Design Fixation on Non-Verbal Stimuli: The Influence of Simple vs. Rich Pictorial Information on Design Problem-Solving

During design problem-solving designers frequently come across a variety of rich visual displays. While browsing for different external sources of information, pictorial representations of existing concepts take a relevant prominence. However, once designers start devising new solution ideas to design problems, they often become particularly influenced by the exemplars they come across. Inadequate and excessive reuse of existing (parts of) available solutions has been described as design fixation. Such behaviour has been discussed having an impact on creativity and innovation. The study presented here investigates the influence that two different types of pictorial representations (simple and rich stimuli) of a particular solution had upon industrial design students during an ideation phase. The findings clearly demonstrate high levels of design fixation on the pictorial examples utilised. The results also show the presence of both detrimental and beneficial aspects on the quality of the ideas generated. Lastly, the outcome of this study reports on how the originality of the solutions created by the groups primed with existing solutions was significantly hindered. Reasons for the occurrence of design fixation are discussed in light of its implications to design quality and originality; and ultimately, to the use of pictorial information in design practice.Copyright © 2009 by ASME