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ABSTRACTExtensive research has focused on the relationship between culture and creativity. However, related studies typically adopt national cultural values, set countries as independent variables to explore the relationship between culture and individuals’ creativity, or have inconsistent conclusions. Therefore, this study attempted to explore this relationship at the individual level in design processes from a phenomenological perspective, based on two design tasks carried out by 27 students at a university in China. The results showed a positive association between pleasure and long-term versus short-term orientation of individual cultural values in the two creative methods – 6-3-5 and collaborative sketching (C-sketch) – which were statistically significant. However, the correlation between enlightenment and long-term versus short-term orientation only existed in the 6-3-5 method. Based on the analysis, we found that an individual’s educational level affected their self-evaluation in the experience of creativity, and the 6-3-5 method was more favorable than the C-sketch method for the participants. Moreover, we developed a visualization framework and explained the relationship between culture and creativity based on the componential theory of creativity and Hofstede’s culture theory. Furthermore, the study might serve as a groundwork for further examination of the relationship between individuals’ culture and their experience of creativity.

ABSTRACTThe analysis of conversations during design activity can facilitate deeper insights into design thinking and its relation to creativity. A semantic analysis approach was employed to explore the semantic content of communication and information exchange between students and instructors. The goal was to examine design conversations in terms of abstraction, Polysemy, Information Content, and Semantic Similarity measures, and analyze their relation to the creativity of final solutions. These design outcomes were assessed according to their Originality, Usability, Feasibility, Overall Value, and Overall Creativity. Consequently, 35 design conversations from the 10th Design Thinking Research Symposium (DTRS10) dataset were analyzed. The main results showed that Information Content and Semantic Similarity predicted Originality, and Information Content alone predicted Overall Creativity. Likewise, Abstraction predicted Feasibility, while Semantic Similarity, Information Content, and Polysemy predicted Overall Value. In context of instructors, Semantic Similarity predicted Usability, and Polysemy predicted Feasibility. For students, Semantic Similarity predicted Overall Value. On the whole, Semantic Similarity and Information Content were the most prolific measures, and therefore could be considered for promoting creativity in the design studio. The implications of using support tools such as automated systems are also discussed.

AbstractDigital fabrication laboratories (FabLabs) influence how we think, ideate, do, make, and create. To enable the full capacity of materialization of the most creative ideas in the FabLab, a fundamental understanding of the processes in the FabLab is required. To accomplish this, we propose a framework for dynamically and ubiquitously capturing human-human (team) interactions, human-tool/machine interactions, and human-design-object interactions in the complex scenarios that occur in the paradigm of making in FabLabs. The framework elaborates three methods. The first method produces categories of creative spaces about activities and users in the FabLab. The second method identifies interactions between users and tools, and between users. Last, the third method identifies in-depth cognitive and thinking types of makers in the FabLab. The proposed framework can improve creative results and experiences of all stakeholders in the making process in the FabLab, and provide easy customization of the FabLab training for different audiences.

AbstractIn this research, we studied the human dimensions of experience and knowledge, confidence, motivation, and fun with regard to four technological dimensions referring to a FabLab environment: 2D and 3D design, tools and machines, prototyping with electronics, and programming. An intensive, two-week training period for high school students in digital fabrication and design was utilized as a testbed to evaluate how the participants modified their perception of the four human dimensions during the training. We identified that prototyping with electronics and programming were the most significant obstacles. In addition, the perception of acquired knowledge and confidence had increased considerably after training except for the programming domain. FabLab trainers can utilize the trainees’ perceptions on different dimensions to emphasize the specific design aspects of the activity in order to achieve the training goals. We also expect that a detailed description of the experiment setup can be useful to other researchers and practitioners while organizing activities at FabLab.

AbstractIn order to support the design of products with innovative desired functions (creating the desired functions), this study aims to develop a methodology to create new scenes in which a new product may be used by synthesizing the existing scenes. The development of this methodology focused on thematic relations, which are the relationships between two objects through a thematic scene, such as “an apple is cut by knife.” Thematic relations enable us to represent and manipulate the scenes in a computational manner. In particular, we highlighted the synthesis of the scenes which belong to the different contexts (periods in time, culture, and technology). We propose a specific methodology in which thematic relations are used to construct a database of existing scenes and then create a new scene using this database. This methodology was implemented in a computer system. Case studies were provided to demonstrate the use of this system.

This study focuses on how products are viewed by their users. In order to capture users' viewpoints, we focused on how the virtual 3D model of a product was examined (rotated/translated/moved by the user). We attempt to understand these viewing mechanisms by focusing on the dynamics of shifting viewpoints and verbal features during the generation of product impressions. The notion of dynamics of shifting viewpoints in this study refers to changes between 'still viewpoints' and 'moving viewpoints'. If, in a given period when product impressions are generated, a viewpoint does not change, it is defined as a still viewpoint, whereas a moving viewpoint refers to shifts in the ways in which the products are viewed during a given period. The notion of verbal features involves the quantitative characteristics of verbalisations. The findings from an experimental observation show that the dynamics of shifting viewpoints, verbal features, and user's preferences are related.

The tactility of product materials is a fundamental consideration in product design. This study proposes a method and tools for assessing tactile interaction based on user impressions; furthermore, investigates how users form impressions of product materials. This study develops a method to assess tactility in interactions with materials, focusing on associations behind explicit user impressions of these interactions. The method was tested experimentally and the characteristics of these in-depth impressions explained the formation of user impressions. The specified concepts in connection with the whole concept of product material can elucidate the successful tactile interface between users and products. The materials in product design should, therefore, be selected bearing these considerations in mind. The method provides directions for the systematisation and modelling of tactual experience in computational tools to aid material selection. Furthermore, the method will improve designers' and engineers' selection and implementation of materials in products.

This study aims to develop a methodology to capture in-depth impressions, which underlie the surface impressions of design, by using concept network analysis. The proposed methodology consists of association analysis of users' free descriptions, construction of concept network, and extraction of the in-depth impressions from the network. To investigate the application of the methodology, we carried out a case study. We examined the differences between three groups of hospital uniforms, comparing conventional and other colours. We found significant in-depth impressions from the concept networks of impressions. A clear difference was found among the three groups. The results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed methodology in understanding impressions of design. Finally, we proposed to implement the findings in selecting the colour for hospital uniforms.

In this paper, we discuss the relations between the viewpoints of users and designers. The main issue in design is that the user's and designer's viewpoints do not integrate well. In this study, we integrate the user's viewpoint into our new proposed design methodology by applying a meaning-based framework in conceptual design. This methodology introduces a user-derived evaluation of 'structure of meaning elements' (SoME) as part of the user's viewpoint into the particular design phase. Furthermore, we test the proposed design methodology in a case study. The results outline the feasibility of the framework. This study reveals details of how concepts are formed in design and how concept formation can be achieved using design methodology. The significance of this study for science and practical application lies in the proposed integration of the user-derived evaluation of SoME as a step in the design methodology.