Mothersill, P., & Bove, V. M. (2019). Beyond Average Tools. On the use of ‘dumb’ computation and purposeful ambiguity to enhance the creative process. The Design Journal, 22(sup1), 1147-1161.

Abstract

In the early phases of the design process, embracing chance intrusions, seeming irrelevance and ambiguity can lead to considering concepts in different ways and provoke new ideas. However, the computational tools we are increasingly using in these phases value efficiency over serendipity; technologies whose foundations are an average. This paper presents a ‘Beyond Average’ approach that was used to develop two tools that use ‘dumb’ computation and purposeful ambiguity to enhance the creation of novel ideas. Results from studies using the tools in a design task show that computational tools with a medium level of contextuality and a higher level of interpretability can positively influence the creation of new ideas. Discussions about the role of computation in the early phases of the design process suggest that tools with higher levels of creative agency can contribute to the designer’s creative agency and become a more natural partner in these activities.