Ideasalt

Ideasalt is a concept in creativity studies and workshop practice. It refers to a deliberate method of seasoning ideas with constraints and critique to prevent vacuous optimism and to stimulate practical novelty. The term is metaphorical and not tied to a single formal theory; it appears in guides on brainstorming, design sprints, and creative writing.

Etymology and usage: The word blends idea with salt, drawing on the culinary sense of salt as a preservative and flavor enhancer. In this context, salt is a constraint or critical input that is applied alongside idea generation to improve balance between creativity and feasibility.

Practice: In sessions that use ideasalt, facilitators alternate phases of free ideation with salt phases. During salt phases, evaluators pose constraints, ask hard questions, or impose resource or compatibility limits. The aim is to nudge participants to test assumptions, reveal dependencies, and identify risks without halting idea flow.

Impact and reception: Proponents argue that ideasalt increases practical relevance, reduces later-stage reevaluation costs, and fosters more robust concepts. Critics contend that excessive constraints can damp creativity or bias outcomes toward incremental improvements.

Examples: In a product sprint, teams are asked to generate ten concepts under a tight two-day deadline, then apply a rule that any solution must be affordable for a given customer segment and reuse existing components. In writing workshops, ideasalt may involve limiting setting or narrative POV to force inventive approaches.

See also: Constraint-based creativity, design thinking, brainstorming, critical thinking.