Design Thinking Methods Catalogue

# Ideate

# Yes, and...

Purpose
Jointly pushing ideas forward
Time required
From 15 minutes to 1 hour
Participants
Design Thinking team
Level of experience
Beginner

# What is it about?

The "yes, and..." method is a kind of brainstorming. In this variation, you build on various ideas from the team and actively use the phrase "Yes, and (moreover)...".

# The goal

This method gives the participants a guideline for the otherwise very free brainstorming. It provides a certain structure to make it easier for team members to respond to and develop the ideas of others.

# How to do it?

  1. The moderator formulates the question according to the scheme "How can we...?".
  2. There is always exactly one person speaking when answering the question.
  3. The next person picks up on the idea of his predecessor and always begins with "Yes, and (moreover)...".
  4. Postpone evaluations and discussions of individual ideas until later.
  5. Do not lose focus on the question.
  6. Record all ideas.
  7. Finally analyse the results.

# When do you need it?

This method can help across creativity barriers and helps the team to generate common ideas.

# Resources

  • Whiteboard

# Advantages

This method promotes active listening and helps to build on the ideas of the previous speaker.

# Disadvantages

A moderator must ensure that sentences are started correctly and that everyone gets a chance to speak. Otherwise, more reserved people could be left out.

# Keep in mind

If a group is too large, communication suffers. A maximum group size of 12 persons is recommended.

# See also

Previous methods Alternative methods Following methods

# Sources

← Mindmapping →