Reverse Brainstorming Template

About the Reverse Brainstorming Template

Reverse brainstorming is a creative problem-solving technique that involves thinking about a problem in reverse order. Instead of starting with the question, "How do we solve or improve this?" reverse brainstorming asks, "How could we possibly cause the problem or make it worse?"

This approach is used to stimulate new ideas and perspectives that might not emerge during traditional brainstorming sessions.

How to use the reverse brainstorming template

Reverse brainstorming is particularly useful when traditional brainstorming is not yielding effective solutions, or when a team is facing a mental block. Miro's reverse brainstorming template is easy to use and encourages thinking outside the box.

Follow these steps to get started with the template:

1. Identify the problem

In the first box, clearly define the problem or challenge you are facing. Describe it in a sentence or two and make sure it is clear to everyone involved in the brainstorming session.

2. Reverse the problem

In the box below, write down what the reverse of the problem would look like. For example, if the problem your team is trying to solve for involves "how to make a smartphone app more user-friendly," the reverse could be "how to create a complicated user interface for an app."

3. Collect ideas

Ask your team to generate ideas around ways in which the problem could get worse. There are no bad ideas here — jot down any ways that the problem could be exacerbated. This might involve considering actions that would lead to the opposite of your desired outcome.

To continue with the above example, some ideas could be:

• Make the app interface confusing and hard to navigate

• Introduce frequent, intrusive advertisements

• Slow down the app’s performance with unnecessary features

4. Reverse the ideas to find solutions

By now, you have several reverse ideas. Discuss them and reverse them again, this time into solutions to those problems. This step involves looking at the reverse brainstorming results and thinking about how to avoid or counteract these negative scenarios.

For example:

• Design a clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface

• Minimize or strategically place advertisements to avoid user frustration

• Optimize the app’s performance for speed and reliability

5. Evaluate the solutions

Now is the time to evaluate which ideas are feasible. Use the final box of the template to discuss how these solutions could be implemented, and prioritize which ideas to start working on first.

When to use the reverse brainstorming template

Reverse brainstorming is a great method to use in several scenarios. For example, when teams are having trouble coming up with ideas, reverse brainstorming can jolt the team out of conventional thinking patterns and help generate new perspectives.

Reverse brainstorming is also particularly useful for risk management and mitigation. By considering how things could go wrong or how a situation could deteriorate, teams can better prepare for potential risks and devise strategies to mitigate them.

No matter the problem you are trying to solve, Miro's virtual canvas is a great tool for your brainstorm — and the reverse brainstorming template is a handy way for teams to address complex, stubborn, or challenging issues.

As a next step, if you're looking to clearly define a problem and communicate it transparently to stakeholders, a problem statement template is a great option to ensure everyone is on the same page.