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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Please note that all times are shown in the time zone of the conference. The current conference time is: 18th Apr 2026, 04:05:00pm CEST

Agenda Overview

Session

D214: UNDERSTANDING DESIGN THINKING AND CREATIVITY

Time:

Tuesday, 19/May/2026:

8:45am - 9:45am

Session Chair: Srinivasan Venkataraman, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India

Location: Conference Hall Orlando 2

Presentations

The impact of semantic feedback on functional connectivity during design ideation: a preliminary study

Mengru Wang¹, John S. Gero², Sohail Ahmed Soomro¹, Georgi V. Georgiev^3,1

¹Center for Applied Computing, University of Oulu, Finland; ²Drexel University, United States of America; ³Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

This study aims to examine the influence of semantic feedback on the functional connectivity of students' brains in design education. We evaluated functional connectivity using EEG. After the instructor provided feedback, we observed a significant reduction in students’ alpha-band activity across 16 channel pairs. It suggests that, after receiving feedback, participants relied more on localized neural circuits rather than on broad, diffuse connections. Semantic feedback potentially facilitates participation in more efficient cognitive processes, thereby assisting design ideation.

Assumption-making in ill-structured problems: a reflexive thematic analysis

Kudrat Kashyap, Vishal Singh

Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

Designers are often asked to state their assumptions. However, how assumptions are made is not well understood. We administered short and long versions of ill-structured problems to 22 students and analysed their responses using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants constructed analogies from recent experiences and distant memories. Interpretations in the short version often persisted in the long version, indicating assumptive inertia, a tendency to maintain initial assumptions. The findings offer insights into the process of assumption-making and its role in design decision-making.

From idea to creation: exploring designers’ real-time cognitive and emotional experiences throughout the design process

Samira Ashari¹, Alireza Habibi², Saba Moosavinezhad³, Babak Amraee¹, Stefan Schmidt⁴, Gaetano Cascini⁵

¹Design Department, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Iran; ²Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran; ³Cognitive Sciences Department, Tarbiat Modares University, Iran; ⁴Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Department, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Germany; ⁵Mechanical Engineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Italy

This study examines designers’ cognitive and emotional experiences during the design thinking process and the effect of time constraints. Using the MetaCogno tool, 83 participants reported moment-to-moment experiences across Problem Analysis, Ideation, Evaluation, and Sketching. Positive experiences dominated, with time-limited designers showing higher enjoyment, focus, and engagement. Findings highlight the dynamic interplay of cognition and emotion, and suggest that time pressure can enhance focus and motivation during design.

A novel approach to design creativity assessment: a comparative evaluation

Zhengya Gong¹, Ummi Latif¹, Milene Gonçalves², Georgi V. Georgiev^3,1

¹Center for Ubiquitous Computing, University of Oulu, Finland; ²Department of Design, Organisation and Strategy, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands; ³Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Japan

Various methods are offered to measure design creativity. Nonetheless, a debate continues over the development of a trustworthy and objective method to mitigate the influences on the evaluation. Therefore, we propose and develop a novel tool and approach for evaluating design creativity, which reframes creativity evaluation as a structured and data-driven process. This tool represents a significant advancement in the evaluation of design creativity by mitigating objective factors. Importantly, our tool enables researchers and educators to adopt it freely and objectively for evaluation.