Using avatars to tailor ideation process to innovation strategy

To face innovation challenges of the twenty-first century, companies should learn from proven successful strategies and draw on technological evolutions as well. Our proposal consists in aligning ideation to innovation strategies through the use of avatars in a virtual world. On the basis of the Persona method and the Proteus effect, we design avatars’ appearance so as to implement a Needseeker or a Technology-driver innovation strategy. To test the effectiveness of this avatar-mediated innovation tool, we conducted an experiment in a French company. Two groups of highly qualified employees from the innovation department had to find applications for smart windows in public transportation. Both groups experienced immersion in a virtual transportation situation: one group embodied avatars resembling Inventors, whereas the other group embodied Personas representing users of public transportation. As expected, avatars’ appearance proved to influence the creative production: the Inventor condition led to a techno-centered ideation profile, oriented toward technological solutions, while the Persona condition led to more user-centered, needs-oriented ideas. Consistently, Inventors’ production tended to be better evaluated through industrial criteria and Personas’ production tended to be better evaluated by transportation users. We discuss the use of avatar-mediated creativity as a strategic tool for companies seeking to innovate

Creativity in virtual teams: bridging the gap between professional wisdom and scientific insights

Following the growing body of scientific literature dedicated to the effects of virtual tools and environments on creative processes, we were interested in examining how professional creativity facilitators perceive these technologies and the extent to which they might support their dissemination. To this end, we conducted a workshop with 19 professional facilitators in which they could experience creativity in a virtual environment. Their ratings of the potential impact of such tools on session facilitation, on sociocognitive processes of creativity and on group motivation were collected twice: before and after the virtual session. The results show that their perception of the potential benefits of virtual environments decreased after the test. They mentioned many limitations of the technology with regard to usual facilitation process. Moreover, their expert perception of the creative process sometimes appeared contradictory to scientific results obtained in the domain. We discuss these results and provide design perspectives to make virtual technologies more acceptable and usable for creativity facilitators, in order to allow more population to benefit from their positive effects on group creativity. Santrauka Remiantis didėjančiu mokslinės literatūros, skirtos virtualių priemonių ir aplinkos poveikiui kūrybiniuose procesuose, kiekiu, nagrinėjama, kaip profesinės išminties fasilitatoriai suvokia šias technologijas ir mastą, kuriuo jie galėtų sustiprinti savo veiklos sklaidą. Šiuo tikslu surengtas seminaras, kuriame dalyvavo 19 profesionalių fasilitatorių. Seminare jie turėjo galimybę įgyti kūrybiškumo patirties virtualiojoje aplinkoje. Tokių priemonių galimo poveikio vertinimai sesijos palengvinimo, kūrybiškumo sociokognityvinių procesų ir grupės motyvacijos aspektais buvo atlikti du kartus – prieš ir po virtualiosios sesijos. Rezultatai rodo, kad jų virtualiosios aplinkos teikiamos galimos naudos suvokimas sumenko po atlikto bandymo. Jie paminėjo daugybę technologijų keliamų apribojimų, susijusių su įprastine fasilitacija. Be to, jų ekspertinis kūrybiškumo proceso suvokimas kartais atrodė prieštaraujantis šioje srityje gautiems moksliniams rezultatams. Rezultatai aptarti ir pateiktos su projektavimu susijusios perspektyvos, kad virtualiosios technologijos taptų priimtinesnės ir naudojamos kūrybiškumo fasilitatorių ir kad didesnė populiacijos dalis gautų naudos iš jų pozityvaus poveikio grupės kūrybiškumui. Reikšminiai žodžiai: įsisavinimas, kūrybiškumo fasilitacija, inovacija, priemonė, virtualioji aplinka

Promoting creative imagination of non-expressed needs: exploring a combined approach to enhance design thinking

