Idea Generation Techniques among Creative Professionals

The creative process has been a key topic research over the past century, but it wasn't until the last decade that creativity became a hot topic of research in the HCI. It is an important commodity to businesses and individuals alike spawning numerous research studies in business, psychology and design. However, it wasn't until recently that researchers became interested in developing technologies to support creative behavior. This article outlines the role of creativity in design from the designer's perspective, provides a model for the creative process and provides a foundation and direction for future creativity support research by identifying nineteen idea generation techniques utilized by creative professionals.