Crazy 8s

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Produce eight distinct visual concept sketches in five minutes without self-editing.

Use it when: Use during ideation after defining a clear design challenge or problem statement.

Skip it when: Skip when participants need detailed technical blueprints or when the problem scope is still completely undefined.

Group arrangement: Individual sketching, followed by pairs or triads for review

Timing: 15 minutes total as observed in Workshopr and Relationship Makers Handbook records

Materials and tools

• One sheet of blank paper (letter or A4) per participant
• One dark felt-tip marker or pen per participant
• One digital timer visible to the room
• Visual display or whiteboard for the challenge prompt

Before participants arrive

1. Write the target problem statement or How Might We question clearly on the room board.
2. Ensure every seat has a pen and paper ready.

Say this to open

Take your sheet of paper and fold it in half three times so you have eight panels when unfolded. We have a clear challenge on the board. You will draw one idea per panel. You have five minutes total, which is roughly 40 seconds per box. Neatness does not count. Stick figures, arrows, and messy shapes work fine. If you get stuck, take an earlier idea and sketch a slight variation.

How to run it

1. Fold paper and frame the prompt 2 minutes

   Direct participants to fold their paper in half three times, then unfold it to create an eight-frame grid. Point to the central challenge question on the board. State that words and labels are allowed, but each box must contain a visual sketch.

2. Sketch eight panels 5 minutes

   Start the five-minute timer. Call out time cues roughly every 40 seconds (for example: 'Move to panel two... Move to panel three'). Remind participants not to erase or overthink. If an idea runs dry, tell them to draw an inverted version, a simplified version, or a wild variation of an earlier sketch. Stop exactly at five minutes.

3. Review in pairs 5 minutes

   Form pairs (or one triad if the group size is odd). Each person takes two minutes to point to their favorite two or three panels and describe the concepts. Listeners ask clarifying questions without judging viability. Remind everyone that sharing is optional; anyone may pass on showing specific panels.

4. Debrief key patterns 3 minutes

   Bring the room together. Invite two or three volunteers to share what happened when they ran out of obvious ideas. Close by having participants star their favorite single sketch to carry into the next phase.

Debrief questions

• Which panel felt hardest to fill, and what broke the stall?
• Did your best concept come early in the first three boxes or later in boxes six through eight?
• What surprised you about sketching variations under a hard time limit?

Finished output: One eight-panel sheet per participant containing rapid concept sketches and variations, with one or two preferred ideas starred.

Remote

Have participants draw an eight-box grid on paper at their desk, or provide a template with an eight-frame digital canvas in an online whiteboard tool. Use screen-shared timers with sound cues every 40 seconds. For review, send participants into breakout rooms of two for four minutes. Participants can hold their sketch up to their webcam or upload a photo to the shared board.

Hybrid

In-person and remote participants both sketch individually on paper or tablets. Remote participants pair with remote peers in breakout rooms, while in-person participants pair in the room. When debriefing, alternate between one in-person speaker and one remote speaker.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may use written bullet points or shorthand phrases instead of drawings if sketching is a barrier.
• Anyone may decline to show their paper and simply speak about an idea, or pass on sharing entirely.

If the session gets stuck

Participants spend all five minutes detailing a single elaborate sketch in box one.

Interrupt gently at the 40-second mark and prompt everyone to lift their marker and move to box two, leaving unfinished sketches as they are.

Participants freeze and say they cannot draw.

Demonstrate a basic stick figure and an arrow on the room board. Emphasize that visual shorthand is all that is required.

Terms used here

• Panel: One of the eight rectangular sections formed by folding the sheet of paper.
• Variation: A slight tweak, inversion, or alternate version of an earlier idea.