How Now Wow Matrix Template
Brainstorm and organize ideas based on their originality and ease of implementation.
About the How Now Wow matrix template
What is How Now Wow?
Brainstorming is difficult — but it becomes increasingly difficult as you scale. As you release more and more innovative products and services, it’s harder for your team to get creative. Complicated workflows, hard judgment calls, and resource constraints often force you to be conservative when you’d rather take risks. To overcome this challenge and reinvigorate your team, you can use the How Now Wow matrix.
The How Now Wow matrix is a game that fosters creativity. It consists of a 2x2 matrix with “originality” on the X-axis and “feasibility” on the Y-axis. You work with your team to file your ideas into each category. Working through the matrix can empower you to overcome creative roadblocks.
How do you use the How Now Wow matrix?
The horizontal axis represents originality and rates ideas as normal or innovative. The vertical axis represents ease of implementation and rates ideas as easy or difficult to implement. Ideas that are unoriginal and challenging probably aren’t worth pursuing. “How” ideas that are innovative but difficult to execute may need further work before you can act upon them. “Now” ideas are generally considered low-hanging fruit. “Wow” ideas are both innovative and relatively easy to implement, so this is where you’ll want to try to focus your attention.
The 3 Aspects of How Now Wow
How: Difficult to implement.
This category consists of ideas that are innovative but infeasible. It’s a helpful way to set ambitious goals for the future.
Now: Easy to implement.
These ideas are familiar, so you know they work well.
Wow: Original and easy to implement.
This category describes creative ideas that are relatively simple to execute. Try to file as many ideas into this category as possible.
Who can use the How Now Wow matrix?
The How Now Wow matrix is versatile enough to be used by any number of teams. Use it whenever you’d like to encourage your team to do creative brainstorming. In order to encourage maximum creativity, you may find it beneficial to break teams into smaller groups or let people brainstorm individually before sharing their ideas with a larger group.
Get started with this template right now.
Affinity Diagram Template
Works best for:
Desk Research, Mapping, Product Management
You can use an affinity diagram to generate, organize, and consolidate information that comes out of a brainstorming session. Whether you’re building a product, working through a complex problem, establishing a process, or piecing apart an issue, an affinity diagram is a useful and simple framework that gives each team member the opportunity to pitch in and share their thoughts. But it’s not just ideal for brainstorms—this is a great template and tool when you need to reach consensus or analyze data such as survey results.
Customer Journey Mapping Template Pack
Works best for:
Mapping, User Experience, Workshops
A customer journey map (CJM) is a visual representation of your customer’s experience. It allows you to capture the path that a customer follows when they buy a product, sign up for a service, or otherwise interact with your site. Most maps include a specific persona, outlines their customer experience from beginning to end, and captures the potential emotional highs and lows of interacting with the product or service. Use this template to easily create customer journey maps for projects of all kinds.
Lotus Diagram Template
Works best for:
UX Design, Ideation, Diagrams
Even creative thinkers occasionally need help getting their creative juices flowing. That's where a lotus diagram comes in. It'll empower you to run smoother, more effective brainstorming sessions. This creative-thinking technique explores ideas by putting the main idea at the diagram center and ancillary concepts in the surrounding boxes. This template gives you an easy way to create Lotus Diagrams for brainstorms, as well as an infinite canvas for the endless ideas generated.
Venn Diagram for Product Development
Works best for:
Venn Diagrams
Streamline your product development process with the Venn Diagram for Product Development template. Use it to compare product features, identify market needs, and explore design options. This template helps you visualize relationships and prioritize features based on customer requirements and competitive analysis. It's an essential tool for product managers, designers, and development teams aiming to create successful and user-centric products.
Technology Roadmap Template
Works best for:
Agile Methodology, Roadmaps, Agile Workflows
A technology roadmap helps teams document the rationale of when, why, how, and what tech-related solutions can help the company move forward. Also known as IT roadmaps, technology roadmaps show teams what technology is available to them, focusing on to-be-scheduled improvements. They allow you to identify gaps or overlap between phased-out tech tools, as well as software or programs soon to be installed. From a practical point of view, the roadmap should also outline what kinds of tools are best to spend money on, and the most effective way to introduce new systems and processes.
Burndown Chart Template
Works best for:
Project Management, Agile Workflows, Mapping
Whoa whoa whoa, pace yourself! That means knowing how much work is left—and, based on the delivery date, how much time you’ll have for each task. Perfect for project managers, Burndown Charts create a clear visualization of a team’s remaining work to help get it done on time and on budget. These charts have other big benefits, too. They encourage transparency and help individual team members be aware of their work pace so they can adjust or maintain it.