Crazy 8s (Design Sprint)

Crazy 8s is a quick visual brainstorming exercise used to generate a large number of ideas in a short amount of time. In 8 minutes, each participant sketches 8 different ideas, encouraging divergent thinking and creativity. This exercise is often used in Design Sprints to explore many possible solutions before converging on the most promising ideas.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Introduction

   5 min

   The facilitator presents the Crazy 8s exercise and its objective. They explain that each participant will need to draw 8 ideas in 8 minutes. "The idea is not to stop at your first thought, but to dig deeper to explore varied solutions." Participants must understand that the quality of the drawing is not important, but the diversity of ideas is.

   Tip — Emphasise that the goal is to think outside the box and not to judge ideas during the exercise.

2. 2

   Preparing the Materials

   5 min

   Distribute an A4 sheet of paper and a pen or marker to each participant. Ask them to fold the sheet into 8 equal sections. "You will use each section for a distinct idea." Ensure that everyone understands how to divide their sheet.

   Tip — Show an example of a folded sheet to ensure everyone understands.

3. 3

   Launching the Exercise

   1 min

   Start an 8-minute timer. "Here we go! Remember, one idea per section, and don’t stop until the time is up." Encourage participants not to linger on a single idea.

   Tip — Use upbeat music to maintain high energy during the exercise.

4. 4

   Execution

   8 min

   Participants draw their ideas, one per section, following the timer's rhythm. "Feel free to be wild and creative, this is the time to think outside the box!" Regularly remind them of the remaining time to keep the pace.

   Tip — If someone gets stuck, encourage them to move on to the next idea and come back later.

5. 5

   Presenting Ideas

   10 min

   Once the time is up, invite each participant to share their ideas with the group. "Choose 2 or 3 ideas that you would like to explain further." This allows for the beginning of identifying common themes or original ideas.

   Tip — Encourage constructive feedback and open-mindedness during the presentation of ideas.

6. 6

   Selecting Ideas

   10 min

   After the presentations, ask participants to select the ideas they find most promising. "Choose one or two ideas that you would like to explore further." This prepares for the prototyping or further development phase.

   Tip — Use stickers or post-its to vote on the preferred ideas.

Variants

• For a larger group, divide participants into sub-groups and have them share ideas within each sub-group.
• Increase the challenge by reducing the time to 5 minutes for the 8 ideas.
• Use specific themes for each Crazy 8s session to guide creativity in a particular direction.
• Suggest doing a second round focusing solely on improving the selected ideas.