BRIEFS AND BLUEPRINTS · VOLUME 2 OF 4 · 65 METHODS · OCT 2026

Clusters and Concepts

Briefs and Blueprints, volume two: making sense of what was found, and generating options. Sixty-five design methods for education and edtech, from define and ideate, each with its steps and a template to copy.

Volume two of four: define and ideate

Making sense of what was found, and generating options. Sixty-five methods, three of them with a flow, and a worksheet for each.

What it is, how to do it, and a template to copy

Every method is listed under its most widely used name. Its other names come first on the slide, so a search for any of them lands on the same entry; Appendix A lists every name in the set, with the volume that holds it.

The practices this volume serves

Each method carries tags for the practices that use it, from design research to policy design. Nineteen methods, such as the design brief, are used in every practice.

Define

Making sense of findings and choosing what to solve. Thirty-one methods.

Thirty-one methods, by the question they answer

Each method on the stage answers one of these questions. The order of the questions is roughly the order a project meets them, but most projects return to an earlier question at least once.

Affinity mapping

Alsoaffinity diagram · KJ method · clustering

Thematic analysis

A method for identifying patterns of meaning across qualitative data through systematic coding, in six phases (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Six phases, from familiarising to writing up

FIG 05 — THEMATIC ANALYSIS, AFTER BRAUN AND CLARKE (2006)

Insight statements

Alsokey insights · findings statements

Research storytelling

Alsostorytelling · story sharing · research playback

Empathy map

Alsosay · think · do · feel map

Persona

Alsouser profile · user profile canvas · learner persona · proto-persona

Jobs to be done

AlsoJTBD · job statements · job stories · job map · job canvas

Journey map

Alsocustomer journey map · user journey map · learner journey map

Experience map

A map of a person's experience across several products and services over a broad activity, rather than within one product.

Service blueprint (current state)

A diagram that maps what users do at each step of a service against what staff and systems do in front of them, behind the scenes and in support. A future-state blueprint (see Deliver) uses the same form.

Ecosystem map

Alsovalue network map · value relationship map · business ecosystem map

Systems map

Alsocausal loop diagram · system diagram

Mental model diagram

A diagram that sets out, above a line, how people think about and carry out an activity and, below the line, what a product offers for each part, showing gaps (Young, 2008).

Concept map

Alsoconcept model · conceptual model

Card sorting

Alsoopen · closed and hybrid card sort

Context mapping

A visual summary of the factors surrounding a challenge, such as trends, technology, actors, needs, uncertainties and rules, used to see the whole situation before choosing a focus.

Vision cone

A diagram that projects from the past and present into a widening range of futures: possible, plausible, probable and preferable (Voros, 2003).

User scenarios

Alsoscenarios · narrative user stories

Use cases

A structured description of how an actor interacts with a system to reach one goal, including the main flow and alternative paths.

Point-of-view statement

AlsoPOV · POV in one sentence

How might we questions

AlsoHMW · opportunity questions

Opportunity solution tree

A tree that links a desired outcome to the opportunities (needs and pain points) found in research, the solutions for each, and the experiments to test them (Torres, 2021).

Value proposition canvas

A canvas that matches a customer profile (jobs, pains, gains) with a value map (products and services, pain relievers, gain creators) to check fit (Osterwalder et al., 2014).

Hook canvas

A canvas based on Eyal's hook model, describing a cycle of trigger, action, variable reward and investment that can form a habit of use.

Experience vision

Alsotarget picture · experience target picture · north star vision

Product personality

Alsomotives map · brand personality · personality attributes

Requirements definition

Alsorequirements gathering · functional and non-functional requirements

Constructive alignment matrix

Alsoalignment matrix · course alignment map

Assessment blueprint

Alsotable of specifications · test specification grid

Learning progression mapping

Alsolearning trajectory · construct map

Policy options analysis

Setting out the realistic options for addressing a policy problem, including doing nothing, and comparing them against agreed criteria.

Ideate

Generating, shaping and selecting options. Thirty-four methods.

Thirty-four methods, by the question they answer

Each method on the stage answers one of these questions. The order of the questions is roughly the order a project meets them, but most projects return to an earlier question at least once.

Brainstorming

Alsoideation session · special brainstorming · figuring storming

Brainwriting

Also6-3-5 method · method 635

Reverse brainstorming

Alsonegative brainstorming · anti-problem · worst possible idea

Crazy 8s

A fast sketching exercise from the design sprint: eight different ideas in eight minutes, one per panel of a folded sheet.

SCAMPER

A checklist of seven prompts for changing an existing product or process: substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate, reverse. It is usually credited to Bob Eberle, building on Alex Osborn's checklist.

Attribute listing

Listing the attributes of an existing solution, such as its parts, features or qualities, and generating alternatives for each to find improvements.

Analogous inspiration

Alsoanalogies and benchmarking · analogy thinking

Mind mapping

A diagram that radiates from a central topic into branches and sub-branches, used to explore ideas and their connections.

Morphological analysis

Alsomorphological box · Zwicky box

Six thinking hats

A discussion technique in which a group looks at an idea from one perspective at a time, each represented by a coloured hat (de Bono, 1985).

Concept sketching

Fast, rough drawings of possible solutions, made to explore options and communicate ideas rather than to look finished.

Storyboarding

A sequence of frames, sketched or photographed, showing a person using a product, service or lesson over time, including the context and their feelings.

Course storyboard

Alsoe-learning storyboard · instructional storyboard

Design studio

Alsocharrette · sketch-and-critique

Present, critique and revise in rounds, then converge

FIG 49 — DESIGN STUDIO: PRESENT, CRITIQUE AND REVISE IN ROUNDS BEFORE CONVERGING

Bodystorming

Alsorole-play · acting out

Learning activity design

AlsoABC learning design · learning design cards

Game mechanics mapping

Alsomechanics · dynamics · aesthetics (MDA) mapping

Goal and future-state sketches

Alsosuperhero booth · build-a-bridge and goal barriers sketches

Experience canvas

A sketched canvas from Presto Sketching for describing a future product experience: who it is for, their situation and need, what they experience and the value they get.

Concept canvas

Alsoconcept poster · concept sheet

NABC

Alsoneed · approach · benefits · competition

Strategy canvas

Alsoblue ocean tool · value curve · buyer utility map

Scenario planning

Building several plausible, contrasting futures, often from two critical uncertainties, to test strategies against a range of conditions rather than one forecast.

Backcasting

Defining a preferred future, then working backwards to identify the milestones and actions needed to reach it from the present.

Start at the preferred future and work back to today

FIG 60 — BACKCASTING: START AT THE PREFERRED FUTURE AND WORK BACK TO TODAY

Three horizons

A framework for discussing change as three overlapping patterns: the current system in decline (H1), emerging innovations in transition (H2) and a future system (H3) (Sharpe, 2013).

Design fiction

Alsospeculative design · diegetic prototypes

Mood board

A collage of images, colours, type, textures and words that sets a visual and emotional direction before detailed design.

Style tiles

A single design artefact showing fonts, colours, buttons, icons and other interface elements in a candidate visual style, without a full page layout (Warren, 2012).

Concept selection

AlsoPugh matrix · decision matrix · weighted scoring · rating matrix

Impact–effort matrix

Also2x2 matrix · value–effort matrix · prioritisation matrix

MoSCoW prioritisation

Alsomust · should · could · won't

Kano analysis

Classifying features by how they affect satisfaction: basic needs (expected, cause dissatisfaction if missing), performance features (more is better) and delighters (unexpected, cause satisfaction if present) (Kano et al., 1984).

RICE scoring

Alsoreach · impact · confidence · effort

Hurdle track and resource tank sketches

Two Presto Sketching templates (Crothers, 2017) for prioritising. The hurdle track shows obstacles in order along a track to a goal. The resource tank shows how limited resources are divided among priorities.

Next: Props and pilots

Volume 3, Props and Pilots: making ideas real enough to test, and testing them. Fifty methods.

Thirty-one works

The methods are the source’s own, checked against nine books on design thinking and practice. Where a method rests on a published source, the entry names it and the reference list gives it.

Every method in this volume is indexed, with what it is and its other names, at https://www.geraldajam.com/library/glossary/playbooks/briefs-and-blueprints-vol-2.