GKJ: Group KJ method support system utilizing digital pens

Abstract

Practitioners of the Jiro Kawakita (KJ) method, a method for organizing ideas, typically use paper labels and four-colored ball-point pens to record their ideas during the creative thinking process. A similar approach is used in group KJ method sessions; however, the effectiveness of capturing and sharing the diagrams and information is limited because of the large amount of paper required. Considering the merits of the conventional paper-pen approach and the demand for quick sharing of diagrams after a session, we designed and implemented a system to digitize group KJ sessions-not just the diagrams but also the details of the creative process. We used digital pens during the session to capture the position and orientation of labels as well as their content. We confirmed the efficiency of our system by applying it to several GKJ sessions. © 2011 The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers.