the effect of artifacts on analogy in innovative design christian schunn (university of pittsburgh)...
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The Effect of Artifacts on Analogy in Innovative Design
Christian Schunn (University of Pittsburgh)Bo T. Christensen (Copenhagen Business School)
Methodologies
Lab studies (in vitro)
allows for experimentation; low validity; high control
Case studies (in historico)
high validity, but cognitive details missing; no control
Online observation (in vivo)
access to cognitive details; high validity; no control
(terminology from Kevin Dunbar)
Unpacking the Processes of Innovation
Analogy InnovationExternal
EnvironmentFrequency
Type
Studied Setting
Followed 5-person product development team in a major international company dealing in medical plastics designwon many design awards; industry leader
Videotaped scheduled weekly brainstorming and product development meetings
Analyzed 7 product development meetings (9 hours of video), collected over 5 months (conceptual design phase)5800 segments of on-task speech coded
Research Question 1What kind of analogies do highly innovative designers use?
Within-domain analogies? (More relevant)
Between-domain analogies? (More novel)
George de MestralCockleburrs Velcro
Distribution of analogies (N=102)
Both analogies types common
All meetings have both types
Potato print Zippers
Credit cardsMilk cartons
ShoesCars
Toilet paperChristmas decorations
Water wheelsPicture puzzleVenetian Blinds
Underwear
Research Question 2How does the external design environment shape what analogies occur (inspiration vs. design fixation)?
no support (unconstrained)
sketches (loosely constrained)
prototypes (tightly constrained)
96% of designers use sketches or prototypes
during solution development
Frequency of analogies by external
environment
Fewer Analogies w/ Prototypes
(no confound w/ phase of design)
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
Idea Sketch Prototype
% of segments with analogies
Interaction with distance
Prototype drop in analogies specific to between-domain analogies
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
Within-domain Between-domain
idea
sketch
prototype
Research Question 3
What Role Do Analogies Play in Design?
Just about explanation?
Dunbar claims long distance analogies only after the fact for explanation
New answers?
Or maybe potential problems?
Observed Functions of Analogies in
Design
Distance by Function
Identify are local, explain are long distance
Solve problem analogies are mixed! (different from science?)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Identify problem Solve problem Explain
% Between Domain
0%
1%
2%
Idea Prototype
Communicative Alignment
Ideas require explain analogies Prototypes don’t
ConclusionsInventive designers use both within- and between-domain analogies
between-domain not just for explanation
helps highlight problems, not just answers
Prototypes reduce between-domain analogizing (but sketches do not)
Perhaps some rapid prototyping too rapid?
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