Thinking prompts, or thought prompts, are the corner stone of creative thinking. A thinking prompt is a question or statement that you can use to help you to explore a subject in a multitude of ways. They work by focusing a subject through different lenses or frames to help you find new information, concepts, revelations, make new connections, and deepen your understanding of a subject.
For example:
What is this thing and why does matter to me?
What is this thing and what can I do with it?
The two thinking prompts above guides you to look at the subject (the thing) through two different frames or lenses. One frame is that of importance (why does it matter) and the other through the frame of utility (what can I do with it).
By exploring and answering these thinking prompt questions, you can bring to light additional information that isn’t necessarily apparent in the first place. This helps to create clarity and deeper understanding of the subject.
See: What Is Information Framing and Reframing and A List of Ways You Can Frame and Reframe Thoughts and Information