Creativity is vital to radical innovation for the generation of new and disruptive ideas. Managers, practitioners and teachers are increasingly integrating design thinking approach to stimulate creativity and innovation. Design thinking implies empathy as an innovation mind-set to understand the latent needs of users observed in real settings. However, it has been suggested that radical innovations do not come from a user-centred approach such as design thinking and that design thinking is often based on anecdotes than data and that its value is difficult to prove. The aims of this paper is to propose an approach to enhance design thinking in educational setting in order to promote radical innovation mindset. Drawing on the benefits of prospective ergonomics, digital mock-up and virtual environment to promote ideation and empathy, the proposed approach takes as a starting point the imagination of future needs using prospective scenarios approach, instead of users’ latent and unmet needs, for the development of artefacts and services that would change social practices. The paper a) discusses why and how this combined approach would foster students’ radical innovations skills by not just satisfying actual users’ needs but by imagining and anticipating new needs and b) propose a method to evaluate the effectiveness and the efficacy of design thinking enhancement. Santrauka Kūrybiškumas – iš esmės svarbus radikalioms inovacijoms, generuojant naujas ir griaunančias idėjas. Vadovai, praktikuojantys specialistai ir dėstytojai vis labiau integruoja dizaineriškos mąstysenos metodą, siekdami sužadinti kūrybiškumą ir inovacijas. Dizaineriška mąstysena reiškia empatiją kaip inovacija grindžiamą požiūrį, kuriuo siekiama suprasti slaptus vartotojų, stebėtų realiomis aplinkybėmis, poreikius. Vis dėlto buvo teigiama, kad radikalios inovacijos nekyla iš požiūrio, sutelkto į vartotojus, tokio kaip dizaineriška mąstysena, ir kad tokia mąstysena dažnai grindžiama pavieniais atvejais, o ne duomenimis bei tuo, kad jos vertę sunku įrodyti. Šio straipsnio tikslai – pateikti požiūrį, kuris padidintų dizaineriškos mąstysenos vertę lavinimo aplinkoje, siekiant palaikyti radikaliomis inovacijomis grindžiamą mąstymo būdą. Atsižvelgiant į ateities ergonomikos nešamą naudą, skaitmeninį modelį ir virtualią aplinką, skirtą idėjizavimui ir empatizavimui paskatinti, siūlomas požiūris yra it pradinis taškas, įsivaizduojant ateities poreikius, pasitelkiant ateities scenarijų atvejus, o ne slaptus ir nepatenkintus vartotojų poreikius, siekiant žmogaus darbo produktų ir paslaugų, kurios pakeistų socialines praktikas, plėtros. Straipsnyje svarstoma, kodėl ir kaip šis mišrus požiūris paskatintų studentų radikalių inovacijų įgūdžius, ne tik patenkinant tikruosius vartotojų poreikius, bet įsivaizduojant ir numatant naujus, taip pat pateikiamas metodas, skirtas dizaineriškos mąstysenos tobulinimo veiksmingumui įvertinti. Reikšminiai žodžiai: kūrybiškumas, dizaineriška mąstysena, skaitmeninės technologijos, lavinimas, ergonomika, inovacijos, poreikių ieškantys asmenys, ateities ergonomika

Innovative Learning Environments in STEM Higher Education

As explored in this open access book, higher education in STEM fields is influenced by many factors, including education research, government and school policies, financial considerations, technology limitations, and acceptance of innovations by faculty and students. In 2018, Drs. Ryoo and Winkelmann explored the opportunities, challenges, and future research initiatives of innovative learning environments (ILEs) in higher education STEM disciplines in their pioneering project: eXploring the Future of Innovative Learning Environments (X-FILEs). Workshop participants evaluated four main ILE categories: personalized and adaptive learning, multimodal learning formats, cross/extended reality (XR), and artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). This open access book gathers the perspectives expressed during the X-FILEs workshop and its follow-up activities. It is designed to help inform education policy makers, researchers, developers, and practitioners about the adoption and implementation of ILEs in higher education

Immersion & iteration: Leading edge approaches for early stage product planning

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Human-Computer Interaction

In this book the reader will find a collection of 31 papers presenting different facets of Human Computer Interaction, the result of research projects and experiments as well as new approaches to design user interfaces. The book is organized according to the following main topics in a sequential order: new interaction paradigms, multimodality, usability studies on several interaction mechanisms, human factors, universal design and development methodologies and tools

Remote Rhythms: Audience-informed insights for designing remote music performances

This paper examines the design of technology for remote music performances, from the perspective of their audiences. In this process, we involved a total of 104 participants across the different stages of our project. Initially, we collected qualitative data from remote audiences using several methods, including surveys, interviews, and observations. Through the thematic analysis of this data, we identified four design dimensions consisting of 17 key elements that illustrate what audiences value in remote music spaces. We applied these insights in a participatory design workshop with diverse stakeholders, contributing to the development of speculative design ideas in this field. The paper concludes by presenting key design insights for future technology advancements in remote music performances. The research contributes to the evolving design space of remote music performances, offering valuable perspectives for researchers, designers, and industry stakeholders

A Foundation for Online Knowledge Mobilization in Child and Youth Mental Health: Synthesis Report

Navigating the online environment to find mental health can be a daunting task, especially for children and youth. Three research projects commissioned by the Mental Health Commission of Canada were summarized in this report. The projects sought insights into what children and youth want to know about mental health and how do they search for this information online. The summary report highlights a number of recommendations with opportunities for further action to reduce stigma and improve access to mental health information online.

Transnational development cultures:navigating production, market, and cultural difference within European-Chinese game development teams

Discourse on the global games industry draws attention to the growth of China, in terms of both its consumer market and the games publishing landscape. Trade associations and government agencies have sought routes for Western games studios, publishers, and rights holders to connect with similar organisations in China. However, there has been limited focus on how Western and Chinese game developers understand and navigate the challenges of transnational collaboration and creativity in games production. This article presents a case study of five transnational game development teams, all of which were composed predominantly of developers from the UK and China who were tasked with producing game prototypes for both markets. Data gathered during game production included development diaries, interview data, game prototypes, and production documentation. Three themes emerged from analysis of the data: production practices and transnational working, navigating regulations and restrictions, and market and cultural differences. Findings highlight that developers encounter challenges around political and cultural difference that could inhibit production or lead to uncertainties in design decision making, but also that developers can quickly establish routes to collaboration and knowledge sharing that can help to overcome these barriers