SUMMARY
Purpose: Design Sprint Ideation is a fast-paced, structured activity to generate a wide range of creative ideas that can solve a validated problem during a sprint.
Design Thinking Phase: Ideate
Time: 45–60 min session + 1–2 hours analysis
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
When to use: You’re in the middle of a Design Sprint and need actionable ideas to prototype tomorrow You’ve validated the right problem and want fresh approaches from the team You want to rapidly explore divergent directions without judgment
What it is
Design Sprint Ideation is a collaborative process used to quickly produce a variety of creative ideas in response to a specific user problem. It typically occurs mid-sprint (usually Day 2) and leverages time-boxed sketching methods to encourage both individual contribution and team alignment. While it’s rooted in the “How Might We” framing, modern applications often include AI-assisted ideation to accelerate team thinking.
📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.
Why it matters
This method helps multidisciplinary teams shift from analysis to creativity—bridging real user research with viable functional solutions. It creates space for unconventional ideas and ensures everyone's voice is heard before converging on priorities. Ideation also provides raw material for AI-based design augmentation (e.g. generating first-draft screens, flows, or UX copy).
When to use
- During Day 2 or 3 of a Design Sprint
- To escape cognitive fixation after user interviews or discovery sprints
- When stakeholder alignment exists but ideas are lacking
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Helps uncover user needs that aren’t visible in metrics.
- Flexibility: Works across various project types and timelines.
- User Empathy: Deepens understanding of behaviours and motivations.
How to use it
Run this in a 60-minute facilitated session with a cross-functional team. Follow these steps:
- Warm-up: Begin with a review of key sprint goals and user pain points. Revisit “How Might We” notes created during research.
- Lightning Demos (10–15 mins): Share inspiring feature examples from other products or verticals—screenshots, patterns, or flows.
- Concept Sketching (20–30 mins): Each person quietly draws 1–2 solution concepts. Use 4-up sketch, crazy 8s, or storyboards.
- Idea Walkthroughs (10 mins): Pin up all sketches and have each person present their work briefly.
- Silent Voting: Dot vote the most compelling ideas for prototyping or further refinement.
Example Output
For a fictional travel app solving long booking flows, the team sketched:
- Design 1: A one-tap itinerary generator for frequent flyers
- Design 2: An AI-based packing assistant based on trip type
- Design 3: A map-first flow that shows accommodation with transit overlays
Common Pitfalls
- Skipping the user lens: Ideas become too feature-first if you skip revisiting personas or research insights
- Groupthink: Starting out loud can bias quieter voices or siloed thinking—always begin with silent sketching
- Overcrowding the canvas: Reviewing too many concepts without structure overwhelms the team—stick to a shortlist and vote
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for Design Sprint Ideation – UX/UI Edition
How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)
Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method — a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.
C.S.I.R. stands for:
- Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
- Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
- Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
- Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)
Level up your career with smarter AI prompts. Get templates used by UX leaders — no guesswork, just results. Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence. First one’s free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.
Prompt Template 1: “Generate divergent UX ideas from a problem statement:”
Generate divergent UX ideas from a problem statement:
Context: You are a Product Designer running a Design Sprint ideation session.
Specific Info: The team is focusing on the problem statement: “[insert your validated problem statement]”. Existing research shows users struggle with [brief insight].
Intent: Get creative, diverse solution ideas that could be explored or sketched for user validation.
Response Format: Return a list of 6–10 bold, user-centred ideas that vary in approach, platform, or complexity.
If the problem statement is too vague, ask a clarifying question.
Close with a prompt for one design decision worth exploring further.
Prompt Template 2: “Create Crazy 8s AI ideation support:”
Create Crazy 8s AI ideation support:
Context: You’re facilitating a virtual Design Sprint using FigJam/Whiteboard tools.
Specific Info: The focus is on [user task or scenario, e.g., onboarding freelancers]. You need support ideating 8 low-fi interaction ideas quickly.
Intent: Generate tightly-scoped UX interaction ideas that could be sketched in under 1 min each.
Response Format: List 8 concise interaction ideas with 1-line descriptions for Crazy 8s. Include a mix of UI, copy, and pattern level ideas.
If the task context is unclear, ask me to describe the user action or environment.
Suggest one promising direction to explore from the list.
Prompt Template 3: “Reframe HMW statements into AI-ready prompts:”
Reframe HMW statements into AI-ready prompts:
Context: You’ve captured several “How Might We” statements after stakeholder sessions.
Specific Info: The statements are: [list up to 3 HMW statements].
