Abstract

The topic of this paper is the use of sketching when exchanging shape visions. Attaining a shared understanding in a collaborative design project is examined. The interaction acts of an industrial design team at a renowned design firm in Stockholm are analyzed, as well as where the idea development session is situated. The interaction in itself could function as the prevalent means of describing and mediating creative idea development in groups. The basic intent of bringing together individuals who hold divergent notions is the creative tension this meeting may bring forth. There seems to be an inevitable gap between designers’ ways of forming and expressing opinions concerning aesthetic ideas and their use of verbal language. The concepts ’verbal overshadowing’ and ‘figurative arguing’ are considered, as well as ‘the power of the board’. These phenomena influence the session's creative potential. The interpretation of the different types of sketches used by the team is focused on, as a means of understanding the significance of each type and the impact on idea development. Based on this study, several recommendations for establishing effective idea exchange and supporting evolving shared understanding, i.e. a group idea, are presented.