Abstract

Designers resort to external stimuli as sources of inspiration in the creation process, using images, texts, or other media as triggers for generating new ideas. Although there are several studies on this subject, there are still few conclusions about how these stimuli work in the creation process. In this sense, this article aims to verify what types of stimuli designers prefer, at what moments of the project they usually use, and how they can contribute to the creation process. To this end, professionals from nine Portuguese design studios were interviewed, totaling 17 design professionals, most of them with significant experience in the area. The results confirmed some aspects of the theory, such as the preference for visual stimuli, and brought others, such as three-dimensional representations. In addition, other relevant aspects were found, such as the importance of inspiration sources in the communication process between the team and the client and the constant search for references in the construction of the individual repertory.

Highlights

  • Creating
new
design
solutions
is
a
complex
process
involving
intrinsic
 aspects
of
the
individual,
communication
issues
between
the
team
and
the
 client,
and
aspects
related
to
the
external
environment

  • It depends on how much time they have

  • This was a factor evidenced in all interviews and ways to foster it, such as the constant research of references and the creation of libraries, collections, physical and digital, for a specific project but as something to be done constantly

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Summary

Introduction

Creating
new
design
solutions
is
a
complex
process
involving
intrinsic
 aspects
of
the
individual,
communication
issues
between
the
team
and
the
 client,
and
aspects
related
to
the
external
environment. All
these
factors
 interfere
with
the
creative
process
and
the
individual's
thinking,
and
the
 originality,
 fluency,
 and
 flexibility
 of
 idea
 generation
 (AMABILE,
 1989;
 KNELLER,
1978;
TORRANCE,
1969). 
 it
 is
 a
 broad
 concept
 because
most
of
the
ideas
and
solutions
generated
are
not
entirely
new
 but
 are
 formed
 from
 the
 relation
 of
 existing
 concepts,
 association
 and
 analogy
with
other
references. 
 analogical
thinking
is
combinatory,
associative
thinking
and
is
part
of
the
 synthesis
process
in
design
(DOUMAS
et
al.,
2008;
GENTER,
SMITH,
2012,
 KAO,
2014). According
 to
 Tschimmel
 (2010),
 analogical
 thinking
 relies
 on
 visual,
 symbolic,
 or
 imaginative
 thinking,
 highlighting
 the
 importance
 of
 perception
and
associations
by
similarity
and
conceptual
differences

Methods
Discussion
Conclusion

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