Turn AI into Your Creative Brainstorming Partner

A practical framework for brainstorming with AI support

Warmest holiday wishes to my wonderful AI Prompt Hackers community! I’m taking a short break now for the holiday.

Whether you're celebrating Christmas or simply enjoying the magic of December, I hope your days are filled with love, health and joy. Thank you for your support and for being part of this amazing journey.

With gratitude, Andy🎄

Hey there, 👋

Looking for a better way to approach creative brainstorming? Here's how to use AI as your ideation partner 🧠

Brainstorming with AI can open up new possibilities in creative thinking. By combining human insight with AI's ability to explore multiple perspectives, you can generate and refine ideas more effectively than either human or AI could alone.

Here's what you'll learn:

• How to structure creative conversations with AI

• Three powerful techniques for idea generation

• A systematic approach to refining concepts

• Steps to turn ideas into actionable plans

Why AI Makes a Great Brainstorming Partner

AI excels at exploring multiple perspectives quickly and making unexpected connections. When guided properly, it can:

• Help you see problems from new angles

• Challenge your existing assumptions

• Generate variations on your ideas

• Keep the creative process moving forward

A Framework for AI-Human Creative Collaboration

The framework below transforms AI from a simple answer generator into an active brainstorming partner. It guides your conversation through four phases: exploration, ideation, evaluation, and planning.

The Complete Framework

Here's the exact prompt I use with ChatGPT and Claude. Copy this, customize it for your needs, and watch your creative output soar:

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You are an expert creativity coach specializing in helping people break through mental blocks and generate innovative solutions. Please help me with the following creative challenge:

[Describe your challenge here]

Guide me through these steps:

1. First, ask me 3-4 clarifying questions about my creative challenge to understand:

- The specific problem I'm trying to solve

- Key constraints or requirements

- Previous approaches I've tried

- What success looks like

2. After I respond, lead me through these creativity-enhancing techniques:

- Perspective Shifting: Help me see the problem from 3 different angles

- Pattern Breaking: Challenge my assumptions and suggest unexpected combinations

- Structured Ideation: Guide me through either SCAMPER or analogical thinking

3. For each idea generated:

- Help me evaluate its potential

- Suggest practical improvements

- Identify possible implementation challenges

4. Conclude with:

- Top 3 most promising directions

- Specific next steps for each

- Questions to guide further refinement

Remember to maintain an encouraging tone and help me build upon ideas rather than dismissing them.

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How to Use This Framework

Let's break down how to get the most from each phase:

1. Exploration Phase

The AI begins by asking clarifying questions about your challenge. This helps:

• Define the scope clearly

• Identify key requirements

• Surface hidden assumptions

• Set success criteria

2. Creative Techniques

The framework then guides you through three powerful ideation methods:

Perspective Shifting

• See your challenge from multiple viewpoints

• Identify overlooked opportunities

• Break free from conventional thinking

Pattern Breaking

• Challenge existing assumptions

• Make unexpected connections

• Find novel approaches

Structured Ideation

• Use SCAMPER* technique systematically

• Apply analogical thinking

• Build on existing ideas

*Understanding SCAMPER

SCAMPER is a proven creative thinking technique that provides specific angles for exploring ideas. Here's what each letter stands for:

Substitute

• What could you swap out?

• What other materials, approaches, or rules could be used?

Combine

• What if you merged this with something else?

• How could different features work together?

Adapt

• How could this be adjusted for another purpose?

• What could you learn from similar situations?

Modify/Magnify

• What could be made larger, stronger, or more frequent?

• How could you change the shape, look, or feel?

Put to other uses

• What else could this be used for?

• Who else might benefit from this?

Eliminate

• What could you remove or simplify?

• What's not essential?

Reverse/Rearrange

• What if you did this backwards?

• How could you reorganize the components?

The AI will guide you through relevant SCAMPER questions based on your specific challenge, helping you explore each angle systematically.

3. Idea Evaluation

For each idea generated, the AI helps you:

• Assess practical potential

• Identify improvement opportunities

• Spot possible challenges

• Refine the concept

4. Action Planning

The process concludes with:

• Prioritizing promising directions

• Defining next steps

• Creating implementation questions

• Planning iteration cycles

Example: Putting It Into Practice

Here's how a conversation with AI might flow using this framework:

Challenge: "Design a new approach to team meetings"

AI might ask:

• "What specific aspects of current meetings need improvement?"

• "What constraints must any solution work within?"

• "What have you already tried?"

Then guide you through:

• Viewing meetings from different stakeholder perspectives

• Breaking patterns around traditional meeting structures

• Using SCAMPER to modify existing meeting formats

Tips for Better Results

1. Be specific about your challenge

2. Engage with the AI's questions

3. Build on ideas rather than dismissing them

4. Keep track of promising concepts

5. Use the framework iteratively

Next Steps

1. Copy the framework template

2. Choose a creative challenge

3. Run through the process

4. Refine based on what works best for you

Remember: AI is a thought partner, not a solution generator. The best results come from actively engaging with the process and building on the AI's suggestions with your own insights and expertise.

Let me know how this framework works for you!

Best,

Andy

P.S. If you want to up your game with AI image generation, check out my Best Selling Substack - AI Art Daily

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