# Nw Brainstorming

Structured divergent thinking techniques, HMW framing, SCAMPER, Crazy 8s mechanics...

- Repository: https://github.com/nWave-ai/nWave (628 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-09-16
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-brainstorming -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-brainstorming -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-brainstorming -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add nWave-ai/nWave --skill nw-brainstorming -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add nWave-ai/nWave`

## Description

Structured divergent thinking techniques, HMW framing, SCAMPER, Crazy 8s mechanics, and option diversity guarantees. Enforces strict separation of generation and evaluation phases.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Structured Brainstorming

## The Separation Principle, Foundational Rule

Generation and evaluation CANNOT happen simultaneously. Osborn (1953): "You cannot get hot and cold water from the same faucet at the same time, you only get tepid water."

**Consequence for the agent**: All options must be generated before any option is scored. Never filter or rank during generation. Self-censorship during generation degrades both the quality of ideas and the quality of evaluation.

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## Phase 1: HMW Framing, Set Up the Ideation Space

Before generating any options, reframe the problem as a "How Might We" question.

**Rules for valid HMW questions**:
- No embedded solutions: "How might we make onboarding faster?" ✓ vs "How might we add tooltips?" ✗
- Outcome-oriented, not feature-oriented
- Broad enough for genuinely different approaches
- Positive framing (not "How might we avoid X?")

**Example transformation**:
- Feature request: "Add a dashboard to show workflow status"
- Bad HMW: "How might we build a better dashboard?"
- Good HMW: "How might we give teams confidence that their workflow is progressing correctly?"

The good HMW opens the solution space: the answer isn't necessarily a dashboard.

---

## Phase 2: SCAMPER, 7 Structurally Different Lenses

Apply each SCAMPER lens to the validated job to generate one option per letter. This guarantees structural diversity, each letter produces a categorically different type of option.

The rest: https://github.com/nWave-ai/nWave/blob/HEAD/nWave/skills/nw-brainstorming/SKILL.md