How Feature- and Communication Constraints in CSS Affect Creative Collaboration in Virtual Teams - An Activity Theory Perspective

New Creativity Support Systems (CSS) provide additional features, but are also growing more complex and difficult to operate. Via new functionalities, CSS aim to facilitate virtual creative collaboration and enable better outcomes. However, research shows that, especially in the context of creativity, better outcomes are not always the result of more options and features. Our study applies activity theory (AT) as a lens in order to examine how constraints can be applied to creative collaboration in virtual teams. This study advances research on collaboration in information systems (IS) as well as human-centered development of IT-artifacts that facilitate creative collaboration. Our findings provide two practical takeaways for CSS developers and virtual teams: First, constraints in CSS can be designed to substantially benefit idea generation and exploration beyond routine performance; second, constraints can be designed to help teams access the potential of CSS faster and more efficiently

Software tools for supporting reflection in design thinking projects

In creative work such as design thinking projects, teams mostly seek to solve complex (wicked) problems as well as situations of uncertainty and value conflicts. To design solutions that cope with these aspects, teams usually start doing something, reflect on their results, and adjust their process. By actually doing something, tacit knowledge (i.e., knowing-in-action) of individuals is disclosed, which might be beneficial for an entire project team because it allows drawing on information and experiences that go beyond single individuals. Accordingly, the present study aims to investigate how tools can be designed that support collaborative reflection in creativity-driven projects. Drawing on reflection theory and several expert interviews, we derive design requirements as well as present a concrete software-based prototype as an expository instantiation

Mediating presence in virtual design thinking workshops

Design teams have been collaborating virtually due to the increasing demands of the globalized industry. The COVID-19 pandemic made virtual collaboration a necessity due to social restrictions imposed globally in 2020 and 2021. Design teams use virtual Design Thinking to collaborate remotely in real-time. The outcomes of Virtual Design Thinking rely on team composition, planning, the structure of activities, time management, and the choice of space and tools. While these factors have been researched in the context of traditional Design Thinking workshops, research on the selection of tools in virtual workshops is scarce due to the sudden increase in popularity and demand. This thesis investigates the experience of participants in virtual Design Thinking workshops with a focus on the collaborative environment and the tools used within. Existing literature and participatory observations revealed that remote teams collaborate primarily in two-dimensional (2D) virtual environments using a combination of virtual whiteboards and video conferencing software. Participants face challenges due to the lack of 'presence.' Presence is an emerging topic in recent literature, especially in the context of immersive virtual environments such as three-dimensional (3D) and Virtual Reality (VR). However, these virtual environments are still in their infancy and require further development for conducting virtual Design Thinking. Qualitative research in the form of participatory observations of four virtual design thinking workshops and in-depth interviews of seven participants revealed the challenges participants face due to the lack of presence. Approaches to mediate presence were explored with the design of a 2D experimental virtual collaborative environment designed to support virtual Design Thinking methods based on the findings. The environment was tested with seven participants. Results indicated an improvement in participants' experience compared to existing virtual collaboration environments and reported the overall experience to be on par with traditional Design Thinking workshops. The outcome of this thesis has vital implications on the choice and future development of virtual collaboration tools in the post-pandemic world

Agile Planung von Produkt-Service Systemen durch den Einsatz von Design Thinking

Die Anbieter von Produkt-Service Systemen (PSS) im Investitionsgüterbereich unterliegen zunehmend dem Einfluss einer VUKA-Welt. Neue Technologien und Geschäftsmodelle, sich schnell ändernde Kundenbedürfnisse und der Einbezug vieler interner und externer Akteure resultieren in Komplexität, Unsicherheiten und kurzfristigen Änderungen, auf welche die PSS-Anbieter reagieren müssen, um frühzeitig entsprechende Lösungen anbieten zu können. Die PSS-Planung befasst sich mit der Identifikation und Spezifikation neuer PSS-Ideen. Die meisten Vorgehen zur PSS-Planung fokussieren auf die Planung von Sachprodukten, Serviceprodukten, unterstützender Infrastruktur und Netzwerke von Akteuren und binden den Kunden in die Planung ein. Durch die genannten Einflüsse der VUKA-Welt auf die Planung von PSS, muss diese an sich schnell ändernde Gegebenheiten angepasst werden. Agile Methoden der Softwareentwicklung bieten hierfür Potenziale. Insbesondere die Agile Methode Design Thinking, die den Kunden innerhalb eines kurzzyklischen Vorgehens in den Mittelpunkt der Entwicklungstätigkeiten stellt und auf die Entwicklung von Prototypen zur schnellen Realisierung von Lösungen setzt, bietet sich für den Einsatz in der PSS-Planung an. Die Arbeit befasst sich mit der Frage, wie Design Thinking in die PSS-Planung integriert werden kann, um zukünftig auf Änderungen adäquat reagieren zu können und gleichzeitig die Vorteile bestehender Ansätze, wie z. B. Kundenorientierung, nicht zu vernachlässigen. Dabei wird mit Hilfe eines Modellierungsansatzes eine Methode entwickelt, welches mit Rollen, Aktivitäten, Techniken und Ergebnissen den Einsatz von Design Thinking für die agile Planung von PSS ermöglicht, den Kunden an unterschiedlichen Stellen mit einbindet und Rücksprünge bei Änderungen erlaubt. Hervorzuheben ist, dass die Methode sowohl technologiegetrieben als auch marktgetrieben initiiert werden kann. Validiert wurde die Methode innerhalb eines Verbundprojekts bei der GRIMME Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG.Product-Service System (PSS) providers in the capital goods industry are increasingly subject to the influence of a VUCA world. New technologies and business models, rapidly changing customer needs, and the involvement of many internal and external stakeholders result in complexity, uncertainties, and changes at short notice which the PSS providers must react in order to be able to offer appropriate solutions at an early stage. PSS planning deals with the identification and specification of new PSS ideas. Most approaches to PSS planning focus on the planning of products, services, supporting infrastructure and networks of actors and involve the customer in the planning. Due to the aforementioned influences of the VUCA world on the planning of PSS must be adapted to rapidly changing circumstances. Agile methods of software development offer potentials for this. In particular, the agile method of Design Thinking, which places the customer at the center of development activities within a short-cycle approach and relies on the development of prototypes for the rapid realization of solutions, lends itself to use in PSS planning. The thesis deals with the question how Design Thinking can be integrated into PSS planning in order to be able to react adequately to changes in the future and at the same time not neglect the advantages of existing approaches, such as customer orientation. With the help of a modelling approach, a method is developed which enables the use of Design Thinking for the agile planning of PSS with roles, activities, techniques and results and which integrates customers and allows returns in previous phases due to changes. It should be emphasized, that the method can be initiated both by technology-push or market-pull. The method was validated in course of a collaborative research project with GRIMME Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG