CX Mental Models & Frameworks · Ideation & Prioritization
Brainstorming Ideas and Possibilities
Sort every idea by who it helps — business, customer, or both — and build from the win-win column.
This framework categorizes brainstormed initiatives into three columns: helps the business, helps customers, or helps both. It replaces guessing at cool features with a structured check on value, and points teams toward the win-win column where customer success and revenue reinforce each other.
Feature factories build things because a competitor has them or because someone senior liked the idea. Sorting ideas by beneficiary forces accountability. Business-only ideas deserve scrutiny — that column is where deceptive designs and sneaky terms hide. Customer ideas should trace to pain points found in qualitative research. The win-win column, where a change improves customers' lives and fuels the business, typically generates more ROI than customer-peripheral work.
- Understand root causes first — run an Impact Map before you brainstorm solutions
- Do not crowd-source guesses from dozens of unqualified people; use customer intelligence
- Audit the business column for ideas that profit at the customer's expense
- Favor long-term dependability over fast, superficial releases
An idea that only helps the business is a cost the customer has not noticed yet.
Apply this
Reading about brainstorming ideas and possibilities is one thing. Seeing where it applies in your journey is the useful part.