Crazy 8s
A fast ideation exercise from Google Design Sprints. Participants fold a sheet of paper into eight panels and sketch eight different ideas — one per panel — in eight minutes (one minute per sketch). The extreme time pressure forces quantity over quality, bypasses the inner critic, and often surfaces ideas that slower thinking would filter out.
How to run it
- 1
Give each participant an A4 sheet of paper.
- 2
Have them fold it in half three times to create 8 equal panels.
- 3
Set a timer for 8 minutes. Participants sketch one idea per panel — 1 minute each.
- 4
Ideas should be rough sketches with labels, not polished artwork. Stick figures and boxes are fine.
- 5
When time is up, participants share their sketches with a partner or the group.
- 6
Discuss which ideas spark the most interest or energy.
- 7
Select the most promising ideas for deeper development.
Tips
Warn participants upfront: the goal is NOT one great idea, it's eight different ideas.
If they get stuck, encourage them to think: variations, opposites, extremes, combinations.
The constraint is the point.
Variations
Run '6-Up' (6 ideas in 6 minutes) for a slightly less pressured variant. Use digital tools like Figma or Miro for remote teams. Apply to UI sketching, marketing copy, or business model variations.
Where it fits
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