The Killer Questions card deck is a brainstorming tool with a refreshing difference. While all others are very broad and esoteric in focus, innovation expert Phil McKinney’s ideation card deck is designed specifically to help organizations develop innovative new product and service ideas. That makes it especially valuable to organizations of all sizes.

The questions contained in this 42-card deck come from McKinney’s book, Beyond the Obvious: Killer Questions That Spark Game-Changing Innovation. He defines killer questions as those that have been tested and proven to spark breakthrough ideas.

The deck is divided into three types of questions: Who, What and How, with each “suit” in a different color. The front of each card contains a killer question, such as: “Who is using my product in a way I never intended – and how?” The flip side of each card contains several questions that help you dig deeper into that question.

As someone who has studied the role of questions as a catalyst for creative thinking, I’m a big fan of creative questions. I fully understand and appreciate their power to get the brain thinking in fresh directions. That’s why I’m so excited about the Killer Questions card deck.

Who is the Killer Questions card deck for?

It’s designed to help entrepreneurs, startups, and well-established organizations identify who their customer is, the product or service that should be sold, and how their organization operates.

Here’s what the deck looks like in action:

McKinney developed his killer questions approach after deconstructing the many successful new product development initiatives he had been part of throughout his career. He reversed engineered them, asking himself, “What were the unique questions that led us to a successful, innovative outcome?” He jotted them down on index cards. He then invested several years vetting them at hundreds of customer workshops. He kept those that produced valuable ideas, killed those that didn’t and clarified others to make them even more compelling.

The quality of questions, he discovered, is directly related to the quality of the ideas you can generate. What’s more, they are frequently needed to help creative teams whack their thinking, so they can consider their challenges and opportunities from new perspectives. Without high-quality questions, teams can’t innovate very effectively.

“The better innovation opportunities like to hide. Given that others have not found them yet reveals how good they are at hiding,” he explains. “To find these innovations, you need a map that will give you’re the areas to search. A map that will give you a competitive advantage by guiding you to areas to search that others are ignoring or choosing to overlook. For me, the map I use are a never-ending list of questions that I ask myself to force my brain to look beyond the obvious and see opportunities with fresh eyes.“

In short, “The better the questions, the better the ideas.”

The result of McKinney’s patient question development, prototyping and testing is a field-proven tool that is designed to help you consistently generate breakthrough ideas. I’ve known him for many years, dating back to the decade when I owned and managed the InnovationTools.com website. I highly respect the quality of his thinking and his professionalism. The Killer Questions card deck reflects his best thinking, reflection and unique perspectives on the art and practice of innovation.

How can you use the Killer Questions Card Deck?

According to McKinney, the top uses for it include:

• As a trigger to help look at a situation differently,
• As the starting point for a brainstorm/ideation session,
• A tool for your personal or team creativity exercise sessions, and
• As a tool to launch or re-brand a business.

Where can you buy the Killer Questions Card Deck?

Compared to the value of the innovations you can develop using it, the Killer Questions Card Deck is an unquestionable bargain. It’s available for purchase on Amazon.com or from McKinney’s Innovation.Tools website for US$19.95.

If you have any concerns about the quality of your individual or team brainstorming sessions, then I highly suggest that you invest in this well thought-out and delightfully executed ideation tool.