Provoking reflection

Image generated using Adobe Firefly

 Purpose 

During the ideation phase, it's often useful to 'talk things through' to stimulate critical thinking and innovative ideas. Generative AI can help you by provoking your reflection and expanding creative possibilities.

 Prompt

Note: The following prompts were tested in Microsoft Copilot for Web. They are most suitable for language based generative AI tools.

Make sure you modify the prompts below to suit your topic and concepts.

To critically evaluate and provoke reflection: 

Act as an expert in <the field>. Critically evaluate <your initial idea>. Provide feedback and ask me questions based on it.

To consider inherent bias and broader impact: 

Act as an expert in <the field>. Analyse my initial idea for potential biases and suggest ways to address them. How can these changes improve the inclusivity and effectiveness of the solution?

My initial idea:

"""

<Paste your ideas here>

"""

To consider the idea's practicality and adaptability:

Act as an expert in <the field>. Evaluate the feasibility of my proposed solution in different scenarios, including best-case, worst-case, and most likely outcomes. How can the idea be adjusted to handle these scenarios more effectively?

My proposed solution:

"""

<Paste your solution here>

"""

 Explanation

These prompts give AI a role (expert in the field), a task (to evaluate or analyse), and requirements/instructions (what needs to be considered).

These prompt templates aim to use generative AI from a different perspective to help you reflect on your current topic and expand your thinking. The use of triple quotes helps the AI to understand the block that refers to your input text.

 Examples

The screenshot below from Microsoft Copilot for Web demonstrates how the AI provided a critical evaluation and also provided questions to encourage further reflection.