A Creative Cognition Framework for Generating Breakthrough Ideas

Latest developments in creative cognition, largely informed by neuroscience, give us the ability to debunk pervasive and insidious creativity myths that get in the way of creating breakthrough ideas. This paper, through a review of creative cognition and neuroscience literature derives and synthesises a creative cognition framework focused on engaging metacognition of the creative process, activating creating drive, shifting perspective to gain insight, deploying defocused attention and finally, and only when the other dimensions have been established, sparking remote connections and getting to breakthrough ideas. As practitioners we need to ensure we are strategically deploying this framework, creating the time and space for deep thinking, and that the process seamlessly supports people to be at their creative best. As thinking on creative cognition develops further over time, this framework will be updated and also iterated with practical learnings from deployment

DESIGNING FOR THE SUBCONSCIOUS: A NEUROIS STUDY OF PRIMING AND IDEA GENERATION IN ELECTRONIC BRAINSTORMING

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Business, 2014There has been extensive research on electronic brainstorming (EBS) over the past two decades, yet little is known about how best to design technology to enhance overall team performance. This dissertation seeks to open a new door in EBS design: designing a system for the individual's subconscious. Before effective design interventions can be developed, the cognitive underpinnings of individual-level EBS interactions must be elucidated. These studies provide insight into the core of this issue by examining the neurophysiological correlates of the ideation process, specifically using electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and skin conductance to examine priming-induced changes in cognition and emotion during an EBS session. Furthermore, it extends prior research on the use of priming to enhance EBS performance, creating new design guidelines for EBS systems that are designed for the user's subconscious. The findings show that achievement priming changes cognition in areas of the brain related to creativity which correspond with increases in idea fluency and creativity. While the implications of this study will be directly applicable to design of EBS technology, future studies can examine the use of priming in other collaboration tools. There may also be implications for the design of other forms of technology. The use of NeuroIS to more fully understand information processing in teams can also enhance the collaboration literature, in that it can illuminate individual cognition limitations in team interactions and enhance our understanding of which aspects of team interactions have the biggest "bang for their buck" from a cognitive standpoint. These findings provide several avenues for future research

The development of pedagogical infrastructures in three cycles of maker-centered learning projects

Riikonen, S., Kangas, K., Kokko, S., Korhonen, T., Hakkarainen, K. & Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, P. (2020). The development of pedagogical infrastructures in three cycles of maker-centered learning projects, Design and Technology Education: an international Journal.The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze the pedagogical infrastructures in three cycles of seventh graders’ co-invention projects that involved using traditional and digital fabrication technologies for inventing and creating complex artefacts. The aim of the projects was to create high-end multi-material makerspaces by expanding Finnish craft classrooms with instruments of digital fabrication, such as micro-processors, wearable computing (e-textiles), and 3D design and making, for enabling creation of student-designed multi-faceted inventions. Through a qualitative meta-analysis of the three successive learning-by-making projects, we explored the kinds of pedagogical infrastructures required for fostering knowledge-creating practices of learning. Pedagogic infrastructures refer to the designed arrangements and underlying conditions of implementing an extensive study project in classroom practices needed for reaching the learning objectives. We analyzed the epistemological, scaffolding, social, and material-technological dimensions of the enacted pedagogic infrastructures. In accordance with design-based educational investigations, we collected a variety of data (classroom video recordings, teacher and tutor interviews, invention challenges, learning assignments, and working schedules) across three year-long developmental cycles. We discuss the limitations and opportunities of maker-centered learning settings as well as considerations for future development of makerspace as pedagogical innovations for integrating socio-digital and material-technical practices and spaces for learning.Peer reviewe

The development of pedagogical infrastructures in three cycles of maker-centered learning projects

The purpose of the present investigation was to analyze the pedagogical infrastructures in three cycles of seventh graders’ co-invention projects that involved using traditional and digital fabrication technologies for inventing and creating complex artefacts. The aim of the projects was to create high-end multi-material makerspaces by expanding Finnish craft classrooms with instruments of digital fabrication, such as micro-processors, wearable computing (e-textiles), and 3D design and making, for enabling creation of student-designed multi-faceted inventions.  Through a qualitative meta-analysis of the three successive learning-by-making projects, we explored the kinds of pedagogical infrastructures required for fostering knowledge-creating practices of learning. Pedagogic infrastructures refer to the designed arrangements and underlying conditions of implementing an extensive study project in classroom practices needed for reaching the learning objectives. We analyzed the epistemological, scaffolding, social, and material-technological dimensions of the enacted pedagogic infrastructures. In accordance with design-based educational investigations, we collected a variety of data (classroom video recordings, teacher and tutor interviews, invention challenges, learning assignments, and working schedules) across three year-long developmental cycles. We discuss the limitations and opportunities of maker-centered learning settings as well as considerations for future development of makerspace as pedagogical innovations for integrating socio-digital and material-technical practices and spaces for learning

