# ITONICS Innovation Platform: ChatGPT Prompts for Ideation

**Source URL**: <https://www.itonics-innovation.com/blog/chatgpt-prompts-for-ideation>

**Total Prompts Documented**: 79 ChatGPT prompts organized across 8 pattern categories

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## Overview

This reference documents ChatGPT prompts designed to facilitate organizational ideation and innovation workshops. The prompts serve as templates that organizations can customize with their specific contexts, industries, products, personas, and challenges. All prompts use bracketed placeholders `[like this]` to indicate where customization should occur.

**Key Principle**: ChatGPT functions as a "virtual member" of brainstorming teams, augmenting rather than replacing human expertise and organizational knowledge.

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## Pattern Categories and Prompts

### 1. Disruptive Thinking (13 Prompts)

Prompts designed to challenge fundamental assumptions, reimagine business models, and explore radical departures from current practices.

#### 1.1 Foundational Disruption

1. **Industry from Scratch**

   - "If we were to start our industry from scratch today, with all the modern tools and technologies available, what would it look like?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies which current practices are legacy constraints vs. value-creating activities

2. **Cross-Industry Leadership**

   - "How would our business operate if it were run by leaders from a completely unrelated industry (e.g., aerospace, fashion, or gaming)?"
   - _Usage_: Brings external mental models into internal problem-solving

3. **Constraint-Driven Innovation**

   - "If our budget were cut by 80% but we still had to meet our objectives, how would we do it?"
   - _Usage_: Forces prioritization and reveals inefficiencies

4. **Core Product Loss**
   - "What if our primary product/service no longer existed? How would we adapt and still serve our customers?"
   - _Usage_: Separates customer needs from current delivery mechanisms

#### 1.2 Assumption Reversal

5. **Assumption Inversion**

   - "List all the assumptions about our industry. Now, what would it look like if the opposite of each assumption were true?"
   - _Usage_: Systematically generates alternative business models

6. **Target Audience Shift**
   - "If our primary target audience suddenly became [choose a different demographic], how would our product/service change?"
   - _Usage_: Explores market expansion and repositioning opportunities

#### 1.3 Functional Reduction and Historical Exploration

7. **Single Function Focus**

   - "What if our product/service could only perform one primary function? Which one would it be, and how would it transform its use?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies core value and eliminates feature bloat

8. **Historical Practice Revival**
   - "How did companies in our industry operate 50 or 100 years ago? Are there forgotten practices or tools that could be reinvented with today's technology?"
   - _Usage_: Discovers overlooked proven practices that could modernize

#### 1.4 Future-Focused Disruption

9. **Future Challenge Anticipation**

   - "It's the year 2050. What are the potential challenges our industry will face, and how can we preemptively address them now?"
   - _Usage_: Builds future-proof strategies and identifies emerging needs

10. **Technology Integration**

    - "How would our business change if we integrated the latest [AI, AR, VR, blockchain, etc.] technologies into our core offerings?"
    - _Usage_: Explores technology-enabled business model transformation

11. **Sustainability Mandate**
    - "How would we operate if we were mandated to become a zero-waste or carbon-neutral company within a year?"
    - _Usage_: Identifies sustainability-driven innovation opportunities

#### 1.5 Comparative and Collaborative Approaches

12. **Global Practice Adoption**

    - "How do similar companies operate in other parts of the world? What practices or concepts can we adopt and adapt?"
    - _Usage_: Leverages global business intelligence for local adaptation

13. **Cross-Industry Collaboration**
    - "If we were to collaborate with a company outside our industry, what might our joint product/service look like?"
    - _Usage_: Generates ecosystem and partnership opportunities

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### 2. Rapid Idea Generation (6 Prompts)

Prompts designed for high-velocity ideation, quick prototyping of concepts, and mass idea generation under time constraints.

1. **Time-Constrained Brainstorm**

   - "You have 60 seconds. Jot down as many solutions as possible to [specific problem]."
   - _Usage_: Overcomes analysis paralysis by forcing rapid output
   - _Suitable for_: Initial ideation phases, warm-up exercises

2. **Batch Innovation**

   - "Generate 5 innovative ideas for [specific topic]."
   - _Usage_: Creates multiple solution vectors quickly
   - _Suitable for_: Challenge definitions, proof-of-concept generation

3. **Persona-Specific Innovation**

   - "Propose three product ideas tailored for [persona and use case, e.g., remote workers in cold climates]."
   - _Usage_: Grounds ideas in specific user contexts
   - _Suitable for_: User-centered innovation, market segmentation

4. **Feature Enhancement**

   - "Given a [product], how can we add three unique features to it, making it indispensable for [persona]?"
   - _Usage_: Targets feature prioritization for specific user segments
   - _Suitable for_: Product roadmapping, competitive differentiation

5. **Technology Application**

   - "How can we leverage [specific technology] in the [specific industry] for a unique customer experience?"
   - _Usage_: Matches emerging technologies to industry-specific applications
   - _Suitable for_: Technology adoption strategy, innovation sourcing

6. **Scenario-Based Models**
   - "Imagine a world where [specific scenario]. Propose business models that would thrive in this environment."
   - _Usage_: Generates future-fit business models
   - _Suitable for_: Strategic foresight, scenario planning

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### 3. Innovation/Ideation Workshops (10 Prompts)

Prompts designed for structured workshop facilitation, concept development, and multi-day innovation programs.

1. **Future Persona Needs**

   - "Imagine a specific customer persona [define persona] using our product/service in 2030. What are their needs, challenges, and desires?"
   - _Usage_: Extends personas forward in time
   - _Workshop phase_: Discovery and empathy mapping

2. **Future Market Conditions**

   - "Describe a world in 2035 where renewable energy sources are the only power options. What new products or services are in demand?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies market opportunities created by systemic change
   - _Workshop phase_: Market analysis and trend forecasting

3. **Concept Expansion**

   - "List and explain five unique functions a futuristic 'smart wallet' could have beyond just holding money."
   - _Usage_: Extends existing concept boundaries with future vision
   - _Workshop phase_: Feature ideation and concept expansion

4. **Concept Merging**

   - "Merge the concepts of [Concept A] and [Concept B]. What innovative applications might emerge?"
   - _Usage_: Generates novel combinations through systematic mixing
   - _Workshop phase_: Creative synthesis

5. **Experience Journey Mapping**

   - "Outline a user's experience journey when first interacting with a virtual shopping assistant powered by AI."
   - _Usage_: Maps touchpoints and moment-of-truth interactions
   - _Workshop phase_: UX design and service design

6. **Company Collaboration**

   - "If Company X and Company Y collaborated, what innovative product might result?"
   - _Usage_: Explores partnership synergies and ecosystem opportunities
   - _Workshop phase_: Strategic partnership exploration

7. **Values-Aligned Innovation**

   - "Propose a business model for [industry/brand] that ensures ethical sourcing, environmental responsibility, and community empowerment."
   - _Usage_: Generates sustainability-linked business models
   - _Workshop phase_: Purpose-driven innovation

8. **Competitive Response**

   - "If you were a competitor to our company, what revolutionary product or service would you introduce to challenge our market dominance?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies competitive vulnerabilities and emerging threats
   - _Workshop phase_: Competitive analysis and defensive strategy

9. **Competitive Perspective**

   - "If we were our main competitor, how would we approach [describe challenge] differently?"
   - _Usage_: Generates alternative problem-solving approaches
   - _Workshop phase_: Perspective-taking and strategy diversification

10. **Physical Prototyping**
    - "Using only the materials on your table [list materials], create a physical prototype of a solution to [specific problem]."
    - _Usage_: Forces tangible concept development with constraints
    - _Workshop phase_: Rapid prototyping and constraint-based design

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### 4. Diversified Brainstorming (8 Prompts)

Prompts designed to introduce multiple perspectives, break cognitive patterns, and ensure inclusive ideation across different viewpoints.

