Why This Mode Exists
In most strategy decks, the "insight" slide contains an observation dressed up in inspiring language. "People want to feel confident" is not an insight. "Consumers value quality" is not an insight. These are truths so generic that any brand in any category could claim them.
A real insight meets three criteria: it must be true (grounded in evidence), fresh (not a category cliché), and fertile (it opens multiple creative directions). The Insight mode is designed to generate candidates that pass all three tests — and then kill the ones that don't survive scrutiny.
Six Ways to Hunt
Contradiction mining
Where does conventional wisdom conflict with what people actually do? The category says "natural ingredients matter most," but purchase data shows people buy based on texture and scent. That gap between belief and behavior is where insights live.
Adjacent category theft
What do parallel categories understand that yours ignores? Maybe fintech's approach to trust-building has lessons for insurance. Maybe gaming's engagement mechanics apply to fitness. Looking outside your competitive set for analogous dynamics often reveals what insiders are too close to see.
Tension identification
What does the audience want that they feel guilty wanting? What do they say in research versus what they do in the real world? Tension — the pull between two conflicting desires — is the richest territory for strategic insight because it creates emotional resonance.
Reframing the familiar
What would a newcomer to this category find strange? What's hiding in plain sight that everyone has stopped questioning? Sometimes the most powerful insight is simply naming something that's been invisible because it's been there so long.
Metaphor and analogy
What is this situation like? What unexpected domain shares this same structure? Metaphors aren't just decorative — they're analytical tools that let you import frameworks from one domain to unlock understanding in another.
Unexpected sources of truth
What does academic research say? What do psychologists, anthropologists, or economists observe about this behavior? Strategy work tends to stay in its own bubble. Bringing in outside expertise — even briefly — can crack open problems that category-native thinking can't.
The Kill Shot
Every insight candidate in WRKFLW comes with a required "kill shot" — an articulation of why it might be wrong or insufficient. This isn't pessimism; it's quality control. If you can't find a kill shot, you probably haven't examined it hard enough. If the kill shot is devastating, you've just saved yourself from building a strategy on sand.
When to Use This Standalone
Use Insight mode whenever you have a clear problem and need strategic fuel. Provide the problem framing and whatever competitive context you have — the mode will generate candidates and rank them by distinctiveness, fertility, and provability.
An insight you can't kill is worth building on. An insight you won't test is just an opinion you're attached to.