Primary Generators: The Influence of Digital Modeling Environments in the Creative Design Process

Background

A way to research creativity is by identifying creative moves along the design process for further analysis. This study assessed the occurrence of primary generators as defined by Darke (1979) to account for creative moves. Primary generators are understood as turning points involving previous knowledge and setting new goals to attain creative outcomes (Darke, 1979). Two digital modeling environments (GME and PDE) were researched for the occurrence of primary generators. Through the use of protocol analysis, the design process was registered, and a comparison between these modeling environments was recorded, coded, and analyzed, looking for primary generators as identifiable manifestations of creativity. This study addresses two main research questions.

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  RQ 1. Do primary generators occur within these modeling environments (GME and PDE), enhancing the creative process?

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  RQ 2. Since parametrization enhances unexpected discoveries which are exploited by the designer; will the occurrence of primary generators in PDE, be greater than GME?

For the reader’s comprehension, this study discusses the action of design, the kind of problems designer face, and how sketching and primary generators affect the design process. Finally, digital media environments were contrasted to understand their impact on creativity.