Intent: Translate each into a ready-made prompt for AI-assisted design ideation.
Response Format: Return a table with two columns: HMW Statement → Optimised AI Prompt (C.S.I.R. format). Aim for clarity, creativity, and action.
Ask clarifying questions if the HMWs lack user or task details.
Suggest one way to test the most promising AI-generated concept.
Prompt Template 4: “Find analogies from other industries:”
Find analogies from other industries:
Context: You’re stuck with traditional UX patterns for [problem area, e.g., checkout].
Specific Info: The problem involves [key friction or root cause, e.g., “decision fatigue with too many options”].
Intent: Get metaphor or analogue-driven design inspiration from unrelated industries.
Response Format: List 5 examples from other industries with brief analogies and how they might inspire your UX concept.
Ask for clarification if the friction point feels too vague or abstract.
Close with one analogy that might work well in a clickable prototype.
Prompt Template 5: “Vary a core idea across formats or contexts:”
Vary a core idea across formats or contexts:
Context: You’ve landed on a promising idea during Design Sprint sketching.
Specific Info: The idea is: “[insert your concept idea or sketch title]”.
Intent: Explore how this idea could adapt across platforms (mobile, kiosk, desktop) or user types.
Response Format: Return a table with 3–4 variations showing how the concept might scale or change contextually.
If platform constraints are needed, let me know.
Suggest which variation is most promising for rapid prototype testing.
Prompt Template 6: “Turn storyboards into UI element sketches:”
Turn storyboards into UI element sketches:
Context: You’ve created paper storyboards for a concept during ideation.
Specific Info: Sketch 1 represents [describe scene]. Sketch 2 shows [describe user action].
Intent: Translate each sketch into practical UI components or microinteractions.
Response Format: Describe each sketch as a set of annotated UI elements (e.g., button label, field type, interaction cue).
Ask if more sketch context is needed.
Add one bonus microcopy suggestion to enhance clarity or engagement.
Prompt Template 7: “Map idea viability based on user needs + business impact:”
Map idea viability based on user needs + business impact:
Context: Post-ideation, you need to prioritise concepts for feasibility and impact.
Specific Info: Top concepts include: [list 3 concepts]. User needs include [high-level problems or goals].
Intent: Score and compare ideas using dual-axis mapping: user value vs business viability.
Response Format: Return a ranked comparison table with user value, business fit, and one trade-off or risk for each.
Include a note on which idea should go into prototype validation first.
Prompt Template 8: "Get first-draft taglines and UX copy from a sketch idea:"
Get first-draft taglines and UX copy from a sketch idea:
Context: You're preparing to prototype during a Design Sprint.
Specific Info: The concept is a [brief description of idea or feature]. The tone is [friendly, confident, etc.].
Intent: Generate first-draft labels, CTAs, and taglines to support the sketch.
Response Format: Return a UX copy kit with: tagline (1-2), CTA label options, error/empty messages, and onboarding headline.
Let me know if tone guidance is unclear or if you need persona inputs.
Prompt Template 9: “Test wildcard prompts for outlier solutions:”
Test wildcard prompts for outlier solutions:
Context: The initial sketches feel derivative. You want bold divergence in Design Sprint ideation.
Specific Info: The constraint is: [e.g., “no screens”, “voice-only”, “only usable with one hand”].
Intent: Generate breakthrough concept ideas under this constraint.
Response Format: Return 3–5 concept ideas with quick rationale for how each meets the creative constraint.
Ask for more constraints if needed.
Suggest which idea could provoke the most learning in user testing.
Prompt Template 10: “Simulate extreme edge users to challenge your idea:”
Simulate extreme edge users to challenge your idea:
Context: You’ve prototyped a promising idea, but want to bulletproof it during ideation.
Specific Info: Your idea is: [brief description]. User edge cases include: [e.g., “low digital literacy”, “shared device”, or “no visual feedback”].
Intent: Pressure test the concept by simulating unlikely but important use contexts.
Response Format: Return 3 edge user scenarios, the struggle points they might face, and ideas to adapt your concept.
Ask if further persona traits are needed.
Recommend which edge user to prioritise in prototype feedback sessions.
Recommended Tools
- FigJam by Figma – Best for real-time, collaborative ideation sketching.
- Whimsical – Use for structured flowcharts and visual STMs during ideation.
- Lucidchart – Use for collaborative mapping of idea variations or user flows.
- MyMind – AI-assisted inspiration library for screenshots and patterns.
