Anti-Problem

Purpose

The Anti-Problem (or Reverse Brainstorming) technique asks teams to brainstorm ways to make a problem worse rather than better. By lowering the barrier to ideation with absurd, humorous contributions, it unlocks creative thinking and reveals solutions that emerge naturally when the ‘anti-ideas’ are flipped.

At a glance

• Group size: 4–15
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Beginner
• Facilitation style: Playful, high energy
• Setting: In-person or virtual

How to run

1. State the problem (2 min). Write the real problem clearly. Example: “How might we improve customer onboarding?”
2. Invert it (1 min). Reframe as the anti-problem: “How might we make customer onboarding as terrible as possible?”
3. Anti-brainstorm (7 min). Participants generate ideas to make things worse. Encourage wild, funny, extreme ideas.
4. Flip the ideas (7 min). Go through each anti-idea and reverse it into a genuine solution. “Make the UI confusing” → “Create a step-by-step guided walkthrough.”
5. Prioritize (3 min). Dot-vote on the most promising flipped solutions.

Materials needed

• Sticky notes and markers
• Two-column display: Anti-Ideas | Flipped Solutions
• Voting dots

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Getting stuck in the negative. The anti-phase is fun, but the flip is where value lives — don’t shortchange it.
• Censoring anti-ideas. The wilder the anti-idea, the more creative the flip. Let people be outrageous.
• Literal flips only. Encourage creative interpretation — the flip doesn’t have to be the exact opposite.

Inclusion & accessibility

• The playful tone lowers the barrier for shy participants — it’s easier to joke about bad ideas than propose good ones.
• Provide the anti-problem prompt in writing for non-native speakers.
• Allow written and verbal contributions.

Variations

• Worst Possible Idea: Focus on generating the single worst idea, then workshop it into something great.
• Anti-Problem Debate: Two teams compete to propose the most catastrophic anti-ideas.
• Sequential Anti-Problem: Run multiple rounds with different anti-problems for a complex challenge.

When NOT to use this

• When the topic is sensitive (e.g., safety, health) and making-it-worse jokes would be inappropriate.
• When the team already has strong solution ideas and needs convergence, not divergence.

Source & further reading

• Gray, D., Brown, S., & Macanufo, J. (2010). *Gamestorming.* O’Reilly Media.
• de Bono, E. (1985). *Six Thinking Hats.* Penguin.