EAGER: MyDesignSpace: Discovering Design Patterns from Holistic Ideation Web Tool

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The research objective of this EArly concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) is to create a framework for a web based holistic ideation system that invites users at large to attempt to solve their design problems using the tool. The goal is to collect massive amounts of data from diverse set of users over an extended period of time to explore deeper issues and solution strategies employed by real designers. As part of an ongoing project the investigators have created a framework for holistic ideation by mixing and matching disparate ideation mechanisms matched to diverse ideation states commonly encountered in design. This is transformative in two ways: it builds a bridge between intuitive and logical approaches and it creates an entirely new mode of research for design creativity. But for this approach to bear fruit, massive amounts of data need to collected and analyzed to determine ideations paths, use and user scenarios and corresponding level of effectiveness. The Testbed will provide a uniform and structured way of collecting data on creative design which will lead to a better understanding of creative processes and the influence of thinking styles and problem complexity on these processes through empirical studies conducted at a fine granularity level (ideation mechanisms). A holistic approach will introduce students to both logical/experiential and intuitive strategies which has a greater probability of acceptance. Studying ideation paths in conceptual design has not been previously explored and researched in a formal manner. The main impediment is the lack of a proper foundation for characterizing such paths. The holistic ideation framework will facilitate several different ideation methods/strategies and track success rates based on ideation paths using heat maps employed today by companies such as Google.If successful, this research has the potential for impacting design practice, design research and engineering education. This project explores the feasibility of new software to support people in being more creative and evaluates their performance through user studies. Such systems will become partners rather than tools. Through user interaction, they will sense the ideation state and suggest possible strategies at a given state. In this role the tool becomes a virtual facilitator with virtual group members that generate provocative stimuli and contribute technical insights. Particularly for novices, such as engineering students, it is important to provide access to experiential knowledge through a multitude of resources. Results will be broadly disseminated through conferences and journals, as well as through the developed website.