Knowledge: the good, the bad, and the ways for designer creativity

Abstract

Design is a highly nonlinear chaotic dynamic process with many possible solutions, some of which can be creative. The chaotic nonlinearity of design dynamics triggers mental stresses in designers, whose creativity happens only when their mental stresses are at an optimal level. Following a deductive approach, this paper investigates how knowledge can contribute to designer creativity by uncovering knowledge's (good and bad) roles in the design process, based on which three ways are recommended to use knowledge properly in design. The assumption is that all designs follow one governing equation, which is a recursive integration of three basic design activities: formulation, evaluation and synthesis. The difference between designs of various fields and different kinds (routine, innovative and creative) lies in the range, content, size and nature of the design space in which the design governing equation works. The design governing equation implies a nonlinear chaotic design dynamics, whose solutions are sensitive to its initial conditions and can be routine, innovative or creative. The design governing equation is solved and reformulated by the designer's creativity capability. Therefore, design researchers, practitioners and educators should cohesively look at both designer's knowledge/experience and the designer's creative thinking process.