Ideation Flow Overview

Creative brainstorming with Spark → Flame → Forge — from topic to polished concept brief in minutes

What is Ideation Flow?

Ideation Flow is a research-backed creative brainstorming system that turns AI into a genuine creative partner. Give it a topic and get genuinely diverse ideas in 30 seconds—no setup, no technique selection, no friction.

Key Differentiators

Zero Friction

Topic → first 5 ideas in under 30 seconds. No configuration, no setup questions, no technique selection.

Anti-Bias Engine

12-domain wheel (Technology, Psychology, Business, Nature, Art, Games…) ensures genuine diversity—not AI’s usual tech-heavy clustering.

Deep Thinking Per Batch

6-step reasoning chain before each idea batch: domain check, raw concepts, novelty filter, cross-pollination, provocation, polish.

Research-Backed Methods

Synthesizes Osborn-Parnes CPS, de Bono’s Six Hats, and Dilts’ Disney Strategy. Methods are invisible—you get results, not methodology.

Adaptive Interaction

AI/user ratio shifts by phase: Spark (80% AI), Flame (60% AI), Forge (40% AI). More co-creation as ideas get specific.

Beautiful Output

Polished Spark Bank, Flame Report, and Concept Brief documents—shareable in a meeting without editing.

Three Skills

Spark — Generate

Rapid divergent idea generation. AI produces batches of 5 ideas spanning multiple domains, tags each with the technique used (e.g., via Inversion), collects your reactions, and adapts.

Anti-bias: min 3 different domains per batch, provocation every 15 ideas
Deep thinking: 6-step reasoning before every batch
Output: spark-bank.md grouped by theme with favorites highlighted

Flame — Evaluate

Multi-perspective convergence using Six Hats. AI runs White/Yellow/Black/Green/Blue analysis per idea, then elicits your gut-feeling (Red Hat). Scores ideas on Impact × Feasibility and produces a shortlist of 3–5.

Six Hats: facts, benefits, risks, alternatives, process, gut-feeling
Scoring: 1–5 Impact × 1–5 Feasibility with 2×2 matrix view
Output: flame-report.md with full evaluations, matrix, and shortlist

Forge — Shape

Concept development using Disney’s Creative Strategy (Dreamer → Realist → Critic). Co-build ratio increases per pass so you’re deeply involved by the Critic phase.

Dreamer pass: expand vision without limits (80% AI / 20% user)
Realist pass: ground into practical implementation (60% AI / 40% user)
Critic pass: stress-test, surface risks, co-develop mitigations (40% AI / 60% user)
Output: one concept-brief.md per shortlisted idea

When to Use Ideation Flow

You're starting a new feature and want novel angles

Before writing specs, run Ideation to explore the space. You might discover an approach you wouldn’t have considered—or confirm your first instinct is actually the best one.

You're stuck in an echo chamber

The anti-bias engine deliberately pulls ideas from domains far outside your immediate domain. Nature, Games, Social, and Space perspectives unlock angles that pure tech brainstorming misses.

You want to run a product discovery session

Ideation sessions are resumable and produce polished artifacts. Run Spark with your team, Flame solo, and Forge with a stakeholder—the session state tracks where you left off.

You need a concept brief for a meeting

Forge produces a fully-structured concept brief with vision, implementation plan, and risks. No editing needed before sharing.

You want to stress-test an idea before committing

The Flame phase’s Black Hat and Critic pass in Forge surface hidden risks and objections early—before you’re invested in implementation.

Session Structure

Ideation sessions are automatically persisted so you can pause and resume:

.specs-ideation/
└── sessions/
    └── {topic-slug}-{YYYYMMDD}/
        ├── session.yaml          # Phase, favorites, scores (resumable)
        ├── spark-bank.md         # All generated ideas, grouped by theme
        ├── flame-report.md       # Six Hats evaluations + shortlist
        └── concept-briefs/
            └── {concept-name}.md # One per shortlisted concept

Get Started

Install specs.md

npx specsmd@latest install

Select Ideation when prompted for flow selection.

Start with a topic

/specsmd-ideation

Type your topic or challenge. Ideas appear in under 30 seconds—no questions asked first.

React and iterate in Spark

Pick favorites, say “more like #3”, “wilder”, or “try a business angle”. AI adapts each batch.

Evaluate with Flame

When you have enough ideas (suggested at ~50), transition to Flame for structured evaluation.

Shape concepts with Forge

Develop your top 3–5 ideas into polished Concept Briefs through the Dreamer → Realist → Critic process.

Quick Start Guide

Step-by-step walkthrough of a complete ideation session