How Uncertainty Helps Sketch Interpretation in a Design Task

Abstract

We examined the hypothesis that the ambiguity inherent within concept sketches can assist reasoning between different modes of representation, and engage translation from descriptions to depictions. Results showed that different levels of ambiguity within the cues significantly influenced the quantity of idea development of expert designers, but not novice designers, whose idea generation remained relatively low across all levels of ambiguity. For experts, as the level of ambiguity in the cue increased so did the number of design ideas that were generated. Most design interpretations created by both experts and novices were affected by geometric contours within the figures. In addition, when viewing cues of high ambiguity, experts produced more interpretative transformations than when viewing cues of moderate or low ambiguity. We claim that increased ambiguity within presented visual cues engenders uncertainty in designers that facilitates flexible transformations and interpretations that prevent premature commitment to uncreative solutions.