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Module 3 of 6 - Stage 2

Generate Potential Solutions

The first idea is almost never the best idea. Stage 2 is about generating as many different options as possible before evaluating any of them. The larger and more varied your solution space, the better your odds of finding something strong.

FIXATION TRAP Three versions of the same idea GOOD SOLUTION SPACE Variety + quantity Brighter = stronger idea. You don't know which until Stage 3.

By the end of this module you will be able to

Describe the goals of Stage 2 and what the solution space is
List the concept generation guidelines and explain why each exists
Describe how to run a C-sketch session with your team
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What Stage 2 is trying to do

The goal is to generate as many potential solutions as possible - maximising both the number and the variety of ideas before evaluating any of them. The collection of all your ideas is called the solution space.

Your final design will come from somewhere in this space. The more ideas you have, and the more varied they are, the better your chance of including a truly strong solution. Ideas that seem weak at first sometimes turn out to have elements that are very strong once developed further. Ideas that seem strong sometimes have a fundamental flaw that only becomes visible under scrutiny. You don't know which is which yet - that's Stage 3's job.

Two traps to avoid

  • Stopping too early. The most novel and strongest ideas often come later in the generation process, after the obvious ones have been exhausted. Teams that stop early are unaware of what they're missing - but they're still missing it.
  • Fixation (anchoring). Getting stuck on one idea and generating only minor variations of it. Three close cousins of the same idea is not three ideas. The solution space becomes narrow and the team loses the diversity that leads to genuinely different solutions.
Watch for fixation in your team. If everyone's sketches look like variations of the first idea someone suggested, stop and deliberately try to come up with something completely different.

Concept generation guidelines

  • Generate as many different ideas as possible - maximise both number and variety
  • Focus on quantity, not quality at this stage
  • Welcome strange, implausible, and unconventional ideas - they sometimes lead to genuinely novel solutions
  • Resist developing the first idea that comes to mind
  • Avoid playing favourites with any one idea
  • Do not evaluate ideas at this stage - evaluation belongs in Stage 3. Critiquing ideas in Stage 2 shuts people down and reduces variety
  • Use diverse methods: team brainstorming, independent work, sketching, simple models, breaks, different generation techniques

C-sketch - collaborative silent sketching

C-sketch (collaborative sketching) is a structured team brainstorming technique that works entirely through sketches - no words, no talking. It's designed to give every person on the team equal input to every idea.

How it works:

  • The team gathers around a table - works best with 3 to 7 people
  • Each person gets their own sheet and individually sketches one solution (about 3 minutes). No writing, no talking.
  • Everyone passes their sheet to the person beside them
  • Each person reviews the sketch they receive, then builds on it - adds to it, modifies it, extends it (no words)
  • After another 3 minutes, sheets are passed again. This continues until everyone has contributed to every idea

The key benefit is equal participation. Traditional brainstorming tends to be dominated by the loudest voices or whoever is perceived as most experienced. C-sketch's silent, visual format means everyone gets the same time and the same visibility. Quieter team members often contribute the most interesting variations.

After C-sketch: collect all the sheets, review and discuss them together. Look for opportunities to combine elements from different sketches into new ideas. If you run a second round, actively challenge the team to come up with ideas completely different from anything in the first round - otherwise you'll just generate more of the same.