Random Object Uses
Creative brainstorming exercise where teams generate unconventional uses for everyday objects. Perfect innovation activity for creative thinking and breaking mental constraints.
10-20 min
3-50 people
medium
basic
About This Game
Random Object Uses (also known as Alternative Uses or Divergent Thinking Challenge) is a classic creativity exercise that pushes teams beyond conventional thinking patterns. Participants are given a common object—a paperclip, coffee mug, rubber band, brick—and challenged to generate as many alternative uses as possible beyond its intended purpose. This simple prompt forces cognitive flexibility: a paperclip becomes a lock pick, a zipper pull, a sculpture wire, a makeshift antenna. The game surfaces how easily we get trapped by functional fixedness (seeing objects only for their designed use) and demonstrates that creativity often means reframing constraints. Perfect for innovation workshops, design thinking sessions, or warm-ups before brainstorming, this creative team building activity shows teams they can generate far more ideas than they think when they suspend judgment and embrace wild possibilities.
Objectives
- Practice divergent thinking and breaking functional fixedness
- Generate high volume of ideas without self-censorship
- Build confidence in creative ideation and unconventional thinking
- Demonstrate that constraints (one object) spark creativity
- Create psychological safety for sharing "bad" or "weird" ideas
- Apply creative thinking skills to real work problems
How to Run This Game
Facilitator Script:
"Welcome! Today we're doing a creativity exercise called Random Object Uses. Here's how it works: I'll give you a common, everyday object—let's say a brick. Your job is to come up with as many possible uses for that brick as you can, EXCEPT using it to build walls or structures—that's its obvious use. So what else could you do with a brick? Doorstop? Paperweight? Weapon? Workout equipment? Sculpture material? Art canvas? Yes! All of those work. The goal isn't realistic or practical ideas—it's volume. We want quantity over quality. Weird, silly, impossible ideas are welcome. Ready? Let me give you your object..."
Actions:
- Explain the concept: generate alternative uses for common objects
- Clarify: exclude the object's designed/obvious purpose to force creativity
- Emphasize: quantity over quality, no idea is too silly or impractical
- Reassure: this is practice for creative thinking, not a test of "good ideas"
- Show example: "If object is spoon, we can't say 'eat soup,' but we could say 'catapult' or 'mirror'"
Tips:
- • Use familiar objects everyone knows (paperclip, shoe, coffee mug) for accessibility
- • Explicitly ban obvious use to force constraint—constraint sparks creativity
Facilitator Script:
"Alright, your object is: a PAPERCLIP. You have 3 minutes to write down as many alternative uses for a paperclip as possible. Remember: can't use it to hold papers together—that's its job. Everything else is fair game. Go fast, don't judge your ideas, write everything down even if it seems stupid. If you get stuck, think about different contexts: What could you do with it at home? In the wilderness? In space? As a tool? As decoration? As a toy? Go! I'll time 3 minutes."
Actions:
- Give one object to entire group (paperclip, rubber band, spoon, brick, coffee mug)
- Set 3-minute timer for individual silent brainstorming
- Participants write down as many uses as possible on paper or digital doc
- Encourage: "Don't stop to evaluate—just keep writing, even if ideas are silly"
- Call out time checks: "2 minutes left... 1 minute... 30 seconds..."
Tips:
- • Offer thinking prompts if group is stuck: "What if you were stranded? What if it was giant-sized?"
- • Model enthusiasm: "I see lots of writing—great! Keep going, don't stop!"
- • If virtual: use shared doc or ask them to write in private doc, then share
Facilitator Script:
"Time! Okay, let's hear what you came up with. We'll go around and each person shares ONE idea at a time—just shout it out, no need to explain or justify. I'll write them on the board. If someone says an idea you had, that's fine—say it anyway or say your next one. Ready? Who wants to start? [Person 1 shares.] Great! Paperclip as a lock pick. Next person? [Continue rotating.] Love it—paperclip as a tiny sword. Next? [Keep rotating until ideas slow down.] Fantastic! Look at this list—we generated [X] ideas in just 3 minutes. That's the power of volume brainstorming. Now let's talk about what made this work..."
Actions:
- Go around circle, each person shares ONE idea (rotate multiple times)
- Facilitator or scribe writes all ideas on whiteboard/shared screen
- Celebrate quantity: "We have 40 ideas! Amazing!"
- Point out patterns: "Notice how many are about shape? About size? About material?"
- Highlight unexpected: "Who said 'antenna'? That's so creative!" (positive reinforcement)
Tips:
- • Don't critique or debate feasibility—write everything down without judgment
- • If ideas repeat, say "We have that one—what's your next idea?" (keeps flow)
- • Celebrate weird ones: "I love how weird this is—that's exactly the point!"
