Starbursting
Generate questions, not answers, using Who, What, When, Where, Why, How.
Explanation
Starbursting focuses on asking comprehensive questions rather than immediately jumping to solutions. By systematically exploring Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How, teams thoroughly understand the challenge before generating answers. This technique prevents premature solution jumping and often reveals aspects of the problem that weren't initially considered.
Real-World Example
Launching new product feature: Who will use it? Power users vs casual users? What exactly does it do? When will they use it? Where will they access it? Why do they need this vs alternatives? How will they discover it? Questions reveal need for different onboarding flows for different user types.
How to Apply
Draw a six-pointed star with your topic in the center. Place Who, What, When, Where, Why, How at each point. Generate as many questions as possible for each point—aim for 10+ per category. Don't answer questions during generation phase. Use questions to guide solution brainstorming later. Often the questions are more valuable than the answers.