1. **Multi-Age Perspective**

   - "Describe this challenge from the viewpoint of a 10-year-old, an 80-year-old, and a non-human entity, such as a robot."
   - _Usage_: Breaks generational bias and introduces non-human reasoning
   - _Perspective variety_: Cognitive development stage, life experience, computational logic

2. **Cross-Industry Analogy**

   - "If our company was operating in [different industry], how might our approach to this problem differ?"
   - _Usage_: Applies best practices from adjacent industries
   - _Suitable for_: Innovation scouting from other sectors

3. **Cross-Cultural Adaptation**

   - "How might this idea be perceived or adapted differently in cultures across North America, Africa, and Asia?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies localization requirements and cultural variations
   - _Suitable for_: Global product strategy, cultural sensitivity analysis

4. **Long-Term Trend Impact**

   - "Fast forward to 2050. How have global trends and societal changes impacted our product/service?"
   - _Usage_: Tests idea resilience across multi-decade timeframes
   - _Suitable for_: Legacy planning, future-proofing strategies

5. **Stakeholder Role Reversal**

   - "Imagine our customers are now the product designers and we're the end-users. What changes might they suggest?"
   - _Usage_: Reveals customer frustrations and unmet needs through design choices
   - _Suitable for_: Customer co-creation, empathy building

6. **Usage Constraint Design**

   - "What if our users could only interact with our product for 30 seconds a day? How would that change its design and functionality?"
   - _Usage_: Forces extreme usability and focuses on essential features
   - _Suitable for_: Feature prioritization, minimalist design thinking

7. **Inverse Brainstorming**

   - "List all the ways we shouldn't solve this problem. How can these 'bad' ideas inspire unconventional good ones?"
   - _Usage_: Generates contrarian solutions by exploring failure modes
   - _Suitable for_: Risk identification and novel problem-solving

8. **Risk-to-Opportunity Conversion**
   - "Identify the riskiest aspect of our current idea. Now, brainstorm ways to turn that risk into a unique selling point."
   - _Usage_: Converts competitive weaknesses into differentiators
   - _Suitable for_: Risk management, competitive positioning

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### 5. Concept Enhancement (12 Prompts)

Prompts designed to refine, improve, and stress-test existing concepts across multiple dimensions (value, scalability, technology, market, sustainability, ethics, competition, brand alignment, partnerships).

1. **Value Proposition Clarity**

   - "Describe the core value proposition of [specific concept]. How does it differentiate from existing solutions?"
   - _Usage_: Articulates competitive advantage and positioning
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Strategic clarity

2. **Weakness Identification and Mitigation**

   - "Identify potential weaknesses or shortcomings of [specific concept]. How might they be addressed?"
   - _Usage_: Surfaces vulnerabilities before market testing
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Risk mitigation

3. **Stakeholder-Centric Improvement**

   - "From the perspective of a key user or stakeholder, what improvements could be made to [specific concept]?"
   - _Usage_: Grounds improvements in stakeholder feedback
   - _Enhancement dimension_: User-centered design

4. **Scalability Analysis**

   - "How might [specific concept] be scaled to cater to larger audiences or markets? What challenges could arise?"
   - _Usage_: Tests growth assumptions and identifies scaling bottlenecks
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Growth strategy

5. **Technology Integration**

   - "What technological enhancements could be integrated into [specific concept]?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies capability gaps that technology could address
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Technological feasibility

6. **Market Trend Alignment**

   - "Given the current market trends, how might [specific concept] need to adapt to better fit customer needs?"
   - _Usage_: Ensures concept relevance to evolving market conditions
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Market fit

7. **Economic Viability**

   - "Explore the cost implications of [specific concept]. How might it be made more economically viable?"
   - _Usage_: Tests business model economics and identifies cost optimization
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Financial sustainability

8. **Sustainability Evaluation**

   - "Evaluate [specific concept] from a sustainability perspective."
   - _Usage_: Identifies environmental and social impact considerations
   - _Enhancement dimension_: ESG alignment

