Visualising and reverging: Understanding the intersection between creativity and visual thinking

Jansen, A.B.P.A.; Heijne, K.G.; Van Oosterom, Iren; Gonçalves, M.

doi:10.1017/pds.2023.384

Visualising and reverging

Title

Visualising and reverging: Understanding the intersection between creativity and visual thinking

Author

Jansen, A.B.P.A. (TU Delft Responsible Marketing and Consumer Behavior; Flatland Agency)
Heijne, K.G. (TU Delft Methodologie en Organisatie van Design)
Van Oosterom, Iren (Flatland Agency)
Gonçalves, M. (TU Delft Methodologie en Organisatie van Design)

Date

2023

Abstract

We investigate reverging - the phase between the diverging and converging steps in a creative process - in the context of a visual thinking agency. Creative facilitation literature advocates for such a phase, aimed at revisiting and rearranging ideas generated during diverging, to prepare for converging. However, in practice this step is often neglected or not performed well, resulting into a sense of increased complexity or lack of client ownership. Two studies were used to investigate reverging in context: a preliminary study consisted of interviews and observations to better understand reverging in current visual thinking practices. The follow-up study focused on co-creating a tool to solve the problem identified in the preliminary study. While the preliminary study revealed the need to involve clients in both diverging and reverging phases, the follow-up study resulted in the creation of the Whiteboard Canvas. The tool was tested in practice and several benefits of reverging in visual thinking practices emerged. The tool empowers visual thinking practitioners to involve their clients more actively in reverging, resulting into a more deliberate creative process and an increased sense of client ownership.

Subject

Creative Facilitation
Creativity
Design practice
Reverging
Visualisation

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:7681f39a-98bf-47d9-8e02-65b8426679b0

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2023.384

Source

Proceedings of the Design Society, 3, 3831-3840

Event

24th International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED 2023, 2023-07-24 → 2023-07-28, Bordeaux, France

Part of collection

Institutional Repository