TY - GEN
T1 - Using improvisation to enhance the effectiveness of brainstorming
AU - Gerber, Elizabeth
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Group brainstorming is a popular ideation method for design teams, yet brainstorming outcomes vary greatly. The method depends on individuals working collectively to generate ideas, and so group dynamics determine whether the method succeeds or fails. This paper explores how interaction designers used techniques from theatrical improvisation, or improv, to adhere to the rules of brainstorming thereby enhancing group interactions while collaborating. The usefulness of improvisation for brainstorming stems from the similarity of the goals of improvisation and brainstorming, the similarity of the recurrent problems that actors and designers encounter when collaborating, and the distinctness of the ways each have devised to resolve the problems that block the group's performance. This paper reflects on the individual- and group-level outcomes for design students and practitioners while brainstorming.
AB - Group brainstorming is a popular ideation method for design teams, yet brainstorming outcomes vary greatly. The method depends on individuals working collectively to generate ideas, and so group dynamics determine whether the method succeeds or fails. This paper explores how interaction designers used techniques from theatrical improvisation, or improv, to adhere to the rules of brainstorming thereby enhancing group interactions while collaborating. The usefulness of improvisation for brainstorming stems from the similarity of the goals of improvisation and brainstorming, the similarity of the recurrent problems that actors and designers encounter when collaborating, and the distinctness of the ways each have devised to resolve the problems that block the group's performance. This paper reflects on the individual- and group-level outcomes for design students and practitioners while brainstorming.
KW - Brainstorming
KW - Collaboration
KW - Creativity support tools
KW - Design methods
KW - Improvisation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84892466854&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84892466854&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/1518701.1518718
DO - 10.1145/1518701.1518718
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84892466854
SN - 9781605582474
T3 - Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings
SP - 97
EP - 104
BT - CHI 2009
T2 - 27th International Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2009
Y2 - 4 April 2009 through 9 April 2009
ER -