk Show Host a talk show interviewing your past, present, and future selves to mine each era for advice on the problem Great for: Novel concept · Personal / life
Alien Anthropologist Become a baffled alien studying the problem and narrate aloud what seems strange, arbitrary, or insane about it Great for: Diagnose · Get unstuck · Strategy
Dream Fusion Laboratory Voice the impossible fantasy solution first, then reverse-engineer the bridging steps back to reality Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Emotion Orchestra Run a separate ideation round led by each emotion (rage, joy, fear, hope), then harmonize their conflicting ideas Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
Parallel Universe Cafe Rewrite one fundamental rule of reality (physics, economics, social norms) and solve the problem under those laws Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Persona Journey Embody an archetype and solve the problem in-character, naming what that persona sees that you normally miss Great for: Build a feature · Strategy
Devil's Advocate Courtroom Stage a trial: prosecute the idea, defend it, then deliver the jury verdict, each role argued fully in character Great for: Strategy · Diagnose
✨ Invent a Theatrical technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Theatrical

## Constraint7

Kill the Crown Jewel Delete the single best, most beloved feature — now redesign the whole thing to win without it Great for: Build a feature · Strategy · Get unstuck
1000x Budget Pretend money, time, and people are infinite — design the absurd version, then mine it for ideas you can actually steal Great for: Novel concept · Strategy
Ship in 60 Minutes You launch in one hour with what's already on hand — name what you cut, fake, or borrow to make it real Great for: Build a feature · Planning · Get unstuck
The $0 Mandate Achieve the goal spending literally nothing — no tools, hires, or ads; only people, favors, and what you own Great for: Planning · Strategy · Build a feature
One Feature Only You may keep exactly ONE capability and nothing else — pick it, then make that single thing unbelievably good Great for: Build a feature · Strategy
Crank the Dial to 11 Pick one dimension and exaggerate it to a ludicrous extreme — fastest, biggest, cheapest, weirdest — and see what breaks open Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Constraint Roulette Each round draw a brutal random limit (no screens, half the team, one day) and re-solve under it; survivors become real ideas Great for: Get unstuck · Build a feature
✨ Invent a Constraint technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Constraint

## Introspective & Personal

## Introspective Delight8

Inner Child Conference Answer as your 7-year-old self: ask naive 'why why why' questions, chase wonder, ban every boring adult thought Great for: Personal / life · Get unstuck
Shadow Work Mining Name what you're avoiding, resisting, or scared of about this — then dig there for the buried insight Great for: Personal / life · Diagnose
Values Archaeology Keep asking 'why do I care?' until you hit bedrock: the non-negotiable value secretly steering the choice Great for: Personal / life · Strategy
Future Self Interview Interview your wise 80-year-old self about this problem and write down the advice they give you Great for: Personal / life
Body Wisdom Dialogue Scan for the tension, flutter, or gut pull each option triggers; let the body's yes/no drive the ideas Great for: Personal / life
Permission Giving Write yourself an explicit permission slip to think the forbidden, impossible thought — then think it out loud Great for: Personal / life · Get unstuck
Secret Wish Confession Whisper the embarrassing thing you secretly want here but won't admit, then build the idea honoring it Great for: Personal / life
Mood Weather Report Name the inner weather right now (fog, storm, sun) and let that exact emotional climate generate the ideas Great for: Personal / life · Get unstuck
✨ Invent a Introspective Delight technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Introspective Delight

## Collaborative8

Yes And Building Never negate; each person opens with "Yes, and..." and adds to the last idea, stacking a chain of accepted additions Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck · Planning
Brain Writing Round Robin Everyone writes ideas silently, then passes their sheet; you build on whatever lands in front of you, round after round Great for: Novel concept · Build a feature
Random Stimulation Pull a random word or image and force a link to the problem: "how does THIS spark a solution?"Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
Role Playing Each person speaks as a different stakeholder, voicing what that role wants, fears, and would demand of the idea Great for: Strategy · Personal / life · Build a feature
Ideation Relay Race 30-second turns, no pausing: add one idea, slap it to the next person, keep the baton moving before anyone overthinks Great for: Get unstuck
Idea Hot Potato One idea gets tossed around the circle; each catcher must mutate it in 10 seconds before passing, no repeats allowed Great for: Get unstuck
Steal And Upgrade Pick a neighbor's idea you envy, claim it out loud, then make it visibly better before handing it back improved Great for: Novel concept · Get unstuck
Fold The Paper Each person adds one line to a hidden drawing or sentence, sees only the previous fragment, then unfold the surreal whole Great for: Get unstuck · Novel concept
✨ Invent a Collaborative technique Make up a brand-new technique on the fly, in the spirit of Collaborative