What is a lotus diagram?

Quick: think of nine ideas to improve your favorite product. How do you know where to begin? Now invite ten other people to join your brainstorm. How do you know when you're done? A lotus diagram is a visual aid to spark creative thinking, stay on task, and keep ideas organized.  As your ideas take shape, you can quickly see which approach best brings your vision to life.

What is a lotus diagram?

When brainstorming becomes overwhelming, a lotus diagram is the mind-mapping tool you need to break down big ideas into key concepts and action items. Yasuo Matsumura created the lotus blossom technique to explore and connect ideas, inspired by the mind-mapping techniques poet T.S. Eliot used to explore literary themes.

A lotus diagram is made with nine squares arranged 3x3. The center of a lotus diagram represents your core problem or concept. Around this central idea are eight lotus petals, each representing a way to solve the problem or bring the main concept to life. Once you have your ideas captured, you can analyze them, nix those that won’t work, prioritize ones that seem feasible, then start planning a way forward.

Benefits of lotus diagrams

Although they may appear simple, lotus diagrams do heavy lifting in brainstorming sessions, helping teams to:

• Understand an issue or concept on a deeper level
• Quickly evaluate an untested theory or idea
• See the big picture and its individual components
• Kickstart project research and planning

Lotus diagramming in 5 steps

No matter whether your team is planning to brainstorm  in-person, asynchronously online, or in a virtual brainstorming session, lotus diagrams can jumpstart your creative thinking. Here's how to use lotus diagramming for more effective brainstorming.

Step 1: Gather your tools.

Get a headstart on your lotus diagram using Figma’s handy lotus diagram template. To capture input in your brainstorming sessions as well as asynchronous feedback, try FigJam’s collaborative online whiteboard. A timer can help keep brainstorming sessions on track, and give asynchronous collaborators a limited time window for prompt feedback.

Step 2: Find your center.

In the center of your lotus diagram, capture the main problem or concept you want to explore in your brainstorming session. By keeping this challenge front and center, you can encourage free association without losing sight of your primary goal. This keeps your brainstorming energized and inspired, but focused. For example, if your team is designing a website for an intergenerational yoga studio, start with your core challenge: design a yoga studio website that appeals to all ages and skill levels.

Step 3: Fill in the petals.

Brainstorm ideas and solutions to fill the first eight petals, capturing each idea with a short title.  You can work on the lotus diagram as a whole team, or assign each petal to a specific individual or subgroup so that everyone has a chance to contribute.  Using the intergenerational yoga studio example, each of the blossom’s eight petals could represent a website feature that would appeal to different ages and skill levels, such as:

1. Social media feeds from Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok showcasing students of all ages
2. Video of the studio founder working with students of varied ages and skills
3. "Meet the teachers" section, featuring instructors with varied ages, backgrounds, and specialties
4. Class descriptions, ranging from beginner to advanced
5. Class schedule, including classes for kids and workshops for seniors
6. Pricing for kids, students, seniors
7. Testimonials from students of all ages and backgrounds
8. Q & A for parents and caregivers about the benefits of yoga

Step 4: Add more petals.

Want to explore an idea on one of your petals further? Add eight petals around it to capture supporting ideas, or sub-themes. For example, your pricing page with specials for kids, students, and seniors might cover discounts, gift cards, membership packages, guest passes, workshops, incentives, free merch, and referral perks.

Step 5: Review and analyze.

After completing your diagram, invite participants to tweak and prioritize ideas.  Start with the innermost petals and work your way outward, plucking any petals that seem irrelevant, merging similar ideas, and exploring strong possibilities.

You can conduct a poll with your team members to surface ideas with the most traction. Once you've found a promising solution, you can move on to a SWOT analysis to assess its viability before you start planning and assigning tasks.

When your brainstorm is complete, consider running a ​​retrospective meeting to assess what worked well, and explore what to do differently next time.

Spark innovation with Figma

The human brain is wired to settle on conclusions that worked in the past, rather than conjuring up fresh possibilities—but a lotus diagram can help your team break free of old ideas. Jumpstart your brainstorm sessions with Figma's lotus diagram, and keep the creative dialogue going online with Figma's collaborative whiteboard and FigJam comments features.

Ready to get creative?

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