The document discusses inspiration and thinking in industrial design. It addresses what inspiration is, how forms relate to aesthetics and emotions, and how emotions motivate interaction. It also examines tools for thinking, types of thinking like breakthrough thinking, and how to avoid barriers to creative thinking. The document proposes further work on inspiration protocols, relationships between thinking and inspiration, and inspiration through interaction media.

1. department of industrial design
Ben Salem 1 Pro~Re-Active

2. Department of industrial design
Ben Salem
b.i.salem@tue.nl
Pro~Re-Active
Forms
Inspirational Devices
A poet is a light and winged thing, and holy, and never able to
compose until he has become inspired... Plato

3. department of industrial design
Issues or Problems
• What is inspiration
● Inspiration and the Muse
• Forms
● Anticipating and reacting to the user actions and needs.
• Inspirational Devices (is it possible?)
• Formaestheticemotionsinteractioninspirat
ion
● Is there such a pipeline ?
Ben Salem 3 Pro~Re-Active

4. department of industrial design
Presentation Contents
What is inspiration What is inspiration
The relation between Thinking
forms and aesthetics Breakthrough Thinking
What is aesthetics Current tools for
Aesthetics & eroticism Thinking
Aesthetics & emotions Current tools II
Emotions & What to avoid
motivation Further work
Motivation &
interaction
Interaction channels
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5. department of industrial design
Form and Aesthetics
•We don't strictly •! t is the experience of a
I
perceive aesthetics, form.
we respond to it. •! t is not about judging or
I
•We perceive forms 'thinking about' but
that set up a about 'feeling into' or
response; and that 'becoming'.
response is identified
with perceiving as.
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6. department of industrial design
What is Aesthetics
• It is an intimate • We derive aesthetic
combination of satisfaction from
perception and feeling. artefacts and forms that
• An experience in are not necessarily
accordance to an works of art.
interpretation.
• A fractal arrangement of
order/variety, of
complexity/simplicity.
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7. department of industrial design
Aesthetics and Eroticism I
What is the relationship between the
two concepts?
. Aesthetics is an implicit subjective
representation of something alive/a life form.
. In particular it is the representation of an animal
or a human with gender-like/sexual-like features.
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8. department of industrial design
Aesthetics and Eroticism II
Aesthetics is either an explicit feminine
or masculine form.
Or a form with a subtle gender but
strongly expressed.
Yet the ultimate eroticism,
pornography, because it is so explicit/
objective is not aesthetic any more.
But then what about Mapplethorpe work?
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9. department of industrial design
Aesthetics and Emotions
Emotions are provoked by aesthetics.
•Forms can invite an indefinite variety of aesthetic
experiences (inner interpretations),
•Aesthetics can provoke an indefinite variety of
emotions.
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Emotion & Motivation
Emotions are not only mental states but are also
➢
motivational states.
➢
Emotions form a motivation to act.
➢
Emotions are perceived as call for action(s).
Emotions are hedonistic
➢
➢
Emotions can be translated into degrees of pleasure
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11. department of industrial design
Motivation & Interaction
➢
Provide the rights channels to deal with motivated
action
➢
Emotions are sometimes associated with body sensations
➢
Body sensations could be amplified if positive or reduced if
negative
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12. department of industrial design
Interaction Channels
Behavioural Physiological
Measurements Measurements
How well is the
user
Actions
Reactions Heart Beats
Body
Actors (single, pair,
temperature
group)
Skin moisture
Psychological level
Evaluation
Stress/Relaxation levels
Mood(happy, sad,
anxious)
Awake/ asleep
Awareness
Perception
Control
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13. department of industrial design
Intrusiveness/Levels of
Behavio Health
ur Profile
Pattern
User
Level
User Habits Normal health parameters
User Preferences Target health parameters
User Dislikes Medical condition
Schedule & Involvement MediCare
Calendar Maintenance Nurse Agent
Regular activities Control
Work Features and
Recreation Options
Communication
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What is inspiration
in·spi·ra·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (nsp-rshn)
n.
1.
1. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.
2. The condition of being so stimulated.
2. An agency, such as a person or work of art, that moves the intellect or emotions
or prompts action or invention.
3. Something, such as a sudden creative act or idea, that is inspired.
4. The quality of inspiring or exalting: a painting full of inspiration.
5. Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind.
dictionary.com
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15. department of industrial design
Thinking
•Pattern of thinking
– The thinking process
•Thinking Insight
– The idea followed
•Incremental Thinking
– Solutions that occur in nature
• Fallen tree across the river = Bridge
•Transformative Thinking
– Solution rarely if at all occur in
nature
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16. department of industrial design
Breakthrough Thinking I
1 Long Search In a few moments an
Seemingly endless search for a solution insight is achieved that
resolve a puzzle one has
2 Little apparent
been working on for
progress
No apparent progress, waste of time months.
3 Precipitating event
External cue, mental event (right
approach)
4 Cognitive snap
The Eureka instant
5 Transformation
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17. department of industrial design
Breakthrough Thinking II
•Reasonable thinking • Avoid Local minima
– Step by step progress –! False solutions and
(playing chess) apparent solutions.
•Unreasonable thinking
– Almost random (creativity)
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18. department of industrial design
Current Tools for Thinking
• Simulation
• Visualisation
• Analysis
• Modelling
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19. department of industrial design
Current Tools II
The formulation of a problem is
• Re-framing
– Searching for a better representation of often more essential than its
a problem solution, which may be merely a
matter of mathematical or
• Selective Encoding experimental skill. To raise new
– Focusing on relevant information only
questions, new possibilities, to
•Selective Comparison regard old questions from a new
– Non-obvious relationship between angle, requires creative
information
imagination and marks real
•Selective Combination advance.. A.Einstein
– Combination of non-obvious pieces of
information
In the field of observation,
•Incubation chance favors only the mind that
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20. department of industrial design
What to avoid
•Perverse Interpretation Patterns
– Faux-Problemes & Mis-constructed understanding.
•Over complexity
– Apply Ockham's rasor: Keep it as simple as possible.
•Einstellung
– Trapped in a mental set. Narrow mindedness and stubbornness.
•Gedanken experiments leading nowhere (drifting)
– Re-frame the problem.
•Distraction, over expectations & information overflow
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21. department of industrial design
Further work
➔
Inspiration protocols
➔
Interaction media and modes
➔
Relation between thinking and inspiration
?
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