The Crazy Eights Method: Rapid Product Ideation That Actually Works
Want the full story? Listen to my complete interview with Kari Ostevik, where we discuss product ideation techniques and more.
Product ideation can be a messy process. Between the loudest voices dominating discussions, groupthink stifling creativity, and the eternal struggle to balance vision with validation, it’s no wonder many product teams end up building the wrong things. But what if there was a structured way to generate better ideas faster, while ensuring everyone’s voice gets heard?
Enter the Crazy Eights method - a rapid sketching exercise that’s become a cornerstone of successful product ideation at companies like Google Ventures. In my recent conversation with Kari Ostevik, a product leader who’s helped startups raise over $500 million, she shared how this deceptively simple technique has transformed her approach to product development.
As someone who’s spent years at the intersection of product and marketing, I’ve seen firsthand how the right ideation framework can make or break a product’s success. Let’s dive into how you can leverage the Crazy Eights method to generate better product ideas, faster.
The Power of Structured Brainstorming
Traditional brainstorming sessions often fall prey to common pitfalls. “Some companies are really not used to working in like a working session sort of way,” Kari noted in our discussion. “It really is just the most senior, the loudest person in the room - those are the ideas that get pushed.”
This dynamic not only stifles creativity but can lead to missed opportunities and wasted resources. The beauty of structured brainstorming methods like Crazy Eights lies in their ability to level the playing field and ensure every voice gets heard.
The key is creating an environment where ideas can flow freely without immediate judgment. As Kari explains, “You want to have heads down time so that people don’t get influenced by each other’s ideas.” This approach helps prevent groupthink while maximizing creative output.
How Crazy Eights Actually Works
The mechanics of Crazy Eights are deliberately simple. “You fold a piece of paper hot dog wise and then twice hamburger wise. And so you have eight squares on your piece of paper,” Kari explained. “Then every minute you should be sketching a new solution to the problem that you’ve been assigned or you’ve picked.”
This time constraint is crucial - it forces participants to move quickly and prevents overthinking. You’re not aiming for perfection; you’re aiming for quantity of ideas. Stick figures are perfectly acceptable, and in fact, the lack of pressure to create polished drawings often leads to more creative solutions.
The process typically unfolds in two key phases. First comes the individual ideation phase, where each participant works independently to fill their eight squares. Then follows the sharing and building phase, where ideas are presented to the group and can be combined or expanded upon.
Making It Work in Practice
Success with Crazy Eights requires more than just following the basic steps. “I love getting people sketching,” Kari shared. “You have a direction getting people to do crazy eights and storyboarding. It’s just a really fast way to have a number of solutions that then you can go validate or prioritize.”
The method is surprisingly flexible. As Kari notes, “I have run it a number of different ways. Sometimes we all sketch on the same problem. Sometimes we’re aligned on a solution and it’s just what does that solution actually look like?” This adaptability makes it valuable for various stages of the product development process.
One crucial element is the environment you create. “I love to do this in a physical environment if possible,” Kari explained. While digital tools like Miro can work, there’s something special about getting people together in a room with paper and pens.
Moving from Ideas to Action
The real magic happens after the sketching is complete. “I normally do, I love to do this in a physical environment if possible,” Kari shared. “Everyone gets a couple minutes to describe their different variations.”
This is where dot voting comes into play - a democratic process that helps identify the most promising ideas. “You give people dot stickers maybe three, and they get to go put stickies on the sketches that they think are really great,” Kari explained.
The key is maintaining momentum after the session ends. Clear next steps and ownership of follow-up tasks need to be established before everyone leaves the room. Otherwise, even the best ideas risk getting lost in the day-to-day shuffle.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Like any methodology, Crazy Eights can fall short if not implemented thoughtfully. The biggest mistake I’ve seen teams make is treating it as a silver bullet rather than one tool in their product development arsenal.
Another common pitfall is not providing enough context before the exercise begins. Participants need to understand the problem space and constraints they’re working within. As Kari emphasized, preparation is key: “Being prepared, saying what you’re going to do, doing it, and then at the end reiterating what did you do and what are the next steps.”
Finally, don’t forget about the human element. “When you read the Google sprint book, it’s like, take care of your people,” Kari noted. “Make sure you’re not running a four hour long meeting, make sure they’re fed and rested.”
Integrating with Other Product Development Tools
While Crazy Eights is powerful, it works best as part of a broader product development toolkit. Kari emphasizes the importance of balancing rapid ideation with proper validation: “Part of that is like educating that I have the skill set to do these things… and how to conduct like strong user interviews and I can look at data.”
The method pairs particularly well with storyboarding and prototyping techniques. After identifying promising ideas through Crazy Eights, teams can develop more detailed storyboards and eventually create prototypes for testing with users.
This combination of rapid ideation and thorough validation helps ensure you’re not just generating ideas quickly, but generating the right ideas that will actually solve user problems.
When to Use Crazy Eights
Crazy Eights isn’t just for major product initiatives - it can be valuable at various stages of the product development process. Some key opportunities include:
Early-stage concept development, when you’re trying to generate multiple approaches to solving a problem. Feature refinement, when you need to explore different ways to implement a specific solution. Interface design exploration, where you want to consider multiple approaches to a particular interaction.
The key is recognizing when you need divergent thinking versus when you need to converge on a solution. Crazy Eights excels at the former but should be followed by appropriate convergence techniques.
Making It Your Own
While the basic framework of Crazy Eights is straightforward, the most successful implementations I’ve seen involve thoughtful customization to fit team and organizational needs. Some teams extend the time per sketch slightly for more complex problems. Others add specific constraints to force different types of thinking.
The important thing is maintaining the core principles: rapid iteration, individual ideation followed by group discussion, and a focus on quantity over perfection. As Kari puts it, “I’ve never run a week long Google sprint before. It’s always just picking and choosing parts of it.”
Remember, the goal isn’t perfect execution of the method - it’s generating valuable ideas that move your product forward.
Want to hear more insights from Kari Ostevik, including her thoughts on managing product teams and working with sales? Listen to the full interview here.