9. **Competitive Differentiation**

   - "Considering existing solutions in the market, how can [specific concept] be enhanced to offer competitive edge?"
   - _Usage_: Sharpens differentiation against competitive landscape
   - _Enhancement dimension_: Competitive positioning

10. **Brand Alignment**

    - "How well does [specific concept] align with our brand's values and identity?"
    - _Usage_: Ensures concept consistency with brand promise
    - _Enhancement dimension_: Brand coherence

11. **Regulatory and Ethical Considerations**

    - "Examine [specific concept] in terms of potential regulatory or ethical challenges."
    - _Usage_: Identifies compliance risks and ethical concerns early
    - _Enhancement dimension_: Governance and ethics

12. **Partnership and Ecosystem**
    - "How might partnerships or collaborations amplify the impact or reach of [specific concept]?"
    - _Usage_: Identifies ecosystem opportunities for co-creation and scaling
    - _Enhancement dimension_: Strategic partnerships

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### 6. Idea Challenge Framing (10 Prompts)

Prompts designed to reframe problems, contextualize challenges, and define innovation briefs for organizational innovation programs and contests.

1. **Challenge Naming**

   - "Provide suggestions for an engaging title for an ideation contest that addresses [describe challenge]."
   - _Usage_: Creates compelling problem statements for internal/external innovation programs
   - _Application_: Crowdsourcing setup, innovation competition framing

2. **Challenge Contextualization**

   - "Provide a brief history of [describe challenge]. How have companies or industries faced similar problems?"
   - _Usage_: Establishes historical context and reveals precedent solutions
   - _Application_: Stakeholder alignment, prior art identification

3. **Stakeholder Definition**

   - "From the perspective of a key stakeholder, how would they define the core of this challenge?"
   - _Usage_: Surfaces multiple stakeholder interpretations of the problem
   - _Application_: Needs assessment, perspective alignment

4. **Opportunity Reframing**

   - "If we considered this challenge not as a problem but as an opportunity, how might we redefine it?"
   - _Usage_: Shifts mindset from problem-solving to opportunity-seeking
   - _Application_: Positive framing, asset-based problem definition

5. **Future Evolution**

   - "Project this challenge five years into the future. How does it evolve, and what new dimensions might emerge?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies emerging aspects of the challenge
   - _Application_: Future-proofing solutions, long-term strategy

6. **Success Outcomes**

   - "If we address this challenge successfully, what are the top three positive outcomes we expect?"
   - _Usage_: Defines success criteria and impact vision
   - _Application_: Goal setting, outcome measurement

7. **Societal Impact Framing**

   - "Frame the challenge in terms of its wider implications on society or the environment."
   - _Usage_: Elevates challenge importance and connects to purpose
   - _Application_: Stakeholder engagement, mission-driven innovation

8. **Risk-Management Framing**

   - "From a risk-management viewpoint, how might we frame this challenge?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies risks embedded in the challenge
   - _Application_: Risk assessment, mitigation strategy development

9. **Realistic Ambition Balance**

   - "Given our current resources, how should we frame this challenge to be both ambitious and achievable?"
   - _Usage_: Calibrates challenge difficulty to organizational capacity
   - _Application_: Resource planning, scope definition

10. **Success Metrics Definition**
    - "If we were to address this challenge, how would we measure success? What KPIs are most relevant?"
    - _Usage_: Establishes measurement frameworks and performance indicators
    - _Application_: Evaluation planning, outcomes tracking

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### 7. Trend Synthesis (13 Prompts)

Prompts designed to identify, analyze, and synthesize emerging and established trends across industries, geographies, technologies, and consumer behaviors.

