Ideation Techniques
'How Might We' Questions
'How Might We' (HMW) Questions are a technique used in brainstorming sessions to open up possibilities and encourage creative thinking. These questions are framed to convert challenges into opportunities for innovation, fostering a positive and exploratory approach to problem-solving.
EFFORT
Low, Medium
While the sessions themselves may not require extensive resources, effective sorting and prioritization of ideas can be effort-intensive.
DIFFICULTY
Easy, Moderate
The concept is simple to grasp and implement, but facilitating productive and focused brainstorming can require skilled moderation.
IMPLEMENTATION
Identify Challenges: Start by outlining the main challenges or issues the team is facing.
Reframe as HMW Questions: Transform these challenges into open-ended questions that begin with "How might we...?" This rephrasing helps to open up the problem space and invite a wide range of solutions.
Brainstorm Responses: Encourage the team to generate as many ideas as possible in response to each HMW question, focusing on creativity and volume over feasibility initially.
Cluster Ideas: Group related ideas to identify themes and patterns that may emerge.
Prioritize Solutions: Evaluate and prioritize the ideas based on criteria such as impact, feasibility, and innovation.
Develop Action Plans: Select the most promising ideas and develop them into detailed action plans for further exploration or implementation.
BENEFITS
Encourages a positive and constructive approach to challenges, converting them into opportunities.
Promotes broad participation and idea generation, leveraging the diverse perspectives of the team.
Facilitates the discovery of innovative and out-of-the-box solutions.
CHALLENGES
It can produce a high volume of ideas, which can be overwhelming to sort and prioritize without effective moderation.
May require a cultural shift for teams used to more conventional or conservative problem-solving approaches.
Finding the right balance between open-ended creativity and practical implementation can be challenging.
RECOMMENDED TEAM MEMBERS
Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, Engineering, Marketing, Customer Support
DELIVERABLES
A list of formulated 'How Might We' questions that clearly articulate the challenges.
A wide array of creative ideas generated in response to these questions.
Prioritized actions or project plans based on the most promising ideas.
'How Might We' Questions are particularly effective in ensuring that brainstorming sessions remain focused on positive outcomes and innovation, making them a staple in design thinking and agile methodologies.
Check out our collection of Brainstorming Workshops. More coming soon.