1. Creating Creativity: User Interfaces for Supporting Innovation by Ben Schneiderman DCS 891C Michael Klein
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2. Essence of the Research
This article offers a four-phase framework that might assist designers in providing effective computer tools which support creativity.
“The proposals in this article are intended to support creative, not merely original, work.”
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3. Three Perspectives of Creativity
Inspirationalist
Structuralist
Situationalist
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4. Inspirationalist
Emphasizes “Aha!” moments – breakthrough magically appears.
Believes luck favors the prepared mind – research leads to problem formulation and evaluation.
Think…”discovery”
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5. Structuralist Emphasizes orderly approaches to creativity.
Studies previous work and uses methodological techniques to explore the possible solutions exhaustively.
Uses orderly methods (e.g. understanding the problem, devising a plan, carrying out the plan, looking back).
Uses models.
Think…Modeling
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6. Situationalist Emphasises social and intellectual context.
Talks about influence of family, teachers, peers, mentors.
Needs access to previous work in the domain, consultation with members in the field, and dissemination of results to members in the field.
Think…Patterns.
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7. The Moral Dilemma
“The moral dilemma of a technology innovator remains troublesome: how can I ensure that the systems I envision will bring greater benefits than the negative side effects that I dread and those that I fail to anticipate?”
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8. GENEX: A four-phase framework
Genex stands for generator of excellence.
This new framework is built upon two previous efforts.
This effort expands on the original frameworks and adds eight activities to the framework.
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9. Genex Phase Primary Activity (but can be used at any phase)
Searching and browsing digital libraries (inspirationalist)
Visualizing data and processes (inspirationalist/structuralist)
Consulting with peers and mentors (situationalist)
Thinking by free association (inspirationalist)
Exploring solutions – What if tools (structuralist)
Composing artifacts and performances (structuralist)
Reviewing and replaying session histories (situationalist)
Disseminating results (all)
Collect
Relate
Create
Donate
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10. Searching and Browsing Digital Libraries
Need improvements to existing Web search engines (e.g. relevance ranking)
Need rapid browsing
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11. Visualizing Data and Processes
Visualization of digital library information (e.g. Spotfire).
Visualization of financial information, scientific data, medical histories,
Products need smooth integration (e.g. results of web search into a visualization filtered into graphs or pictures placed into a document.)
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12. Consulting with Peers or Mentors
Async (e.g. , listservs, newsgroups)
Synch (e.g. phone calls, videoconferencing, chats, software sharing)
Need ways to allay concerns about who gets credit for the work, non-disclosure, withholding of ideas.
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13. Thinking by Free Association
Brainstorming
IdeaFisher
Computerized thesauri
TheBrain
MindManager
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14. What – if Tools Spreadsheets Flight simulators Flow models
Weather models
Simulation models
Need to remember genex framework and requirement for integration and dissemination
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15. Composing Artifacts and Performances
Exemplars
Templates
Standardized processes (e.g. Windows Wizards)
MS Office, Adobe PhotoDeluxe
Composition support tools (e.g. spelling and grammar checkers)
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16. Reviewing and Replaying Session Histories
Recording step-by-step user actions.
Need to be compact, comprehensible, and useful.
Can be used and sold as “Best in Class” solutions.
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17. Disseminating Results
, listservs, digital libraries, Web.
Readers of papers.
Discussion groups.
Seminars and Conferences.
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18. Genex Phase Primary Activity (but can be used at any phase)
Searching and browsing digital libraries (inspirationalist)
Visualizing data and processes (inspirationalist/structuralist)
Consulting with peers and mentors (situationalist)
Thinking by free association (inspirationalist)
Exploring solutions – What if tools (structuralist)
Composing artifacts and performances (structuralist)
Reviewing and replaying session histories (situationalist)
Disseminating results (all)
Collect
Relate
Create
Donate
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19. Significance of the Work
Provides a general framework for creating new tools to enhance user creativity
Provides references of predecessor frameworks.
Lists shortcomings of the framework.
Lists areas for future tool development.
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20. The Impact of the World Wide Web on Idea Generation by Masseti, White and Spitler
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21. Findings Categories of items were most relevant to idea generation.
User perception was that the WWW was helpful in idea generation.
Actually, searching the web led to the discovery of new categories, which caused the users to shift their focus. This caused the belief that the WWW was helpful.
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22. Future Research
Any of the eight listed activities lends itself to future research and development.
Create new tools.
Revise and enhance the Genex framework.
Can machines become creative?
What could a creative machine do?
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