Play: Worst-Case Reversal

Direct brainstorming produces cautious, socially acceptable ideas. Designing the worst possible version removes the social cost of being wrong and unlocks the honest list of everything that actually fails — which, when reversed, becomes the most direct path to the design requirements that matter. The technique works because the worst-possible list is easy: everyone knows how to fail. The reversals do the serious work.

Your Process

Step 1: State the Design Challenge What are you designing, building, or solving? Be specific about the intended outcome — what would success look like if it worked?