Why do you use it?

In a design process, creative ideation requires innovators to resist reaching for the most obvious or comfortable solutions, and instead to generate a range of possibilities for how to make progress on a design problem. This canvas offers a structured way to push yourself outside of your comfort zone in the ideation process.

When to use it:

This canvas is designed to be used in the creative ideation stage of a design process, when you're looking to generate ideas for solutions. It works best when completed individually, but if you're working in a group you can have each member complete the canvas and then compare your results.

How to use it:

First, use the box at the top of the canvas to capture the 'How might we' question you'll be using as the basis for your creative ideation. Then, set yourself a time limit (we recommend around 6 minutes) and get ready to generate some ideas!

When your time starts, write down one specific idea for a solution to your 'How might we' question in each of the eight boxes on the canvas. You might like to include a small, simple illustration to bring each idea to life, but it's not necessary.

What's most important when using this canvas is to push yourself to fill all eight boxes within the time limit. Even if the ideas aren't all of the highest quality (and they probably won't be), this helps you to get beyond the most obvious or comfortable solutions and hopefully to generate some more innovative ideas.