An Experimental Comparison of Analogy Representation Effects on Creative Outcomes

This study delved into the structuring of design briefs and investigated the impact of employing visual analogies compared to text analogies. We aimed to contribute to the growing body of research investigating the role of analogies in design problem-solving. To do this, we conducted a controlled experiment at a university with 135 undergraduate students exploring analogical reasoning under various conditions, with a particular emphasis on identifying the negative aspects of the design problem. The first goal was to explore the potential of visual and text analogies to enhance design creativity outcomes generated in each condition, focusing on the novelty and usefulness of design solutions. The second goal was to verify whether statistical differences occur between the creative outcomes in visual and text analogy conditions. According to our findings, design briefs containing specific instructions for using text or visual analogies yielded highly novel outcomes. However, when text or visual analogies were prompted by statements concerning negative issues of the design problem, more useful outcomes were generated. Finally, negative statements should be considered when the design aims to improve the features of existing solutions.