the influence of sketch quality on perception of product-idea creativity

THE INFLUENCE of SKETCH QUALITY on PERCEPTION of PRODUCT-IDEA CREATIVITY

Barry Kudrowitz, phdUniversity of Minnesota

Paula TeMIT

Siegel+Gale

David Wallace, phdMIT

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Draw this...

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Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

Draw this...

2

vs.

Summaryin a nut shell

these sketches represent the same idea

3

vs.

Summaryin a nut shell

these sketches represent the same idea

not so creative rating

3

vs.

Summaryin a nut shell

these sketches represent the same idea

not so creative rating very creative rating

3

doodles thinking presentation emotiveidsketching.com

Sketch Taxonomy

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doodles thinking presentation emotiveidsketching.com

explorative explanative persuasive Olofssonand Sjolen

thinking prescriptive talking Ferguson

level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5McGown and Green

Sketch Taxonomy

4

doodles thinking presentation emotiveidsketching.com

explorative explanative persuasive Olofssonand Sjolen

thinking prescriptive talking Ferguson

level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5McGown and Green

Ideas from Brainstorming Sessions

Sketch Taxonomy

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doodles thinking presentation emotiveidsketching.com

explorative explanative persuasive Olofssonand Sjolen

thinking prescriptive talking Ferguson

level 2 level 3 level 4 level 5McGown and Green

more refined, detailed, and focused

Ideas from Brainstorming Sessions

Sketch Taxonomy

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Sketching in idea generationSchutze et al, 2003; van der Lugt, 2005; Goldschmidt, 1991; Ullman et al, 1990

generating evolving communicatingdialectics of sketching - Goldschmidt

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Sketching in idea generationSchutze et al, 2003; van der Lugt, 2005; Goldschmidt, 1991; Ullman et al, 1990

generating evolving communicatingdialectics of sketching - Goldschmidt

does the visual presentation of the idea affect its perceived creativity?

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positive correlations between sketching ability and artistic creativity Chan and Zhao, 2010; Chan and Chan, 2007

positive correlation between the number of sketches made during a design process and product prototype outcome Yang and Cham, 2007; Song and Agogino, 2004; Schutze et al, 2003

prototype attractiveness was highly correlated with ratings of creativity Christiaans, 2002

the category of affect, which included attractiveness, was found to be the strongest indicator of willingness to purchase Horn and Salvendy, 2009

When evaluating art it was found that originality was an important factor in determining aesthetic quality Hekkert and Wieringen, 1996

Prior studiesof sketching/aesthetics and creativity

* these are not the exact artifacts from these studies

*

*

*

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Prior studiessketch clarity vs. perceived creativity

0

1.75

3.5

5.25

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clarity creativity

kudrowitz and wallace 2010

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HOW WE STUDIED SKETCHING & CREATIVITY

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

varied quality of sketches

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

varied quality of sketches

rank ideas from least creative to most creative

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Sketch quality

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correctness of PERSPECTIVE

Sketch quality

10

correctness of PERSPECTIVE

realism of PROPORTIONS

Sketch quality

10

correctness of PERSPECTIVE

realism of PROPORTIONS LINE WORK execution

Sketch quality

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increasing quality of sketchline work, perspective, and proportions

Sketch qualityof a horizontal toaster concept

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Evaluating Creativity

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Evaluating Creativity

A product idea is creative if a group of independent reviewers subjectively agree it is creative.

Amabile’s Consensual Definition of Creativity (1982)

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Evaluating Creativity

A product idea is creative if a group of independent reviewers subjectively agree it is creative.

Amabile’s Consensual Definition of Creativity (1982)

Anyone can be an appropriate judge of creativity

when dealing with common objects.Amabile (1982)

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1. Doodle ToasterA toaster with a side panel that you can draw on; the drawing can then be toasted on to the bread.

2. Toaster/Coffee MakerA combination toaster/coffee maker.

3. Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

4. Crumb Tray ToasterA toaster that has a removable crumb tray at the bottom.

Selecting toaster concepts

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1. Doodle ToasterA toaster with a side panel that you can draw on; the drawing can then be toasted on to the bread.

2. Toaster/Coffee MakerA combination toaster/coffee maker.

3. Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

4. Crumb Tray ToasterA toaster that has a removable crumb tray at the bottom.

Selecting toaster concepts

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1. Doodle ToasterA toaster with a side panel that you can draw on; the drawing can then be toasted on to the bread.

