Discussion: Evaluation Heuristics for Creativity Support Tools
Our requirements for CST also provided a framework for evaluating CST (Warr, 2007). A list of heuristics for CST is as follows:
Heuristic 1) Does the creativity support tool support the creation and dissemination of externalisations to support the phases of the creative process?
Summary:
Heuristics satisfied:
Heuristics partially satisfied:
Heuristics not satisfied:
Heuristic 1.1) Does the creativity support tool support the creation of sketches?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.2) Does the creativity support tool support the creation of annotations?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.3) Does the creativity support tool support the creation of text?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.4) Does the creativity support tool provide an accessible interaction space supporting users pointing interactions?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.5) Does the creativity support tool provide an accessible interaction space supporting users gesture interactions?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.6) Does the creativity support tool support the creation of new externalisations - divergent thinking?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.7) Does the creativity support tool support the refinement of existing externalisations - convergent thinking?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.8) Does the creativity support tool constrain the ways users externalise their ideas?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.9) Does the creativity support tool provide users with an unobstructed solution space?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.10) Does the creativity support tool allow its users to change the orientation and position of an externalisation and/or the creativity support tool?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.11) Does the creativity support tool support the combination of previously generated ideas?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.12) Does the creativity support tool support the storage and protection of externalisations created throughout the creative process?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 1.13) Does the creativity support tool support the comparison of generated ideas?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 2) Does the creativity support tool need to support the various group compositions of a group?
Summary:
Heuristics satisfied:
Heuristics partially satisfied:
Heuristics not satisfied:
Heuristic 2.1 Does the creativity support tool provide personal interaction spaces to support individual creative activities?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 2.2) Does the creativity support tool provide social interaction spaces to support sub-group activities?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 2.3) Does the creativity support tool provide large interaction spaces to support group creative activities?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 2.4) Does the creativity support tool support the transitions between individual, sub-group and group activities?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 2.5) Does the creativity support tool support creative activities beyond the collaboratory?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 3) Does the creativity support tool support the control of social influences?
Summary:
Heuristics satisfied:
Heuristics partially satisfied:
Heuristics not satisfied:
Heuristic 3.1) Does the creativity support tool provide synchronous forms of interaction reducing the effects of production blocking?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 3.2) Does the creativity support tool support multiple inputs?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 3.3) Does the creativity support tool remove identification with one's ideas to reduce the effects of evaluation apprehension?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 3.4) Does the creativity support tool provide group members with privacy, thus reducing the effects of evaluation apprehension and free-riding?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Heuristic 3.5) Does the creativity support tool make individuals accountable for their own productivity?
Satisfied? - Yes/No
Description:
Overall analysis:
Heuristics satisfied:
Heuristics partially satisfied:
Heuristics not satisfied:
\end{quote}
References:
Warr, A. (2007). Understanding and Supporting Creativity in Design. PhD Thesis, University of Bath, UK. June, 2007.