Consequence Triangles

Purpose

• Before thinking of new ideas, it's important to reflect on the causes and consequences of the insights you may have gathered or waht you know about the situation.

Facilitation Instructions

• Draw a large triangle on a sheet of paper, whiteboard or shared electronic document.
• In the center of the triangle, write a specific situation, service or product.
• In one corner, write down the most important insights that describe the situation, service or product.
• In another corner, write all the causes of those insights. E.g. insight: are there too many options to choose from. What causes this: music is free on the internet.
• In the last corner, write down the consequences (the effects) of the insights and causes, e.g. no funding for artists.
• Review your results by defining a specific time frame for all causes and consequences, e.g. now, in the near future, in three years time, etc.
• Reflect on the significance of the consequences and identify the ones that recur for all insights. Highlight the corresponding causes and use them as starting points to generate ideas.

Products Generated

• An analysis of the causes and consequences of the elements that form a specific situation (notetaker may be useful)

Time/Commitment Needed

• ~45 minutes

Reference

75 Tools for Creative Thinking