Crazy Eights
After synthesizing our research to form insights and defining our problem space, we next moved into our ideation phase. We used a design method called Crazy Eights to rapidly generate ideas that could best address our “how might we” statement.
How It Works
Step by Step Instructions
- Fold paper into eights (once hotdog style then twice hamburger style)
- Put timer for 1 minute
- Draw your idea in one box for 1 minute
- Repeat 8 times until all boxes are completed
Tools Used
Paper and Pencil — While folding the paper into eight sections provides a fun touch and a way to keep all my ideas together, I could have also used eight sticky notes or even a digital drawing tool. However, I do not recommend using a digital tool that does not have easy drawing capabilities. While typing out a description of the idea can be useful, having the ability to draw out the idea allows for more creative freedom and a better visualization guide for others when sharing out.
Design Method Reflection
Advantages
Crazy Eights is a great tool to generate a large amount of ideas in a short amount of time. By splitting the paper into eight sections, we forced ourselves but also guaranteed ourselves eight new ways or ideas to address our problem statement. Limiting ourselves to only one minute per section also allowed us to generate ideas in a time efficient manner, whereas other brainstorming tools do not have an inherent time restriction, causing sessions to run long with limited results. Crazy Eights also forces all individuals to produce eight ideas. By working individually, everyone has a chance to share their ideas, and this method helps avoid groupthink or settling on the first idea. In addition, needing to create eight ideas consecutively helps us think outside the box towards less obvious ideas.
Disadvantages
Although time restrictions are great for efficiency, they may not be the best for generating fleshed out ideas. As such, Crazy Eights may be more recommended for the initial stages of brainstorming. In addition, designers using Crazy Eights may feel stressed from the time limit, which could restrict their creativity. This could cause designers to draw essentially the same idea in different ways for several sections, rather than different ideas in each section.
Recommendations
In implementation, I would recommend doing Crazy Eights as a group: one person facilitating the session and setting the timer while everyone draws. After the eight minutes, each designer should share all of their ideas with the rest of the group. This share out can potentially generate even more ideas as individual ideas are discussed and combined.
