IdeationTeam ~20 min · 4 steps

Round Robin

It's a lost art to generate divergent ideas — then pressure-test them as a team without anyone dominating the room.

Overview

Let's be honest for a minute. Not all ideas are created equal. We've all thought we came up with the most brilliant solution to a problem. But until it's put to the test, how can we know what could go wrong? Since the first idea is usually the worst idea, one of the best ways to increase your chance of success is to take as many shots on goal as possible.

But one of the worst ways to kick off ideation is to say "ok, what ideas have you got?". Human nature almost guarantees the fastest, most outspoken, or most powerful person in the room wins a session like that.

Round Robin is an easy and fun way to get input and ideas from the whole team while still ensuring healthy challenge (even for the HIPPOs). It removes the ability for anyone to dominate discussion and puts pressure on everyone to think on their feet. Since it relies on shifting everyone down and to the right each round, it also introduces an unbiased way to give feedback.

The Power of Critique

Some team cultures aren't as used to giving open feedback and critique.

Critique is a fundamental tool in the process of refining and improving ideas. It facilitates the testing of ideas, encouraging critical thinking and analysis to identify potential flaws before implementation. By opening up to constructive criticism, solutions get refined, making them stronger and more effective.

This exercise is a great way for your team to practice healthy critique and use it to build on their ideas.

The worksheet

Each column is one person. Round 1: ideas. Round 2: shift down-right, add a critique. Round 3: shift again, defend the original idea.

How to do it

Start with a problem statement or pain point the team will ideate against. Frame it as a goal someone has to complete ("Provide a way for me to…") and write it at the top.

Have everyone pick a column (or assign colors if you're using stickies). You'll run a series of short timers across three rounds. Round 1 is generating lots of ideas — as many divergent ideas as fast as possible.

After round 1, with no discussion, everyone shifts their square one column right and one row down. This ensures less biased feedback, since you're now assigned to someone else's idea. Start a timer and come up with at least one critique of the idea above you.

Shift down-and-right again for the final round. This time, come up with a counter-argument or solution to the critique above you — defend the original idea two squares up. Then take turns reading the original idea, its critique, and the supporting reply.

Critique Ideas

How would this idea impact the user experience? What wouldn't people like or want to do? Is this idea feasible given our current resources and technical capabilities? What would be hard to build? How does this idea compare to similar solutions in the market? What data would we need to make this happen? How hard is it to get? Are there any legal or ethical concerns with implementing this idea?