Empowering non-designers with tangible tools for divergent thinking

Area of Science:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• Cognitive Psychology
• Design Studies

Background:

• Design Thinking (DT) is increasingly adopted outside traditional design fields.
• Sketching is a key DT tool, but non-designers often avoid it.
• Engaging non-designers in DT requires alternative ideation tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alternative tools for non-designer engagement in Design Thinking.
• To compare the creative outcomes of using pen & paper versus tangible figurative toys.
• To assess the impact on idea quantity, diversity, originality, and elaboration.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 36 participants.
• Participants used pen & paper and/or tangible figurative toys for web interface design tasks.
• Creative outcomes were evaluated using Torrance's framework for creative thinking.

Main Results:

• Pen & paper generated more ideas, but fewer categories and less originality.
• Tangible tools led to more elaborate design proposals.
• Figurative tangibles showed greater potential for divergent thinking, despite higher cognitive load.

Conclusions:

• Tangible figurative toys can effectively engage non-designers in Design Thinking ideation.
• These tools may foster divergent thinking and more elaborated creative outcomes.
• Further research can explore optimizing tangible tool use in creative processes.