Crystal Ball

Purpose

• To select the best idea considering how the needs or wishes of your customers or stakeholders might evolve in the future

Facilitation Instructions

• Draw a timeline, and on one end write “now” and on the other end write “in 5 years” (or another projection in the future)
• Define the need or wish that your ideas are aiming to fulfill and write it down on the “now” end of the timeline. Then project on the timeline how this need or wish could change in the future
• Select 5 to 10 ideas. Start with one idea, focus on every change in the need or wish over time in order to answer the following questions: what elements of the idea are essential throughout the timeline and what elements are not really necessary throughout the timeline?
• Ask the same questions for every idea and write down all the findings on top of the timeline
• Discuss the findings with your team and select the idea that can be maintained the longest throughout the timeline

Products Generated

• An evaluation of ideas against how people’s wishes or needs might change in the future

Time/Commitment Needed

• Primary Activity

Reference

75 Tool for Creative Thinking

Additional Materials

• Suggested template is in presentation slide format, but you can also use Padlet