Find Your Inspiration: Exploring Different Levels of Abstraction in Textual Stimuli
DS 73-1 Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity Volume 1
Year: 2012
Editor: Duffy, A.; Nagai, Y.; Taura, T.
Author: Gonalves, M.; Cardoso, C.; Badke-Schaub, P.
Section: Cognition II
Page(s): 189-198
Abstract
The selection of inspirational sources is a crucial step while designing, which potentially can enhance creativity. However, empirical investigations have demonstrated a dual-effect that some stimuli might have during idea generation. Therefore, it is valid to discuss whether designers are disregarding other stimuli, such as textual representations. To test the impact of different textual stimuli during ideation phases, we exposed novice designers to three types of written stimuli, with different abstraction levels. The results demonstrate that participants exposed to distant textual stimuli tended to generate a higher number of more flexible and original ideas. The most
Keywords: textual stimuli, abstraction levels, originality