How does the Crazy8 brainstorming technique work?

8 minutes, 8 fields, 8 solutions — a rapid ideation method that forces quantity over quality.

* Crazy8 — 8 minutes, 8 boxes, 8 ideas. *

The process:

1. Each team member gets a sheet of paper folded into 8 sections
2. Set a timer for 8 minutes
3. Sketch or write one idea per section (~1 minute each)
4. No discussion during the exercise — work individually
5. After time's up, share and discuss all ideas as a group

Rules:

• Speed over perfection — rough sketches and bullet points are fine
• No self-censorship — even "crazy" ideas are valuable
• One idea per box — forces you to move on rather than over-refining
• Quantity is the goal — with 4 team members, you generate 32 ideas in 8 minutes
• A clearly defined question is important so everyone pursues the same goal

Why it works:

• Time pressure bypasses the inner critic
• The physical constraint (8 boxes) makes the task feel manageable
• Forces divergent thinking — by idea 5-6, you've exhausted obvious solutions and start getting creative
• Originally from Google Design Sprints

Tip: Crazy8 is particularly useful early in a project or after a brainstorming session has stalled. It's a reset button for group creativity.

Go deeper:

• Design sprint (Wikipedia) — the Google Ventures sprint that the Crazy8 sketch exercise comes from.