The Scavenger Hunt brainstorming technique involves gathering real-world examples to spark fresh ideas. By exploring and analyzing patterns, it helps generate creative solutions beyond traditional brainstorming.
The Scavenger Hunt brainstorming technique involves gathering real-world examples to spark fresh ideas. By exploring and analyzing patterns, it helps generate creative solutions beyond traditional brainstorming.
What is it?
The Scavenger Hunt brainstorming technique is a creative exercise where participants search for inspiration, ideas, or solutions from their surroundings, research, or curated prompts. It’s particularly useful for ideation, storytelling, and problem-solving.
Rather than relying solely on internal brainstorming, this method involves actively searching for inspiration in the environment or through research. The objective is to collect real-world examples that can inform or enhance a project.
For example, when developing a presentation design, rather than looking exclusively at slide templates, one might examine store signage, magazine layouts, or advertisements to analyze how they use color, hierarchy, and spacing. If the focus is on storytelling, sources such as movie trailers, brand taglines, or social media campaigns can provide insight into how narratives are structured concisely and effectively. The goal is to gather a variety of observations—through photographs, screenshots, or written notes—without filtering ideas too early in the process.
After collecting these references, the next step is to analyze patterns and potential connections. This might involve identifying how different industries communicate visually or linguistically and considering how those techniques could apply to the project at hand. By seeking external sources of inspiration, this approach can help generate fresh ideas that might not emerge in a more traditional brainstorming setting.
Why it works
By actively seeking real-world examples, it exposes individuals to diverse perspectives, patterns, and solutions that they might not have considered. This method also engages both conscious analysis and subconscious idea processing, leading to more innovative and unexpected insights.
When to use it
When you're struggling with creative direction, feeling stuck, or need fresh inspiration for how to structure or communicate your ideas. It's particularly helpful when you want to break away from predictable structures. Looking at unconventional formats—such as infographics, film storyboards, or public signage—can inspire unique ways to present information.
Remember to
Focus on collecting, not judging. The goal is to gather a variety of examples—whether they seem relevant or not—without overanalyzing. The best insights often come from unexpected sources, so cast a wide net and make connections later.
Step-by-step
How to run a design scavenger hunt
Determine the purpose of the scavenger hunt and what you hope to achieve by doing it. Are you looking to spark creativity, build teamwork, or improve communication skills? Identifying the objective will help guide the rest of the planning process.
Select a location that offers a diverse range of design elements to explore. This could be a city center, a museum, a shopping district, or any other location with an abundance of design inspiration.
Define a set number of items that can be found within the allotted time. These items should be diverse in nature and can include anything from advertisements and signage to architecture and nature.
Determine the amount of time allotted for the scavenger hunt. This can range from a few hours to a full day, depending on the complexity of the items and the location.
Bring what you need to document findings: a camera or phone for photos, a notebook for sketches, and sticky notes for quick observations.
Take photos, jot down notes, or sketch elements that stand out—color schemes, layout techniques, wording styles, or visual organization.
Review your collected examples to identify patterns, strengths, and techniques that could be applied to your presentation. Look for trends in layout, structure, and communication style that could enhance your own work.
