Researching Ideation across Disciplines and Universities Dr Seda

Researching Ideation across Disciplines and Universities Dr. Seda Yilmaz, Dr. Shanna Daly, and Dr. Kathryn Jablokow Dr. Eli Silk, Wesley Teerlink, and Christian Wehr Moderator Luis Rico-Gutierrez Dean, College of Design, Iowa State University

Agenda for Today • • • Introductions Background on our research Logistics of our collaboration Highlights of our research outcomes Our plans for dissemination Final Discussion & Feedback

Background on our research… Funded by the National Science Foundation, Research in Engineering Education Program, 5/2013 – 4/2016 Objective: to explore how engineers ideate and how we can assist them in flexing along a continuum of ideation: from more adaptively to more innovatively. We are studying the impact of three factors on engineering ideation: 1. Problem framing 2. Ideation tools 3. Teaming Data collection: • Pre-engineering students at Uof. M • Undergraduate and graduate engineering students at PSU • Undergraduate and graduate engineering and design students at ISU

Idea Generation is KEY in the Design Process Idea generation determines the quality of ideas that enter the ‘design process funnel’, and therefore drives the quality of the overall design cycle. Images Source: Goddard Technologies Website http: //www. goddardtech. com/ideation-process/

KAI: Our Benchmark for Ideation Flexibility Adaption. Innovation Theory • Cognitive Function • • Cognitive Level Cognitive Style Motive Opportunity Cognitive Style • Preference for structure in ideation • KAI Inventory • Validated • Reliable

Differences in how we approach our work

A typical KAI distribution 95 (gen. pop. mean) More Innovative (prefer less structure) doing different More Adaptive 78 (prefer more structure) doing better 32 45 112 61 129 145 160 68 % 95 % All KAI scores are equally good.

We need a diversity of levels and styles to solve the design challenges we face today.

Our research plan …

Logistics of our collaboration… 1 Faculty in Industrial Design 1 Graduate student in Industrial Design 4 Undergraduate students in Design and Engineering 1 Faculty in Engineering Education 2 Undergraduate students in Engineering 1 Faculty in Education (@Rutgers) 1 Faculty in Mechanical Engineering 1 Graduate student in Mechanical Engineering 4 Undergraduate students in Engineering

Highlights of our research outcomes… Data collection: • 200 pre-engineering students at Uof. M • 200 freshmen engineering students at Penn State • 200 sophomore engineering, 80 senior/graduate engineering, and 40 undergrad/grad industrial design students at ISU = ~720 students at varying levels of studies

What is FRAMING? Problem X Problem Y The term “framing effect” refers to differences in how individuals respond to different descriptions or “framings” of the same problem with respect to: • Variations in participant expectations • Types of goal setting • Alternative task instructions Problem Z

Idea Generation Session with Problem Framing 2 Your turn. . . • Design solutions for the problem provided on the blue and yellow sheets. • Please get together with a partner who has generated solutions for the problem on a ‘different colored’ sheet. • Discuss your solutions with your partner. How were your problems different? What kind of solutions did the problem statements lead you to generate? Generate different ideas Avoid evaluating your ideas Record your ideas using drawings and text

What are Design Heuristics? Award-winning Products Cognitive heuristics Think-aloud Design Task Reasoning processes that do not guarantee the best solution, but often lead to potential solutions by providing a short-cut. Professional Designer design heuristics Concept modifiers that quickly lead to a potential solution, providing the opportunity for a novel design to occur. 77 cards

DESIGN SOLUTION SPACE Initial Ideas Obvious Ideas Design Heuristics push you to more fully explore the potential solution space.

Idea Generation with Design Heuristics title introducing heuristic explanation of heuristic product example that uses heuristic seating device that uses heuristic

Why working as dyads? Generating ideas in teams brings diverse skill sets together. Respect each other and use each other as a resource. Actively participate Stay on topic Clarify ideas Build on each other’s ideas Combine ideas Note your approach and how it is similar to or different from your partner’s!

Idea Generation Session in Pairs Your turn. . . Work collaboratively Record individually • Generate ideas in your team, but record them individually • Record who came up with the idea and your level of contribution to each idea Remember Generate different ideas Avoid evaluating your ideas Record your ideas using drawings and text

Workshop with an Engineering Firm

Workshop at an Engineering Design Conference

Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers Silk, E. M. , Daly, S. R. , Jablokow, K. W. , Yilmaz, S. , & Rosenberg, M. (2014, April). Interventions for ideation: Impact of framing, teaming, and tools on high school students’ design fixation. Paper presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), Philadelphia, PA, USA. Silk, E. M. , Daly, S. R. , Jablokow, K. W. , Yilmaz, S. , & Rosenberg, M. (2014, June). The design problem framework: Using adaption-innovation theory to construct design problem statements. Paper published in the Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2014 Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, USA. Yilmaz, S. , Daly, S. R. , Jablokow, K. W. , Silk, E. M. , & Rosenberg, M. (2014, June). Investigating impacts on the ideation flexibility of engineers. Paper published in the Proceedings of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) 2014 Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN, USA.

ASEE NSF Grantee’s Poster Session

Uof. M Engineering Education Poster Fair

Penn State College of Engineering Research Symposium

Uof. M Research Opportunity Program

Design Problem Framework (DPF)

An Expanded Variety Metric

Paradigm Relatedness

An Elaboration Metric

Mapping students’ ideation behaviors to KAI

Our goals for the next two years… Input Factors Output Dependent Variable: Ideation Output Factors: Applied separately and in combination Dependent Variable: Ideation Output Initial Ideation space A Factor 1 Problem Framing Factor 2 Ideation Tools Factor 3 Ideate more adaptively Expanded Ideation Ideate more space innovatively Ideation Teaming I A I Independent Variable: Cognitive style Independent Variable: Cognitive Style YEAR 1: Separate Effects Cognitive Style Problem Framing Ideation Tools Ideation Teaming YEAR 2: Partial Interaction Effects Problem Framing & Ideation Tools & Ideation Teaming & Problem Framing YEAR 3: Full Interaction Effects Problem Framing, Ideation Tools, & Ideation Teaming

Our research roadmap… Factors: - Problem Framing - Ideation Tools - Interaction with Others How do student idea generation practices and outcomes relate to their cognitive style? Goals of our Current Proposal How do different factors impact student idea generation practices? Analyze relationships between existing measures, cognitive style, and student ideation outcomes Develop an assessment tool to measure ideation flexibility Future Goal

Our plans for dissemination… 1. Co-Creation of materials at National Conferences and through Local Working Groups 2. Ideation Flexibility Workshop 3. User-Led Local Workshops (ULL) 4. Website for spreading the word (Ideation Flexibility TRIO) Ideation Flexibility Study Outcomes Ideation TRIO PFP 77 CH DG Supplements that will grow each year with the results of the combination studies Ideation TRIO Supplements Raw data Lessons learned Solution concepts collected during pre-post interventions, open-survey responses Ideation Curriculum Evaluations and suggestions based on lessons learned through implementation Best practices Case studies Shared database

www. ideationflexibility. org

Thank You! Shanna, Kathryn, Seda, and Christian

Final Discussion & Feedback… • What are the benefits and challenges of integrating different disciplines? • How does this project differ from projects that focus on one discipline only? • What are the connections among industrial design, engineering, and education in terms of the curricular integrations of research outcomes? • What opportunities for professional development do crossdisciplinary projects offer to the graduate students involved?