Click the wheel or press space to spin
Brainstorm prompt wheel to unstick a session
It does not think for you. It forces the room to look at the same problem from another side for five minutes.
Every brainstorm follows the same curve: fifteen good minutes, then the room starts restating the ideas it already has in different words. The way out is not thinking harder but changing the angle. The twelve slices here are twelve angles, each enough for a five minute round, and they apply to almost any product or operations problem you might put on the board.
How do I use a brainstorm prompt wheel?
When the ideas start repeating, spin for an angle and give the room five minutes thinking only from there. When time is up, spin again.
- Write the problem down first
One sentence on the board. Without it, every angle turns into a general conversation.
- Spin an angle and set a timer
Five minutes per angle. The time limit is what produces ideas, more than the angle itself.
- Capture before you spin again
Write down what came out before changing angle, or the session ends with only the last round.
Brainstorm prompt wheel questions
Does the wheel generate ideas?
No, and it should not be expected to. Each slice is a question that pushes the room out of the groove it is stuck in; the ideas still come from the people present. Delete any prompt that does not fit your problem before you start.
How many angles should one session use?
Three or four in a ninety minute session, counting the time you spend capturing between rounds. More than that and the room talks without ever sorting what it produced.
Does it work for brainstorming alone?
That is where it helps most, because on your own there is nobody to pull you off your default angle. Spin one, write for five minutes without editing yourself, and only then read it back.