Design · Core
Explore several solutions before choosing one
The first idea is rarely the best. Generate several different ways to solve the problem, compare them, and only then pick one to develop.
About 1-3 daysEvergreenLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Design and user experience
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- All
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- All
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- Reread the problem statement and success metrics with the team.
- Turn the problem into 'How might we...' questions, for example 'How might we help new customers finish setup in one sitting?'
- Run a session where everyone sketches ideas on their own first, then shares. Aim for quantity.
- Group similar ideas and pick three that are genuinely different.
- Compare the three on user value, effort, risk and fit with the metrics.
- Choose one or two to prototype, and record why you set the others aside.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Frame 'How might we' questions from the problem statement.
- Run a divergent ideation session, with solo sketching before group discussion.
- Shortlist at least three distinct concepts and compare them against agreed criteria.
- Select concepts to prototype and record the reasoning.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Push the team beyond incremental ideas by including at least one bold option and one 'do less' option.
- Involve engineering early so technical insight shapes the options.
- Compare concepts using evidence and the four risks, not opinion or seniority.
- Keep discarded options on file; they are often useful later.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Can be delegated to
- UX Designer: Facilitate the ideation session and sketch concepts
- Tech Lead or Full-stack Engineer: Bring technical options and constraints to the session
- Content Designer: Explore how each concept would be explained to users
Reviewed by: Tech Lead, User Researcher
Tool examples
- Miro
- Use a crazy eights template: each person sketches eight ideas in eight minutes.
- Figma
- Lay the shortlisted concepts side by side on one page for comparison.
- Mural
- Run silent dot voting on concepts after everyone has presented.
- Claude
- Describe the problem and ask for ten very different solution ideas, including some that use no technology.
Definition of done
- At least three distinct concepts explored
- Concepts compared against agreed criteria
- Chosen concept and reasons recorded
Common pitfalls
- Going with the first idea or the most senior person's idea
- Generating variations of one idea instead of different ideas
- Leaving engineers out until the design is finished
If you lead the team
What good looks like: Teams compare several genuinely different solutions before choosing one.
Ask your PM
- What other options did we consider, and why did we pick this one?
- What would make us change our mind?
Warning signs
- Only one design is ever shown.
- The first idea goes straight to build.