Intellectual Purpose Drives Information-Based Ideation in Game Design
Category: Innovation & Design · Effect: Strong effect · Year: 2018
Game designers' information acquisition and use is significantly shaped by their overarching intellectual goals for ideation, rather than just immediate task requirements.
Design Takeaway
Designers of digital tools should consider how to facilitate the connection between information resources and the designer's overarching creative objectives.
Why It Matters
Understanding the 'why' behind information seeking, at a higher conceptual level, is crucial for designing effective digital environments. This perspective can lead to more intuitive and supportive tools that foster creativity and innovation.
Key Finding
The study found that game designers don't just look for information to complete a task; they seek it to fulfill a deeper intellectual purpose, like developing a novel game concept.
Key Findings
- Game designers' information seeking is driven by a desire to achieve specific intellectual outcomes related to ideation.
- The context of intellectual purpose provides a framework for understanding the acquisition and use of information in creative processes.
Research Evidence
Aim: To investigate how game designers' information-based ideation behavior is influenced by their intellectual purpose.
Method: Qualitative research using Critical Incident Technique interviews.
Procedure: Researchers conducted interviews with game designers, focusing on specific instances where they used information to generate and develop creative ideas.
Sample Size: 10 game designers
Context: Game design industry
Design Principle
Information systems should be designed to support the user's intellectual purpose, fostering deeper engagement and more effective creative outcomes.
How to Apply
When designing a new software tool or information platform for creative professionals, consider how it can help users achieve their ultimate creative vision, not just perform discrete actions.
Limitations
The findings are specific to game designers and may not generalize to all creative fields. The Critical Incident Technique relies on retrospective accounts, which can be subject to recall bias.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: This study shows that when designers look for information, they're often thinking about a big creative idea they want to achieve, not just the immediate step they need to take.
Why This Matters: Understanding the intellectual purpose behind information use helps create more meaningful and effective design solutions that truly support creativity.
Critical Thinking: How might the 'intellectual purpose' of a user differ across various design disciplines, and how would this impact the design of information systems?
IA-Ready Paragraph: Research indicates that designers' information-based ideation is significantly influenced by their overarching intellectual purpose, suggesting that design tools and systems should be developed to support these higher-order creative goals, rather than solely focusing on immediate task completion.
Project Tips
- When researching user needs, ask 'why' they need information, not just 'what' information they need.
- Consider the long-term creative goals of your users when designing features.
How to Use in IA
- Use this research to justify design decisions that aim to support higher-level creative thinking, rather than just basic functionality.
Examiner Tips
- Demonstrate an understanding of how user motivations, beyond immediate task needs, influence design choices.
Independent Variable: Intellectual purpose for ideation
Dependent Variable: Information acquisition and use behavior
Controlled Variables: Specific design task, industry sector (game design)
Strengths
- Provides a novel perspective on information behavior by focusing on intellectual purpose.
- Uses a qualitative method well-suited for exploring complex cognitive processes.
Critical Questions
- To what extent can 'intellectual purpose' be objectively measured or identified?
- How can digital environments be designed to proactively anticipate and support evolving intellectual purposes?
Extended Essay Application
- Investigate the 'intellectual purpose' behind user interactions with a specific design tool or system, and propose design enhancements to better align with these purposes.
Source
Ideation as an Intellectual Information Acquisition and Use Context: Investigating Game Designers' Information‐Based Ideation Behavior · Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology · 2018 · 10.1002/asi.24169