WHAT is it?

This is a session to practise generating ideas, with random words arbitrarily paired together to produce unexpected possibilities.

WHY teach it?

This exercise gives students experience in divergent thinking, and it familiarises them with scenario-building tools for later sessions. Jamming the ideas also builds their creative confidence.

HOW to do it?

Instructions:

▸ Related words #1 (A) (15 mins)
Ask the students to think of 5 words related to the topic and to write each of them on a single sheet.
Ask them to think of another 5 words, encouraging them to think of things that are not too obvious.
Choose one from each group.

▸ Related words #2 (B) (15 mins)
Using the prepared magazines, ask the students to randomly name a page number and then point to any word on that page with their eyes closed. Again choose one from each group.
Or
You could think of a relevant category for the students to brainstorm.

▸ Force combining (60 mins)
Juxtapose the words from (A) and (B) one by one and jot down what the combination could be.
The goal is to generate more than 20 ideas from which you should choose 2.

▸ Scenario building (25 mins)
Making use of the Comic Strip tool, ask the students to imagine the scenario of this new compound concept/product/service. Ask them to imagine the scenario through the lens of the user. The comic strip moves from Need to Design Direction to Solution and finally to Value.

▸ Presentation and debriefing (20 mins)

Teaching Tips

As the words and ideas are generated randomly, the solutions generated from this exercise may not be the most logical, so they should be seen as raw solutions that can inspire more suitable ones.