1. **Trend Evolution**

   - "Describe the evolution of [specific trend] over the past 10 years."
   - _Usage_: Documents trend trajectory and establishes historical context
   - _Application_: Trend analysis, historical insight

2. **Emerging Trend Identification**

   - "List the top five emerging trends in [specific industry] for the upcoming year."
   - _Usage_: Identifies near-term trends for strategic planning
   - _Application_: Competitive intelligence, innovation sourcing

3. **Cross-Industry Trend Impact**

   - "How might the rise of [specific trend] affect industries such as retail and manufacturing?"
   - _Usage_: Maps trend impact across multiple sectors
   - _Application_: Systemic analysis, secondary effect identification

4. **Trend Intersection**

   - "Identify possible overlaps between [Trend A] and [Trend B]. What opportunities or challenges might arise?"
   - _Usage_: Discovers synergies and conflicts between trends
   - _Application_: Combination innovation, opportunity identification

5. **Geographic Variation**

   - "How is [specific trend] manifesting differently in regions such as Europe, Asia, and Africa?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies regional variations in global trends
   - _Application_: Localization strategy, regional differentiation

6. **Demographic-Driven Trends**

   - "Given the aging global population, how might trends in healthcare or leisure activities evolve?"
   - _Usage_: Connects demographic shifts to sector-specific opportunities
   - _Application_: Demographic analysis, future market sizing

7. **Competitive Leader Analysis**

   - "Which companies are currently leading or lagging in [specific trend]? What strategies are they employing?"
   - _Usage_: Benchmarks organizational position relative to trend leaders
   - _Application_: Competitive analysis, best practice identification

8. **Consumer Behavior Dynamics**

   - "How are consumer preferences and behaviors shaping and being shaped by [specific trend]?"
   - _Usage_: Examines bidirectional relationship between trends and behavior
   - _Application_: Consumer insight, behavior prediction

9. **Backlash Scenario**

   - "If there were a backlash against [specific trend], how might that look?"
   - _Usage_: Identifies resistance vectors and counter-trends
   - _Application_: Risk assessment, contingency planning

10. **Long-Term Trend Projection (5, 10, 20 Year)**

    - "Predict how [specific trend] will evolve in the next 5, 10, and 20 years."
    - _Usage_: Creates multiple time-horizon projections for long-term strategy
    - _Application_: Future planning, horizon scanning

11. **Technology Propulsion**

    - "Which technological advancements are propelling [specific trend] forward?"
    - _Usage_: Identifies enabling technologies driving trend acceleration
    - _Application_: Technology scouting, capability planning

12. **Regulatory and Ethical Considerations**

    - "Are there potential regulatory or ethical concerns tied to [specific trend]?"
    - _Usage_: Flags governance and ethical implications of trends
    - _Application_: Risk management, compliance planning

13. **Cross-Sector Adaptation**
    - "How are sectors outside of [specific industry] adapting to [specific trend]?"
    - _Usage_: Identifies adaptation patterns across diverse sectors
    - _Application_: Analogous innovation, cross-sector learning

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### 8. Scenario Exploration (7 Prompts)

Prompts designed for structured scenario planning, futures thinking, and stakeholder impact analysis in uncertain environments.

1. **Future Market Dominance Scenario**

   - "Describe a potential future scenario where [specific trend] dominates the market in 10 years."
   - _Usage_: Creates vivid, detailed future-state descriptions
   - _Application_: Strategic foresight, scenario planning

2. **Dystopian/Utopian Pairing**

   - "Paint a picture of a dystopian future shaped by [specific issue]. Now, describe its utopian counterpart."
   - _Usage_: Explores opposite outcome extremes to bound possibility space
   - _Application_: Risk assessment, opportunity identification

3. **Scenario Driver Identification**

   - "Identify the top five drivers that could lead to [specific scenario] in the next decade."
   - _Usage_: Determines key variables influencing scenario outcomes
   - _Application_: Sensitivity analysis, monitoring framework

4. **Stakeholder Impact Analysis**

   - "How would [specific scenario] affect different stakeholders, such as employees, governments, and local businesses?"
   - _Usage_: Maps distributional impacts across stakeholder groups
   - _Application_: Impact assessment, stakeholder strategy

