Skip to content

There Really is a Killer Question Card Deck ….

As a result of the twitter feed of killer questions, I’ve received a number of emails asking about the background on the killer questions. Since it seems like of a topic of interest, I thought I would give you some insight into how they came about …

Phil McKinney
Phil McKinney
1 min read
There Really is a Killer Question Card Deck ….

As a result of the twitter feed of killer questions I send out, I’ve received several emails asking about the background on the killer questions. Since it seems like of a topic of interest, I thought I would give you some insight into how they came about.

Is there really a physical deck of killer questions?

Yes—there really is a killer question card deck. My printed (original)deck contains about 50 questions (as you see in the picture).

What was the motivation?

I’ve been fortunate to be part of teams that created some great products. During my 1st retirement (1999-2001), I was asked by a number people “how did I come up with the ideas?”. I never really thought about the “how”—it just seemed to happen… so I spent three years reverse engineering how breakthrough innovations are conceived and launched.

What role do questions play in creating breakthrough innovations?

What I found during my research was that the quality of the innovation is directly tied to the quality of the pool ideas (no big surprise). The key to improving the quality of the ideas is to improve the quality of the questions being asked during ideation (the big aha!). My research also discovered that there are a set of common questions that come up repeatedly as being key to breakthrough innovations. Those are the questions included in the deck.

After spending +3 years developing the original questions and now +6 years of using them, what have you learned?

After 100’s of workshops and brainstorming sessions using the killer questions, I’m convinced that anyone can improve their ability to create better ideas by asking the right questions.

Have you added new questions since you created the original deck?

I’ve added another 25 or so that are in my moleskin but not yet fully integrated into the deck. If you have questions, you would like to suggest, email them to me.

Is the killer question card deck available for download or purchase?

Update: You can now purchase the Killer Questions Card Deck over at our store, Innovation.Tools.

BlogKiller Questionsbreakthroughideaskiller innovationresearch

Phil McKinney Twitter

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

Comments


Related Posts

Members Public

The Myth of Scarcity: The Endless Supply of Ideas

It's time to shift our mindset from win/lose to win/win. The unlimited potential of ideas and innovation allows us all to succeed without taking away from others. The limit to our success is the limitation of our imagination.

The Myth of Scarcity: The Endless Supply of Ideas
Members Public

There Is No Such Thing As A New Idea, And That's Ok.

It's time to think differently about what is a new original idea. Instead of creating something entirely from scratch, focus on finding fresh connections between existing ideas. By combining pre-existing elements in innovative ways, you can create something unique that has never been seen before!

There Is No Such Thing As A New Idea, And That's Ok.
Members Public

The Punctuality Paradox: The Ethics of Time

Time is our most valuable resource, yet it is finite and fleeting. It cannot be saved, paused, or rewound. It is constantly moving forward, regardless of how we use it. Therefore, we must use our time wisely and purposefully to make the most of every moment.

An image of clock and child presenting to idea of time and how to use it.