Explode—Divergent thinking

Take risks, be persistent, be curious. Fail early and fail often. 

Using the inspirations that were collected in phase one, the team offer up ideas that address the needs of the brief. Team members can offer up fresh concepts or build on the work of others.

Go for quantity, explore each idea entirely. Be spontaneous divergent thinking should be free-flowing, look for connections. Think with your hands, make things. These could be:

• Simple notes
• Free writings
• Code Snippets
• Models
• Doodles
• Storyboards
• Sounds/Pieces of Music 
• Act it out 

This is a heads up exercise were we keep looking at the work of those around us and the inspiration gathered earlier in order to spawn more ideas. Encourage the things we like, use language that explores/broadens rather then directs/narrows.

How much is enough? A team of 4–5 should be able to easily produce 100+ concepts in less then an hour. Teams may loose energy very early less then 10 concepts in the process. Feeling that the “right answer” has been found already and that time is being wasted that could be used on production. This is quite natural amongst groups new to this type of process, or jaded by prior experience. At this point the facilitator needs to come forward and step the group up and down the brief asking exploring questions. Open up the team to new process of exploration. Encourage, don’t dismiss or correct unless all other options have been explored.