5. **Ethical Challenge Exploration**

   - "Explore a scenario where [specific innovation] is widespread. What ethical challenges arise?"
   - _Usage_: Proactively identifies ethical implications of widespread adoption
   - _Application_: Ethics by design, governance planning

6. **Economic Consequence Prediction**

   - "Predict economic consequences in a future where [specific event occurs]."
   - _Usage_: Models economic ripple effects of key developments
   - _Application_: Economic analysis, business resilience planning

7. **Consumer Behavior Shift**
   - "In a scenario dominated by [specific trend], how do consumer habits and values shift?"
   - _Usage_: Describes behavioral and value changes in alternative futures
   - _Application_: Consumer trend analysis, demand forecasting

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## Implementation Guidance

### Customization Pattern

All 79 prompts use bracketed placeholders to enable customization:

- `[specific problem]` - Insert your organization's current challenge
- `[specific topic]` - Insert your product category, service type, or innovation domain
- `[persona]` - Insert your target user archetype or customer segment
- `[specific product]` - Insert your actual product or service name
- `[specific technology]` - Insert emerging technology (AI, AR, VR, blockchain, etc.)
- `[specific industry]` - Insert your industry or adjacent industries
- `[Concept A/B]` - Insert related concepts to merge
- `[specific trend]` - Insert market trends relevant to your domain
- `[specific scenario]` - Insert future-state assumptions
- `[specific event]` - Insert potential market-moving events

### Workshop Application

**Rapid Idea Generation** (30-60 minutes): Use prompts 2 and 6 in Category 2

- Generates 15-30 ideas quickly
- Suitable for: Problem warm-up, ideation kickoff

**Half-Day Workshop** (4 hours): Combine prompts from Categories 2, 3, 4, 5

- Structured progression: rapid generation → workshop facilitation → diversified perspectives → concept refinement
- Suitable for: Cross-functional innovation sessions, product development

**Full-Day Innovation Program** (8 hours): Use prompts systematically across all categories

- Morning: Disruptive thinking (Category 1) + trend synthesis (Category 7)
- Midday: Rapid generation (Category 2) + workshop facilitation (Category 3)
- Afternoon: Diversified brainstorming (Category 4) + concept enhancement (Category 5)
- Late afternoon: Scenario exploration (Category 8) + challenge framing (Category 6)
- Suitable for: Strategic innovation programs, multi-day innovation challenges

**Ongoing Challenge Management**: Use Category 6 (Idea Challenge Framing) to set up innovation contests

- Establishes clear problem definitions
- Frames challenges for internal/external crowds
- Defines success criteria and measurement

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## Core Principles from Source

1. **ChatGPT as Team Member**: Prompts are designed for ChatGPT to function as a "virtual member" of the brainstorming team, not as a replacement for human judgment or organizational expertise.

2. **Placeholder Customization**: All prompts expect customization with organizational context, specific products/services, industry knowledge, and current challenges.

3. **Structured Ideation**: The eight categories progress from radical rethinking → rapid generation → workshop structure → perspective diversity → concept refinement → challenge definition → trend analysis → future scenario building.

4. **Multiple Time Horizons**: Prompts reference multiple future timeframes (1-2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 2035-2050) to support both near-term tactics and long-term strategy.

5. **Stakeholder Inclusivity**: Several prompts explicitly introduce diverse perspectives (ages, cultures, roles, industries) to reduce groupthink and cognitive bias.

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## Related Brainstorming Frameworks

While not documented in this source, these prompts align with established brainstorming methodologies:

- **SCAMPER** (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) - aspects appear in Categories 1, 4
- **Blue Ocean Strategy** (Value innovation, uncontested market space) - aspects appear in Categories 1, 6
- **Futures Thinking** (Scenario planning, weak signals, trends) - Categories 7 and 8
- **Design Thinking** (Empathy, ideation, prototyping) - Categories 3, 5, 10
- **Divergent Thinking** (Multiple solutions, perspective diversity) - Categories 4, 7
