---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our…"
description: "\"“At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming sessions, and the rules are literally written on the walls: Defer judgment. Encourage wild ideas..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg"
---

#  At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming…

![“At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming sessions, and the rules are literally written on the walls: Defer judgment. Encourage wild ideas. Stay focused on the topic. The most important of them, I would argue, is &quot;Build on the ideas of others.” quote by Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg)

> ““At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming sessions, and the rules are literally written on the walls: Defer judgment. Encourage wild ideas. Stay focused on the topic. The most important of them, I would argue, is "Build on the ideas of others.””

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Effective collaboration thrives when participants suspend criticism, generate bold concepts, stay on topic, and iteratively improve each other's contributions.

**In simple terms:** Teamwork works best with open, bold, focused, and shared ideas.

Key Takeaway

Encourage open idea sharing and build on others.

Themes

collaboration creativity teamwork

Mood

enerusiastic focused

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- workshops
- product development
- brainstorming sessions
- team meetings

Key Concepts

design thinking psychology social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you ensure ideas stay innovative yet practical?
- What safeguards prevent groupthink?

A Different Perspective

Ideas may become diluted if not balanced with critical analysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brainstorming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainstorming/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/)

## Related quotes

> [“the end of each of these brainstorming sessions I require myself to formally record the results, by hand, on a dated page.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-end-of-each-of-these-brainstorming-sessions-i-require-myself-to/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [“he would launch a massive brainstorming sessions and gather the opinions and thoughts of all his people. The idea there was to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/life-hacks-books/he-would-launch-a-massive-brainstorming-sessions-and-gather-the/)

[Life Hacks Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/life-hacks-books/)

> [When I started doing projects for TV, I made sure to participate in the brainstorming sessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-martin/when-i-started-doing-projects-for-tv-i-made-sure-to-participate-in/)

[Coco Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-martin/)

> [“You have to free your brain to roam to places that are a little impractical, and innovation consultants have come up with some great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-lang/you-have-to-free-your-brain-to-roam-to-places-that-are-a-little/)

[Amanda Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-lang/)

> [Meet regularly with your business team and brainstorm. Intricate business problems are mostly resolved at brainstorming sessions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/meet-regularly-with-your-business-team-and-brainstorm-intricate/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [We encourage our people to build their ideas from scratch, and we give them the resources - and, crucially, the candid feedback - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/we-encourage-our-people-to-build-their-ideas-from-scratch-and-we-give/)

[Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/)

> [I'm a builder. I build ideas and give them to the people, and they receive them in such a wonderful way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/i-m-a-builder-i-build-ideas-and-give-them-to-the-people-and-they/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [From any vocabulary of ideas we can build other ideas by formal combinations of signs. But not any set of ideas will be instructive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-hacking/from-any-vocabulary-of-ideas-we-can-build-other-ideas-by-formal/)

[Ian Hacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-hacking/)

> [I only have one idea, that is WhatsApp, and I am going to continue to focus on that. I have no plans to build…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-only-have-one-idea-that-is-whatsapp-and-i-am-going-to-continue-to/)

[Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/)

> [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/)

Robert M. Hayes

> [Two heads are definitely better than one and by sourcing ideas from each other, you have a better chance of coming up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/two-heads-are-definitely-better-than-one-and-by-sourcing-ideas-from/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [“Research tells us that brainstorming becomes more productive when it’s focused. As jazz great Charles Mingus famously said, “You can’t improvise on nothing, man;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/research-tells-us-that-brainstorming-becomes-more-productive-when-it/)

[Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/)

> [Generating diverse ideas requires being clear about the kind of input needed and creating multiple ways for diverse team members to share their ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/generating-diverse-ideas-requires-being-clear-about-the-kind-of-input/)

[David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/)

> [“Osborn’s theory had great impact, and company leaders took up brainstorming with enthusiasm. To this day, it’s common for anyone who spends time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/osborn-s-theory-had-great-impact-and-company-leaders-took-up/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

