Synonyms: ideation, idea generation, brainwriting (variant), group ideation, divergent thinking
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Definition
Brainstorming is a method for generating lots of ideas quickly while holding off judgment, so quantity and wild ideas flow before you filter. Alex Osborn formalized it, and the core rules are simple: go for volume, welcome strange ideas, no criticism yet, and build on each other. In UX it's used to widen the solution space before converging.
Use cases
Skip real ideation and you'll build the first obvious idea, which is rarely the best one.
First-idea bias: The team grabs the most familiar solution and ships it, never exploring the option that would have worked better.
Productive-feeling theater: A whiteboard session feels energetic and generates a wall of sticky notes, then nothing actionable, because no one planned how to choose.
How it's used in practice
Defer judgment: No criticism while generating. Evaluation comes later, as a separate step.
Generate alone, then share: Have people write ideas silently first (brainwriting), then combine. This beats freewheeling group sessions.
Chase volume: Aim for a lot of ideas, including odd ones. A big pool raises the odds that one becomes a strong design.
Focus and time-box: Use a sharp prompt ("How might we...") and a tight clock, then end with a selection step like blind voting or affinity mapping.
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Pro-tip: The research here is clear and unflattering: traditional out-loud group brainstorming produces fewer and worse ideas than people working alone and pooling results, thanks to production blocking (one talks, the rest wait) and social loafing.
Have people generate silently first, then combine. The room shouting ideas at a whiteboard feels great and underperforms. And remember, selection is the botteneck, so budget as much time for choosing as for generating.
Challenges & limitations
Anchoring and groupthink: Early ideas narrow the space, so the group circles one direction instead of exploring widely.
Volume without a decision: A hundred ideas and no selection step leaves you with noise, not a choice. It also lives or dies on facilitation.
