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Exercises/Divergent Ideation/Heat Map Voting
Visual Thinking ยท Divergent Ideation

Heat Map Voting

To run the activity virtually: Collaborative platforms can be used that allow participants to add visual marks or dots to shared documents or interactive digital whiteboards.

5 to 15 minutesTIME
Medium group (9-25), Small group (4-8)GROUP SIZE
ActiveENERGY
In person, RemoteSETTING
High cognitive loadCOGNITIVE LOAD
Strengthens Participation Architecture This divergent ideation exercise strengthens Participation Architecture, one of the eight Gathering Effectiveness pillars.

How to run it

  1. Display all the ideas on an accessible surface.
  2. Briefly explain each proposal to ensure everyone understands them.
  3. Remind participants of the objectives and success metrics.
  4. Explain that votes should be placed on specific elements within the ideas.
  5. Provide each participant with an unlimited number of stickers or markers.
  6. Ask them to distribute their votes over the elements they find most important.
Live facilitator

Run this exercise live

The facilitator console stays in this browser. Its QR handoff is a short-lived participant snapshot containing only public exercise instructions, phase, prompt, and timer state.

Prompts to use +

Briefly explain each proposal to ensure everyone understands them.

Explain that votes should be placed on specific elements within the ideas.

Provide each participant with an unlimited number of stickers or markers.

Ask them to distribute their votes over the elements they find most important.

Run this with your AI assistant +

Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Adapt this exercise for my exact room. Exercise: Heat Map Voting. Readiness: Publishable Draft. Core moves: Briefly explain each proposal to ensure everyone understands them.; Explain that votes should be placed on specific elements within the ideas.; Provide each participant with an unlimited number of stickers or markers.; Ask them to distribute their votes over the elements they find most important.. Return a concise facilitator script with timing, wording, safety notes, and remote/in-person adjustments.

Origin unverified

  • Where we observed it: The strongest current observations come from Participatory Methods; aggregators are listed as additional observations, not origin proof. (1 source observed, including Participatory Methods.)
  • What that means: we track where an exercise has been observed in public sources. We do not claim to know who created it, or how popular it is.
  • No efficacy claims: appearing in this library is not a claim that the exercise is proven effective. Facilitator judgment and context decide whether it works for a given room.
  • Corrections: if you have evidence of an earlier or more accurate source, read our methodology and trust boundary and tell us.

Pairs well with