A novel systematic approach for analysing exploratory design ideation

• L. Hay ^[1] ; A. H. B. Duffy ^[1] ; M. Grealy ^[1] ; M. Tahsiri ^[2] ; C. McTeague ^[1] ; T. Vuletic ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Strathclyde

     University of Strathclyde

     Reino Unido

     
  2. [2] University of the West of England

     University of the West of England

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: Journal of Engineering Design, ISSN 0954-4828, Vol. 31, Nº. 3, 2020, págs. 127-149
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Two kinds of design ideation process may be distinguished in terms of the problems addressed: (i) solution-focused, i.e. generating solutions to address a fixed problem specifying a desired output; and (ii) exploratory, i.e. considering different interpretations of an open-ended problem and generating associated solutions. Existing systematic analysis approaches focus on the former; the literature is lacking such an approach for the latter. In this paper, we provide a means to systematically analyse exploratory ideation for the first time through a new approach: Analysis of Exploratory Design Ideation (AEDI). AEDI involves: (1) open-ended ideation tasks; (2) coding of explored problems and solutions from sketches; and (3) evaluating ideation performance based on coding. We applied AEDI to 812 concept sketches from 19 open-ended tasks completed during a neuroimaging study of 30 professional product design engineers. Results demonstrate that the approach provides: (i) consistent tasks that stimulate problem exploration; (ii) a reliable means of coding explored problems and solutions; and (iii) an appropriate way to rank/compare designers’ performance. AEDI enables the benefits of systematic analysis (e.g. greater comparability, replicability, and efficiency) to be realised in exploratory ideation research, and studies using open-ended problems more generally. Future improvements include increasing coding validity and reliability.