## More by Tim Brown

> [“The natural evolution from design doing to design thinking reflects the growing recognition on the part of today’s business leaders that design has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-natural-evolution-from-design-doing-to-design-thinking-reflects/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“Jim Hackett, the CEO of Steelcase, is one of a small number of enlightened business leaders who understand that a steady flow of innovative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/jim-hackett-the-ceo-of-steelcase-is-one-of-a-small-number-of/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [For me certainly Earl Campbell and Tony Dorsett come to mind, and Roger Staubach. I've grown up here in Dallas watching Roger and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/for-me-certainly-earl-campbell-and-tony-dorsett-come-to-mind-and/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [We can learn that reward comes in creation and re-creation, no just in the consumption of the world around us. Active participation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/we-can-learn-that-reward-comes-in-creation-and-re-creation-no-just-in/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“Linear thinking is about sequences; mind maps are about connections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/linear-thinking-is-about-sequences-mind-maps-are-about-connections/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“An organization that commits itself to the human-centered tenets of design thinking is practicing enlightened self-interest. If it does a better job of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/an-organization-that-commits-itself-to-the-human-centered-tenets-of/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“Empathy is the mental habit that moves us beyond thinking of people as laboratory rats or standard deviations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/empathy-is-the-mental-habit-that-moves-us-beyond-thinking-of-people/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“For design thinkers, however, behaviors are never right or wrong, but they are always meaningful. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/for-design-thinkers-however-behaviors-are-never-right-or-wrong-but/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“we learned that a story needs to be repeated many times before people understand how it applies to them and many more times again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/we-learned-that-a-story-needs-to-be-repeated-many-times-before-people/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products services, processes and even strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/thinking-like-a-designer-can-transform-the-way-you-develop-products/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [Most business processes are about making choices from a set of existing alternatives. Clearly, if all your competition is doing the same, then differentiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/most-business-processes-are-about-making-choices-from-a-set-of/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“The mission of design thinking is to translate observations into insights and insights into products and services that will improve lives. Empathy”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-mission-of-design-thinking-is-to-translate-observations-into/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“Convergent thinking is a practical way of deciding among existing alternatives. What convergent thinking is not so good at, however, is probing the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/convergent-thinking-is-a-practical-way-of-deciding-among-existing/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“the experience blueprint takes the form of a physical document that guides the building of an experience. Unlike a prepared script or an operations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/the-experience-blueprint-takes-the-form-of-a-physical-document-that/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

> [“I argued that exploring the world with our hands, testing out ideas by building them, role playing, and countless other activities are all natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/i-argued-that-exploring-the-world-with-our-hands-testing-out-ideas-by/)

[Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

[Explore all 50 Tim Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/)

## More Brainstorming quotes

> [Held in the palms of thousands of disgruntled people over the centuries have been ideas worth millions - if they only had taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-hayes/held-in-the-palms-of-thousands-of-disgruntled-people-over-the/)

Robert M. Hayes

> [“Osborn’s theory had great impact, and company leaders took up brainstorming with enthusiasm. To this day, it’s common for anyone who spends time in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/osborn-s-theory-had-great-impact-and-company-leaders-took-up/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

> [Generating diverse ideas requires being clear about the kind of input needed and creating multiple ways for diverse team members to share their ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livermore/generating-diverse-ideas-requires-being-clear-about-the-kind-of-input/)

[David Livermore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livermore/)

> [“Research tells us that brainstorming becomes more productive when it’s focused. As jazz great Charles Mingus famously said, “You can’t improvise on nothing, man;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/research-tells-us-that-brainstorming-becomes-more-productive-when-it/)

[Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/)

> [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [Two heads are definitely better than one and by sourcing ideas from each other, you have a better chance of coming up with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/two-heads-are-definitely-better-than-one-and-by-sourcing-ideas-from/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [If at first the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-at-first-the-idea-is-not-absurd-then-there-is-no-hope-for-it/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [Psychologists usually offer three explanations for the failure of group brainstorming. The first is social loafing: in a group, some individuals tend to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/psychologists-usually-offer-three-explanations-for-the-failure-of/)

[Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/)

> [In a regular class I don't focus on the form, but I think that focus is helpful for brainstorming and coming up with ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-jo-campbell/in-a-regular-class-i-don-t-focus-on-the-form-but-i-think-that-focus/)

[Bonnie Jo Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-jo-campbell/)

> [Don't confuse being stimulating with being blunt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/don-t-confuse-being-stimulating-with-being-blunt/)

[Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/)

> [We would like to believe that we are not in the business of surviving but in being good, and we do not like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-rowe/we-would-like-to-believe-that-we-are-not-in-the-business-of-surviving/)

[Dorothy Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-rowe/)

> [“Solitary walks are great for getting new ideas. It's like you're in a video game and you pick up idea coins on the way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/solitary-walks-are-great-for-getting-new-ideas-it-s-like-you-re-in-a/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [I do a lot of brainstorming with my editors. Sometimes it just comes out in the writing. I'll get an idea as I'm writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/i-do-a-lot-of-brainstorming-with-my-editors-sometimes-it-just-comes/)

[Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/)

> [To ask the hard question is simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/to-ask-the-hard-question-is-simple/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [Natural resources have dropped out of the competitive equation. In fact, a lack of natural resources may even be an advantage. Because the industries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-thurow/natural-resources-have-dropped-out-of-the-competitive-equation-in/)

[Lester Thurow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-thurow/)

[Browse all 85 Brainstorming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brainstorming/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming sessions, and the rules are literally written on the walls: Defer judgment. Encourage wild ideas. Stay focused on the topic. The most important of them, I would argue, is \"Build on the ideas of others.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tim Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our-brainstorming-sessions-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brainstorming"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our-brainstorming-sessions-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d94/tim-brown-13359_brainstorming_at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our_1439338.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At IDEO we have dedicated rooms for our brainstorming sessions, and the rules are literally written on the…” — Tim Brown",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tim Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At IDEO we have dedicated rooms...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our-brainstorming-sessions-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/at-ideo-we-have-dedicated-rooms-for-our-brainstorming-sessions-and/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
