Tool details
Dark Side
A refreshing exercise to reframe the design challenge to the opposite to get a new perspective, and then translate it back to the original goal.
Tool category:
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When to use
When you need a lot of ideas that bring a refreshing perspective on your design challenges.
Why you should
Reframing your design challenge negatively forces you to look at your problem from another angle.
What you get
A collection of new, creative ideas.
Steps to take
Arrange a room where you can focus and work for a couple of hours.
Write down your design challenge and reframe it in the most negative way possible. For example, “How can we make our city more sustainable” becomes “How can we make our city the most polluted city of the world?”
On the left side of your challenge, list down as many solutions as possible that solve your new design challenge. Write down each idea on a post it.
Randomly take a post it from the left side, and add another idea that transforms the first solution into a positive one.
Discuss all ideas with your group
Finally, cluster similar thoughts and ideas and vote on the one you wish to move forward with.
Further reading
Make sure you positive idea really adds something new.
Example: "Dog poo everywhere" becomes "Every first Sunday of the month is Puppy in the park day" instead of "No more dog poo everywhere"