Apply divergent/convergent cycling and two-cycle exploration patterns for open-ended exploration and structured brainstorming. Use when the user faces a broad problem with an unknown solution space, needs to brainstorm before committing, or says "I don't know where to start." Trigger on phrases like "brainstorm", "explore options", "what are our choices", "ideate", "where do I start", "open-ended", "map out possibilities", or when a problem is too vague for a specific framework. Also use as a first pass before routing to more specialized thinking.
