Optimizing Sources of Inspiration for Innovation: A Case Study in Concept Generation Process

Abstract

The conceptual distance between the inspiration source and the design subject affects the performance of idea generation. Despite many studies about the significance of distant or near sources of inspiration to boost design creativity, which source of inspiration plays a greater role remains unclear. This paper explores the benefit of incorporating both distant and near sources of inspiration in concept generation in a design studio context. An idea-generation process is implemented in a third-year industrial design studio for three years. The project outcome indicates a potential advantage in guiding students to collect and organize diverse inspirational sources to improve their design productivity and quality. While the distant source of inspiration advocates the ideas’ novelty and originality, the near source of inspiration supports design quality and details in further development.