Overview
The SDA sunflower is an idea generation tool designed to help generate solutions to clearly defined problems.
It helps you visualise a range of ideas, positioning them around a central point; this can be an idea, concept, or issue.
The tool
The template for this exercise contains nine boxes arranged in a 3×3 square.
Why use it
- Generate multiple ideas.
- Identify which are the ideas most worthy of pursuing.
- Quickly prioritise ideas.
When to use it
You can use the tool during the develop stage of the service design process.
How to use it
- Write the problem you want to solve in the central box.
- Fill in the remaining eight boxes, which are the ‘petals’ of your ‘sunflower’, with ideas and possible solutions.
- Do not go into the detail of your solutions until all eight boxes have been filled.
- Repeat this exercise eight more times, each time using one of the solutions as your starting point, putting this in the central square.
You can prioritise your ideas by:
- Filtering out and removing any ideas that do not fit.
- Voting on which ideas to retain.
- Prioritising using Value vs Effort Matrix.
Similar to
- This has a lot of similarity with Five Whys, in that it forces you to develop your ideas beyond the superficial.