2. Toaster/Coffee MakerA combination toaster/coffee maker.

3. Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

4. Crumb Tray ToasterA toaster that has a removable crumb tray at the bottom.

most creative idea

least creative idea

Selecting toaster concepts

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Creating toaster concepts

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Creating toaster concepts

middle school studentsno sketching training

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Creating toaster concepts

engineering studentslimited sketching training

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Creating toaster concepts

engineering graduate studentsome sketching experience

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Creating toaster concepts

industrial designeryears of sketching training & experience

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Creating toaster concepts

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Mechanical Turk is at least as representative of the U.S. Population as traditional subject pools. There is no difference in the magnitude of effects obtained using traditional methods and Mechanical Turk.(Paolacci et al 2010)

Mechanical Turkmturk.com

Evaluating Creativity

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Mechanical Turk is at least as representative of the U.S. Population as traditional subject pools. There is no difference in the magnitude of effects obtained using traditional methods and Mechanical Turk.(Paolacci et al 2010)

Mechanical Turkmturk.com

Evaluating Creativity

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Mechanical Turk is at least as representative of the U.S. Population as traditional subject pools. There is no difference in the magnitude of effects obtained using traditional methods and Mechanical Turk.(Paolacci et al 2010)

Mechanical Turkmturk.com

Evaluating Creativity

$0.10 per reviewer

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

rank ideas from least creative to most creative

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

rank ideas from least creative to most creative

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Evaluating toaster ideas

four toaster ideas

varied quality of sketches

rank ideas from least creative to most creative

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WHAT WE FOUND ABOUT SKETCHING & CREATIVITY

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sketch quality had a high correlation with the perceived creativity of the idea

Results

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sketch quality had a high correlation with the perceived creativity of the idea

Results

more creative

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sketch quality had a high correlation with the perceived creativity of the idea

Results

R² = 0.8934

more creative

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sketch quality had a high correlation with the perceived creativity of the idea

Results

vs.

High quality sketches were 2.6 times more likely to be ranked as the most creative idea compared to the same idea drawn with lower quality.

R² = 0.8934

more creative

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higher sketch qualityHigh  Quality

 Sketch

(Industria

l  Designer)

Quality

 Sketch

Low  Quality

 Sketch

Very  Low  Quality

(no  sketching  tra

ining)

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higher sketch qualityHigh  Quality

 Sketch

(Industria

l  Designer)

Quality

 Sketch

Low  Quality

 Sketch

Very  Low  Quality

(no  sketching  tra

ining)

19

more creative

higher sketch qualityHigh  Quality

 Sketch

(Industria

l  Designer)

Quality

 Sketch

Low  Quality

 Sketch

Very  Low  Quality

(no  sketching  tra

ining)

Norm

alized

 Ave

rage  ranking  of  crea

tivity

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

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more creative

higher sketch qualityHigh  Quality

 Sketch

(Industria

l  Designer)

Quality

 Sketch

Low  Quality

 Sketch

Very  Low  Quality

(no  sketching  tra

ining)

Norm

alized

 Ave

rage  ranking  of  crea

tivity

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

1 2 3 4

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Resultsonly moderate correlation between the perceived creativity of written and sketched ideas

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Perceived Average Creativity of Written Description

Combination Toaster/

Coffee MakerDoodle Toaster

Crumb Tray Toaster

Horizontal Toaster

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Resultsonly moderate correlation between the perceived creativity of written and sketched ideas

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Perceived Average Creativity of Written Description

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Perceived Average Creativity of Sketched Idea

Doodle Toaster

Combination Toaster/

Coffee Maker Horizontal Toaster

Crumb Tray Toaster

Combination Toaster/

Coffee MakerDoodle Toaster

Crumb Tray Toaster

Horizontal Toaster

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WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

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Sketching vs. writinginterpretation of “creativity” differs across different media

Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

vs.

(more creative in writing)

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Sketching vs. writinginterpretation of “creativity” differs across different media

Horizontal ToasterA horizontal toaster such that the bread is inserted and comes out horizontal to the ground.

vs.

(more creative in writing)

Toaster/Coffee MakerA combination toaster/coffee maker.

vs.

(more creative in sketch)

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Sketch quality can overpower idea quality

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Sketch quality can overpower idea quality

creativity is influenced by accurate proportions,accurate perspective,and proper line quality

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Sketch quality in presentationdisplay ideas in a similar quality and style

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Sketching in curricula

“drawing should be explicitly recognized alongside writing, reading, and talking as a key element in science education” - Ainsworth, Prain, and Tytler in Science

for designers, engineers, and innovators

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level of detail or refinement (sketch vs. cad vs. prototype)

written vs. sketched

textual creativity

Future Work

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highquality

lowquality

level of detail or refinement (sketch vs. cad vs. prototype)

written vs. sketched

textual creativity

Future Work

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highquality

lowquality

level of detail or refinement (sketch vs. cad vs. prototype)

written vs. sketched

textual creativity

Future Work

detailed or refined

gestural or unrefined

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level of detail or refinement (sketch vs. cad vs. prototype)

written vs. sketched

textual creativity

Future Work

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Future Work

level of detail (sketch vs. cad vs. prototype)

written vs. sketched

textual creativity

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THANK YOU

barry kudrowitzbarryk@umn.eduwonderbarry.com

@kudrowitz

paula tepte@siegelgale.com

itspaulate.tumblr.com@itspaulate

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