Rapid Innovation Game
A structured ideation product that uses controlled randomness to help teams generate, shape, and capture ideas that can actually be compared and reused.
Case study at a glance
- Role
- Product and facilitation-systems lead
- Scope
- A multi-deck prompt engine combining controlled randomness, guided submissions, and session-data capture for teams and facilitators.
- Outcome
- Created a repeatable ideation format that made inputs and outputs more consistent and ideas easier to compare, evaluate, and revisit.
The verified written case study below provides an accessible alternative to the video. Skip to the written story.
01
The challenge
Open-ended ideation sounds liberating, but it often produces uneven results. Teams interpret prompts differently, good ideas are captured inconsistently, and facilitators have little structure for comparing the output.
Even when a session goes well, the thinking can disappear into slides, sticky notes, or documents that are difficult to search and build on later.
The challenge was to add enough structure to make ideation useful without removing the surprise and momentum that make it creative.
02
The approach
I led RIG’s product and facilitation-system design around a multi-deck prompt engine. Teams combine constraints such as a challenge, audience, technology, or context, then decide what to lock and what to spin again.
A guided response flow turns the generated prompt into a consistent submission. The system records both the creative inputs and the resulting idea, making the session repeatable and the output usable after the workshop ends.
03
How the system works
Prompt engine
Multiple decks combine categories into constrained but varied starting points for teams.
Controlled randomness
Teams can lock useful cards and re-spin the rest, balancing agency with unexpected combinations.
Guided submissions
A shared response structure improves clarity and makes ideas easier to compare, review, and continue.
Session data
Prompts, spins, and submissions are captured so ideation becomes a dataset rather than a disposable activity.
Video case study
See the complete product story.
A deeper walkthrough of the problem, product decisions, and finished experience.
04
Key decisions
Use constraints to create momentum
The prompt should narrow the starting point enough to prevent blank-page paralysis while leaving room for interpretation.
Give teams control over the randomness
Locking and re-spinning lets participants keep promising directions without losing the playfulness of the mechanic.
Design the output as carefully as the prompt
A fun activity was not enough; the submission needed to preserve the idea in a form other people could understand and use.
05
What changed
- Created a repeatable format for structured ideation across teams and sessions.
- Reduced ambiguity by defining both the creative inputs and the expected output.
- Made early-stage ideas easier to compare, evaluate, and revisit.
- Captured the full path from prompt combination to final submission.
Reflection
RIG showed that structure and creativity are not opposites. The right constraints can help teams move faster, while consistent capture makes the creative work more valuable later.
A future version could use the growing idea dataset to reveal patterns, improve prompt balance, and help facilitators design stronger sessions for different objectives.