Technology in creative ideation: Exploring attitudes and perception among professional interior designers
Date
2023-12
Authors
DeBoer, Aaron
Major Professor
Advisor
Lee, Jae-Hwa
Peterson, Nicole
McKilligan, Seda
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Altmetrics
Abstract
Digital tools in creative ideation involve ever-changing technology that helps increase productivity, reduce mental load, improve communication, and increase novel and creative outcomes. Integrating these digital tools into the interior design creative process has been an important step for professional designers, but mastering one technology doesn’t mean they can perform a successful digital transformation in other situations. This study explored the attitudes and beliefs of professional interior designers about creativity and technology during their ideation process. Considering the potential factors that impact designers’ ideation process at work, such as professional experience, types and sizes of firms, sectors, etc., this research also compared the perception differences among the professionals. The study conducted an online survey of professional interior designers working in the United States. The measurements for the survey had three parts: 11 items of the Technology-confidence scale (adapted from the Short Scale of Creative Self), 23 items of the Runco Ideational Behavior Scale (RIBS), and 18 items about the perception of technology use at work on a 5-point scale. Demographic information of the survey participants (i.e., age, firm sizes, length of professional experience, certifications, type of organization, etc.) was also asked. The research collected and included 174 responses through a snowball sampling by distributing the online survey link to colleagues of the author and then expanding the number of participants to include partner firms and alumni of a major US university between August and September of 2023. All participants currently work in a professional setting, have worked for at least one year, are above 18, and have a minimum of a two-year degree.
As a result, the majority of the participants completed Bachelor’s or graduate degrees from CIDA-accredited programs and worked in commercial design areas as non-managing designers or low to mid-level managers. The average work experience of the total 174 participants was 15.30 years (SD = 12.30), with 40.8% NCIDQ certified. The statistical analysis showed significant correlations between technology confidence and creative ideation (r=.234, p=.002) as well as creative ideation and the perception of technology uses (r=.211, p=.006). Among the wide range of firm sizes, the ‘less than ten employees’ group (n=40) had lower technology confidence and perception of technology uses but higher creative ideation than the other three groups (i.e., 10-99 employees, 100-999 employees, and more than 1000 employees). The group difference in the perception of technology use was statistically significant (F=4.638, p=.001). The professional designers with less than or equal to five years of experience (n=45) showed higher technology confidence and creative ideation than the other three groups (i.e., 6-15 years, 16-25 years, and 25+ years). The group difference was statistically significant in the technology confidence (F=3.161, p=.026) and perception of technology uses (F=3.754, p=.012) by their length of professional experiences. Although the difference was not significant, the designers with more than 25 years of experience (n=41) reported the highest score in the uses of creative ideation at work (M=3.74, SD=0.59). The study identified that attitudes about technology use differed among professional designers with their work situations, such as roles and responsibilities. Regarding the links between creative ideation behaviors with confidence and perception of technology, this research highlights the need for proper resources and training in interior design education and organizations to improve the creative performance of designers. The research also calls for further studies on the advantages and challenges interior designers may face while incorporating current and new digital tools to support more novel and creative performance. This study found significant correlations between creative ideation and attitudes toward digital technology among professional interior designers. Perception differences were also observed based on firm sizes and years of professional experience.
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