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

1. Write your project goal as a "How might we…?" question at the top of the page.
2. Set a timer for 10–15 minutes.
3. Dump every idea. No filtering, no editing, no "that's silly."
4. 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

1. Write your "How might we…?" question.
2. Timer on — 10–15 minutes, maximum ideas, zero filtering.
3. Group your ideas; circle 2–3 themes.
4. 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

1. Why is the rule "quantity over quality"?

2. What two things do you do after the timer stops?

3. Why is it useful to note an idea you rejected?

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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