Encouraging contribution to shared sketches in brainstorming meetings

Brainstorming in small design groups typically involves one person taking notes and sketching at a whiteboard while other group members remain seated and contribute verbally. We believe that lowering the threshold for shared sketching improves idea generation from all members and supports building off the ideas of other members. We have designed and completed preliminary testing of a collaborative sketching system that enables simultaneous contribution to and viewing of a shared canvas through individual devices (Tablet PCs) and a digital whiteboard. A pilot study indicates that such a system helps equalize sketching contribution within a group although it reduces total sketching of the group as a whole. This finding suggests that individual access to a shared sketching space has implications for the brainstorming process such as a greater awareness of the quality and the relative amount of individual idea contribution.