The goal of this study was to explore multiple quantitative measures of design ideation shifts. We specifically investigated shifts in ideation focused on generating incremental design solutions versus radical design solutions. Utilizing Kirton’s Adaption-Innovation (A-I) theory, incremental solutions were labeled as being more adaptive and radical solutions were labeled as being more innovative. We conducted a study with 23 prospective and current undergraduate engineering students. Participants first generated conceptual solutions for a design problem with minimal constraints to create a situation in which they felt free to generate ideas they naturally felt were most appropriate for the problem. Second, participants generated ideas for a different design problem that was framed either to encourage more adaptive or more innovative ideas. We coded each idea using two different versions of a paradigm-relatedness metric. The metrics assessed the extent to which an idea works within or extends beyond currently prevailing paradigms for the problem. Version 1 had two levels: (1) paradigm-preserving or (2) paradigm-modifying. Version 2 added a third intermediate level: (1) paradigm-preserving, (2) somewhat paradigm-modifying, or (3) strongly paradigm-modifying. We assessed ideation shifts quantitatively from the first to the second ideation sessions by comparing counts and proportions of both metrics. Comparing the different quantitative measures provided a test of the advantages and disadvantages of the different ways to characterize ideation shifts.
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1248-6629
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
[biography]
Eli Silk is an Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Shanna Daly is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan. She has a B.E. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Dayton (2003) and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from Purdue University (2008). Her research focuses on strategies for design innovations through divergent and convergent thinking as well as through deep needs and community assessments using design ethnography, and translating those strategies to design tools and education. She teaches design and entrepreneurship courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels, focusing on front-end design processes.
Dr. Kathryn Jablokow is a Professor of Engineering Design and Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University. A graduate of Ohio State University (Ph.D., Electrical Engineering), Dr. Jablokow’s teaching and research interests include problem solving, i
Dr. Yilmaz is an Associate Professor of Industrial Design. She teaches design studios and lecture courses on developing creativity and research skills. Her current research focuses on identifying impacts of different factors on ideation of designers and engineers, developing instructional materials for design ideation, and foundations of innovation. She often conducts workshops on design thinking to a diverse range of groups including student and professional engineers and faculty member from different universities. She received her PhD degree in Design Science in 2010 from University of Michigan. She is also a faculty in Human Computer Interaction Graduate Program and the ISU Site Director for Center for e-Design.
Jennifer Marguerite Wenger
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