Less is sometimes more – constraint-based design principles for creativity support systems

Purpose The study investigates how limitations within creativity support systems (CSS) can enhance virtual team collaboration and creativity. Recognizing the challenge of technological overload due to CSS’s increasing features and functionalities, the research aims to show how strategic constraints can foster rather than hinder creative processes. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a design science research (DSR) methodology, this study synthesizes kernel theories and insights from expert interviews to develop 11 meta-requirements and five design principles for constraint-based CSS. These principles were then tested through a series of real-world experiments to evaluate their effectiveness and refine them based on empirical results. Findings The findings reveal that implementing constraints in CSS can significantly boost radical creativity, adaptation and activity in virtual teams. It also helps reduce cognitive overload, feature fatigue and topic drift, thereby enhancing the efficiency of creative collaboration across different phases. Each design principle was empirically validated and refined, underscoring the benefits of constraint-based approaches in managing feature-rich environments. Originality/value This research contributes to the understanding of how constraints can be systematically designed and applied in CSS to promote creativity. By empirically testing and refining design principles for constraint implementation, the study offers a novel perspective on balancing functionality and simplicity to optimize creative collaboration in virtual settings.