Exploring the influence of magic performance on design creativity

Abstract

Design fixation refers to a blind adherence to a set of ideas or concepts limiting the originality of design products. It is crucial to help design students develop flexible mindsets that help reduce fixation and improve the originality of their designs. Research suggests that watching magic performance can help designers improve the originality of designs and engage in divergent thinking. However, none of those studies focused on participants’ experiences and the reasons behind those influences. Therefore, this qualitative study explored how watching magic performances, learning the underlying principles, and performing magic helped design students reduce thinking fixation, increase flexible thinking, and improve design creativity. Three themes across and within students’ experience with this interactive method were identified: 1. Watching magic tricks creates a psychologically safe environment that helps relax the constraints of cognitive fixation for designers and design groups. 2. Learning magic principles and secrets increases the awareness of fixation and promotes divergent thinking. 3. Magic learning and performing experience shapes attitudes toward design constraints, challenges, and failures.