Run the ideate loop end-to-end on a small everyday problem — solo or with 1–2 classmates in one shared FigJam file.
Setup (5 min)
Pick one everyday annoyance: forgetting to drink water, losing receipts, deciding what to cook, missing buses. Small is good — the method is the lesson.
Create sections in your FigJam file: Brainstorm, Clusters, Votes, Winner.
1. Brainstorm (10 min, no judging)
Set a timer. Generate at least 20 sticky notes — solutions, half-solutions, silly ideas. Rules:
- One idea per sticky.
- No evaluating, no deleting, no "that won't work" (yours or anyone's).
- Quantity IS the goal — ideas 15–20 are where the interesting ones hide, after the obvious ones run out.
2. Cluster (10 min)
Drag related stickies together into groups. Name each cluster with a header ("reminders", "make it social", "remove the step entirely"). Notice: clustering is analysis — themes you didn't plan appear by themselves. This move is called affinity mapping, and you'll use it seriously on research data next week.
3. Vote (5 min)
Give yourself (and any collaborators) 3 dot-stamps each. Vote on the ideas most worth exploring — not the funniest, the most promising for the person with the problem.
4. Capture the winner
Copy the winning idea into the Winner section and write two sentences under it: why this one, and what would have to be true for it to work (an assumption — you're already doing Week 1's core skill).
Deliverable
Share the FigJam file link with your instructor. Reviewer checks: 20+ stickies, named clusters, visible votes, and the winner's two sentences.