Fewer Constraints More Creativity? Insights from an Educational Science Fiction Project
DS 73-1 Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Design Creativity Volume 1
Year: 2012
Editor: Duffy, A.; Nagai, Y.; Taura, T.
Author: Thoring, K.; Mueller, R. M.
Section: Education and Practice
Page(s): 307-316
Abstract
This article presents a case study of an experimental product design project in the context of design education. Short stories by Science Fiction writer Philip K. Dick were used as the source of inspiration for designing imaginary products within that narrative. Since the project was free of typical constraints, such as feasibility, cost-efficiency, material and production resources, the students had the possibility to try out extremes and push their limits. We present a description of the project frame, the resulting products, as well as an analysis of the case study. We believe that the work presented in this article demonstrates the impact of creative freedom on creativity and provides some insights for design educators how to trigger a creative leap within the students
Keywords: creativity, science fiction, design education, Design for Film