Abstract

In design, archetypes are viewed as sources of initial ideas, “ingredients” for further idea explorations for variations, combinations, and transformations. How can archetypes be introduced to novice designers and be used to help the creative ideation process? This article is a report on a study examining potential instructional approaches to exploit a set of multiple archetypes as previous knowledge schemas for the novice designer’s pre-ideation stage, a pre-logical abstract thinking stage that occurs before an actual ideation activity. The study examines the benefit of implementing a computer-aided archetype-based generative abstraction system and virtual reality technology with archetype-based pre-ideation exercises in enhancing creativity in the domain of museum exhibition design. To measure the effect of different instructional approaches to an archetype-based pre-ideation exercise on creativity, three different instructional methods were compared: 1) manual sketching; 2) the archetype-based generative abstraction system displayed on a 2D screen; and 3) the archetype-based generative abstraction system displayed on a 2D screen with an opportunity to view their explorations in a virtual environment. Findings revealed that the ideation exercises using the archetype-based generative abstraction system prior to the actual design process have a positive value in fostering creativity in subsequent creative design activities mainly by encouraging synthetic thinking.