Designing needs a proper process to bring good results. You are supposed to lay down all the steps to create designs professionally in a strategic mode. But not every time is the straight and easy way- the right way. Sometimes you need to think out of the box to get the job done. This article will acquaint you with the reverse brainstorming method, another technique to brainstorm in and out of the box way.
The reverse brainstorming method is a radical breakthrough in the orthodox ways of design thinking methodologies. Also known as negative brainstorming, this problem reversal technique for professional designing is similar to the brainstorming technique, with only an addition of reversing the latter technique.
The reverse brainstorming method lets you create unusual and wild ideas, if the brainstorming process fails to meet the requirements. The reverse brainstorming method involves five steps to create designs professionally. They are mentioned below:
Step 1: Understand the design
The first step of this problem reversal technique for professional designing lets you to start with understanding the basics of the design. You need to understand your design’s prospects and the significance, which it holds for your client and your audience. The conceptualisation and ideation for your design brief will take place accordingly.
For example, say you have a project for website designing and your client wants more visitors for his/her website. In this case, the first thing that you should do is to understand the concept of the website and what is it providing the users. Only then, you will be able to create ideas in the following steps to create designs professionally.
Step 2: Reverse the core aspect of design
The second step of this problem reversal technique for professional designing acquaints you with the ideation process for your project. In a general ideation process, you are expected to be working upon the ideas of your design. But this is not a regular design thinking process. Instead of coming up with ideas, you must focus on the opposite direction of the project.
Let’s continue with the above example. Instead of thinking how to increase activity and results in the website, you and your team should discuss the things, which can drive users out of the website.
Step 3: Collect the ideas
In the third step of the reverse brainstorming method, you have to collect ideas that came out from the discussion in step 2. The thing to note down here is that you must not let criticism towards any idea to take place. All the ideas should be welcomed. Even the craziest or the wildest ideas should not be voted out. Write each one down and create a list for working in the coming steps to create designs professionally.
Step 4: Reverse the ideas
The fourth step of the problem reversal technique for professional designing involves the reversal of the ideas, that you listed in the last step. The process starts with a deep discussion of all your ideas. In this you have to make sure that the ideas are centered down to only one thing- the opposite of your client’s needs. And then, all of your listed ideas should be reversed, to find the best possible ideas for your design. Let’s be more clear with the above example.
Let’s say one of your ideas from the list was to choose a font difficult to read. This would drive out a large proportion of existing viewers of the website. After the reversal, you could change the idea into- choosing an easy-to-read font for the website. Now this idea will meet the demand of your client.
Step 5: Evaluate
The fifth and the last step of this problem reversal technique for professional designing accumulates the evaluation of all your reversed ideas. You and your team should now discuss the feasibility of the ideas from the list. Assess all the ideas according to your client’s need and vote for one idea, which could lead to the development of your design.
These are all the steps to create designs professionally using reverse brainstorming method. You can also read about its counterpart in our blog: ‘Brainstorming Method for professional designing- Level up the Ideation phase’. To read about more design thinking processes, read our blog: ‘10 design thinking methodologies for creative conceptualisation of ideas’.