Facilitator Script:
"Let's reflect on what just happened. First question: how many of you surprised yourself with how many ideas you generated? [Hands.] Yeah! Most people think "I'm not creative" but you just proved otherwise. Second question: what helped you come up with more ideas? [Take 3-4 answers.] Right—removing judgment, going fast, the constraint of "not its normal use." Third question: when did you get stuck, and how did you get unstuck? [Take 2-3 answers.] Often people say they visualized the object differently, or thought about extreme scenarios. That's reframing. Here's the big insight: creativity isn't magic talent—it's a skill. You practiced divergent thinking, which means generating many possibilities before converging on one solution. Where in our work do we converge too fast—pick the first solution without exploring alternatives?"
Actions:
- Ask: "How many ideas did you think you'd get? How many did you actually get?"
- Ask: "What helped you generate more ideas?" (time pressure, no judgment, constraints)
- Ask: "Where do we do the opposite at work—judge ideas too quickly?"
- Name the skill: "This is called divergent thinking—generating options before choosing one"
- Connect to work: "Product features, marketing campaigns, process improvements—all benefit from volume first"
Tips:
- • Normalize: "Most people think they're not creative. This proves you are—given the right conditions"
- • Point to specific moments: "Remember when Alex said 'UFO landing pad'? That was reframing scale"
- • Connect to real work problem: "What if we applied this to [current team challenge]?"
Facilitator Script:
"Let's take this skill and apply it to something real. Think of a challenge we're facing as a team—could be a product decision, a process bottleneck, a communication issue, anything. [Take one suggestion.] Okay, we have: "How do we improve onboarding for new hires?" Let's treat this like the paperclip exercise. For 2 minutes, write down as many possible solutions as you can—realistic, unrealistic, silly, serious, anything. Don't evaluate yet, just generate. Go! [2 minutes.] Now let's share. One idea per person, no judgment yet. [Collect ideas.] Look at that—we generated [X] ideas in 2 minutes. Some will be great, some won't work, but we have OPTIONS now. That's the power of divergent thinking first, convergent thinking second. Try this in your next team brainstorm."
Actions:
- Identify a real, current team challenge (small scope, not huge strategic issue)
- Apply same process: 2-min individual brainstorm, share round-robin, collect all ideas
- Emphasize: "We're not solving this now—just practicing creative idea generation"
- Count the ideas: "We got 25 ideas in 2 minutes. That's what happens with no judgment."
- Optional: vote on top 3 to pursue further (if time allows)
Tips:
- • Choose a problem everyone relates to (meeting effectiveness, communication, workspace, etc.)
- • Keep it light—this is practice, not formal decision-making
- • If no real problem comes to mind, skip this step—don't force it
Facilitator Tips
- Choose objects familiar to everyone—paperclip, coffee mug, shoe, brick, rubber band work well across cultures
- Explicitly ban the obvious use (paperclip holds papers) to create productive constraint—constraints spark creativity
- Emphasize quantity over quality repeatedly: "Bad ideas welcome! Silly ideas encouraged! Volume is the goal."
- Model idea generation yourself: "I think paperclip could be a tiny skateboard ramp for ants" (shows permission for silly)
- If group is stuck, offer thinking lenses: "What if it was 10x bigger? In the wilderness? For a child vs. adult?"
- For virtual teams: use shared doc (Google Doc/Miro) where everyone types ideas simultaneously, creates visible momentum
- Celebrate unexpected connections: "Who said 'fishing hook'? That's brilliant!" (positive reinforcement builds confidence)
- Time-box tightly—3 minutes individual brainstorm, not 5. Time pressure prevents overthinking and perfectionism
- In debrief, name the cognitive bias: "Functional fixedness is when we only see designed use. You just broke that!"
- Connect explicitly to work: "When do we settle for first idea instead of generating 10 options first?" Make it actionable
- Variation for advanced groups: do 2 rounds with different objects, compare which was easier/harder and why
- Use this before any brainstorming session, design sprint, or innovation workshop to warm up creative thinking muscles
Common Challenges & Solutions
Variations & Adaptations
Use SCAMPER framework (Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse) as structured prompts. For paperclip: Substitute (made of rubber?), Combine (with magnet?), Adapt (for underwater?), Modify (giant size?), Put to another use (jewelry?), Eliminate (no bend?), Reverse (repels instead of holds?). Framework gives structure for stuck thinkers.
Brainstorm uses in extreme contexts: "Uses for paperclip if stranded on desert island," "...in space," "...during zombie apocalypse," "...in medieval times," "...for giants." Absurd contexts unlock creative reframing. Paperclip in space might be: micro-gravity toy, reflective signal, wire connector for repairs. Fun and creative.
Apply to real product/service: "What are 20 alternative uses for our software/tool/process beyond its designed purpose?" Example: Slack (team chat) could be: customer support channel, personal journal, bot playground, file archive, social network. Forces product thinking and reveals hidden use cases customers might already be doing.
Give two random objects and ask: "What new invention could you create by combining these?" Example: paperclip + water bottle = self-cleaning bottle with wire scrubber attachment, or clip-on hydration pack. Forces combinatory creativity. Often generates genuinely innovative ideas by forcing unexpected connections.
teams have used this game