DRAFT — under teacher review.
Brainstorming
The Hamilton and Alexandra College · Year 12 · 2026
Brainstorming is one of the four ideation tools in your C4-1 design pack. You already know what it is — the skill that scores marks is doing it well: chase quantity, switch your judgement off, then find the themes.
What makes a good brainstorm
- Quantity over quality — wild, silly, half-formed ideas are all welcome. Volume is the point.
- No judging during the session — don't filter, don't say "that won't work." Capture everything.
- Build on ideas — one idea sparks the next.
- Timebox it — 10–15 minutes of fast output beats an hour of overthinking.
- Then group into themes — the raw list is only useful once you've organised it.
How to run yours
- Write your project goal as a "How might we…?" question at the top of the page.
- Set a timer for 10–15 minutes.
- Dump every idea. No filtering, no editing, no "that's silly."
- When the timer stops, group related ideas and circle the 2–3 strongest themes to carry into your mind map.
Use a mini-whiteboard, A3 paper, or Excalidraw in Obsidian — whatever lets you write fast.
StudyStreak example
How might we help students keep studying without burning out?
Raw dump (timer on — no filtering):
pomodoro timer · streak counter · a plant that grows as you study · mood check-in · "you've done enough today" nudge · lock-out after 9pm · study-with-friends room · badges · confetti · gentle reminder to take a break · one-tap "start studying" · weekly wind-down summary · soundscapes · leaderboard · screen-time guardrails · reward downtime, not just study
Then group into themes (and circle the strongest):
- 🟢 Gentle motivation — streak counter, growing plant, weekly summary ✅
- 🟢 Low-friction logging — one-tap start, pomodoro timer ✅
- Wellbeing guardrails — break reminders, "done enough" nudge, 9pm lock-out
Competition— leaderboard, badges, confetti (crossed out — clashes with the calm, non-gamified feeling)
Notice the last group got rejected on purpose — that decision is exactly the kind of thing your C4-1 annotations should justify.
Common mistakes
- Filtering as you go — it kills your volume. Judge after the timer, not during.
- Stopping at five ideas — push past the obvious ones; the good stuff usually comes later.
- Skipping the grouping step — an ungrouped list isn't finished work.
Your turn
- Write your "How might we…?" question.
- Timer on — 10–15 minutes, maximum ideas, zero filtering.
- Group your ideas; circle 2–3 themes.
- Note one idea you rejected and why (great annotation material).
Commit your raw list and your themes to GitHub, and add them to your printed design pack.
Check Your Understanding
- Why is the rule "quantity over quality"?
Answer
Volume is where good ideas hide — the obvious ones come first, the strong ones come after you've pushed past them. Judging early stops the flow.
- What two things do you do after the timer stops?
Answer
Group related ideas into themes, and circle the 2–3 strongest to carry forward (into your mind map).
- Why is it useful to note an idea you rejected?
Answer
Naming what you considered and rejected — and why — is exactly the justify-level thinking C4-1 annotations reward.
See also
- Mind Mapping — the next step: give your brainstorm themes some shape
- Mood Boards · C4-1 Checkpoint — Your Design Pack
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