The Role of Play in Fostering Creativity and Purpose

While play is a universal experience that transcends age, discipline, and location, it is often understood to be a juvenile experience and is not intentionally pursued into adulthood. However, play has positive benefits for people of all ages; it can drive intrinsic motivation, increase creativity, and build a sense of meaning and purpose in both individuals and teams. Building on existing understandings of play and creativity, this Synthesis develops a transdisciplinary Play-Flow Intervention Model that leverages play as an intervention at two critical points during the flow cycle to alleviate struggle and expedite movement towards flow. Integrating play during periods of creative struggle can shorten this phase; play during flow states can extend awareness and creative output. With deliberate practice over time, individuals can foster a mindset or orientation towards play and build playfulness. Play may not be appropriate or applicable across all contexts, particularly in certain work environments, but systems can be designed to promote play. Addressing both design as well as systems change is critical for those seeking to leverage the inherent benefits of play, which span emotional, physiological, and intellectual realms. The invitation to embrace playfulness across all aspects of life is offered as an opportunity to reimagine how play might shift our relationships with our work, free time, and the communities in which we live

Triple Helix: AI-Artist-Audience collaboration in a performative art experience

Imagine an art exhibition that morphs its content according to the audience’s experience like a chameleon, reflecting the audience’s mind and culture and turning the artist’s exhibition into the viewer’s. But when the viewers leave, the work fades back to the creator’s original work and waits for the next audience. In this project, my team introduced an interactive exhibition called Triple Helix, where audience members were provided the opportunity to alter the artworks created by the artist, thus imbuing them with their own perspectives. This interactive exhibition was held at three physical-locations and online, and a comprehensive user study was conducted, exploring changes in creative confidence, i.e., an individual\u27s willingness to create and to share. This project includes three main contributions. First, my team proposed an innovative exhibition system, allowing audience members to actively modify artworks in real-time using AI technology. Second, the results of the user study demonstrate the multiple individual factors that appear to influence creative confidence, such as an individual’s art knowledge. Third, by analyzing participants’ feedback after the Triple Helix exhibition, certain shortcomings in current generative AI systems have been identified, including the weakness of current text-to-image transformation methodology in non-representational pieces and the cons of rapid image generation. These insights can serve as valuable guidelines for improving the human-AI co-creation experience in the future. I hope this work will serve as a step toward a richer and more comprehensive understanding of the application of generated AI into the realm of art

Amplifying Quiet Voices: Challenges and Opportunities for Participatory Design at an Urban Scale

Many Smart City projects are beginning to consider the role of citizens. However, current methods for engaging urban populations in participatory design activities are somewhat limited. In this paper, we describe an approach taken to empower socially disadvantaged citizens, using a variety of both social and technological tools, in a smart city project. Through analysing the nature of citizens’ concerns and proposed solutions, we explore the benefits of our approach, arguing that engaging citizens can uncover hyper-local concerns that provide a foundation for finding solutions to address citizen concerns. By reflecting on our approach, we identify four key challenges to utilising participatory design at an urban scale; balancing scale with the personal, who has control of the process, who is participating and integrating citizen-led work with local authorities. By addressing these challenges, we will be able to truly engage citizens as collaborators in co-designing their city

Passion-based co-creation

As our world is getting evermore interconnected and entwined across professional, organizational and national boundaries, challenges rarely fall neatly into the realm of single functions, departments or disciplines any more. While it is uncertain what the world will look like in a few decades, and many of the needed skills and approaches are unknown, we do know we need a way of creating the future together. Counting on a few heroic innovation champions will not suffice in transforming our organizations. Passion-based co-creation describes the approach to tackling these issues that has led to the creation of Aalto Design Factory and the Global Design Factory Network of 20 co-creation platforms around the globe. Our approach, in a nutshell, is a way of creating something new together, sprinkled with a hefty dose of intrinsic motivation. Sound too hype-y? Worry not, we aren’t preaching the adoption of yet another ‘’perfect’ tool, licensed process, or turnkey solution. Rather, we want to share some principles we have found effective, offer a look into the scientific backbone of our approach, and provide tangible examples on how to bring the mindset and ways of working into your organization. Mix, match, and adapt these elements to create your own personalized stack of building blocks for passion-based co-creation in your unique context

Exploring the Role of Creativity in Business Analytics Use: A Business Analysts Perspective

Today’s businesses heavily rely on Business Analytics (BA) for informed decision-making, developing and sustaining competitive advantage, and growth. For achieving these goals, organizations aspire for creativity and creative solutions. Creativity is an important source of organizational innovation, competitive advantage, and growth, yet it remains an under-researched area in the information systems discipline. Intrigued by the influential role of creativity in organizational performance, we aim to explore its role in using BA. Through a qualitative approach, we aim to establish the importance of creativity for BA use and provide a deeper understanding of users’ (i.e., business analysts’) perceptions of creativity in the BA use process