The document summarizes a study on how words of different semantic types can inspire creative thinking in visual design. It describes an experiment involving 409 participants who were asked to provide ideas inspired by representative and abstract semantic words. Results showed that most participants found inspiration from the words and that representative and abstract words were both useful for inspiring structure, function, aesthetics and creativity in design ideas. The study found significant differences in how words of different semantic attributes inspired creativity. It concludes that semantic words can effectively spark creative thinking in visual design.

1. A STUDY OF
COGNITIVE THINKING IN VISUAL
DESIGN:
THE UTILITY OF WORDS OF
DIFFERENT SEMANTIC TYPES
TO INSPIRE CREATIVE THINKING
Presenter: YU Yang
Nagai Lab / Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
15th International Conference on Knowledge, Information and Creativity Support System 2020
1

2. 2
Overview
Introduction
based on semantic
words to inspire
creative thinking
in visual design
Experiment
two dimensions of
semantic using a
variety of
evaluation methods
Results
finding of connection
between semantic
words and inspiring
creative design
Conclusion
analysis of semantic
words improve the
extraction and
utilization efficiency
of a design idea

3. Literature review:
1.Making visual design is an activity that has
accompanied human cognition. Creative thinking is
fundamental part of human cognition[1,2,3].
2.Analysis of creative situations has attested that new
ideas are inspired by old situations, which may or may
not pertain to the same semantic domain[4,5].
3
1. Introduction
[1] N. De Pisapia, F. Bacci, D. Parrott, and D. Melcher, “Brain networks for visual creativity: a functional connectivity study of planning a visual artwork,” Sci. Rep., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 39185, 2016.
[2] J. Dacey, “Concepts of creativity: A history,” Encycl. Creat., vol. 1, pp. 309–322, 1999.
[3] W. Niu and R. J. Sternberg, “The Philosophical Roots of Western and Eastern Conceptions of Creativity,” J. Theor. Philos. Psychol., vol. 26, no. 1–2, pp. 18–38, 2006.
[4] P. Israel and R. Friedel, Edison’s Electric Light: Biography of an Invention. 1986.
[5] N. Bonnardel, “Towards understanding and supporting creativity in design: analogies in a constrained cognitive environment,” Knowl. Based Syst., vol. 13, no. 7/8, p. p.505-513, 2000.
visual
design
cognition
creative
thinking
semantic
domain

4. 3. Analogical thinking develop new ideas from well-known domains
& utilizing them in novel domain [8].
4. Ball et al. distinguished two kinds pattern of analogy use.
Schema-driven & case-driven analogizing [6].
5. The issues raised included the relations between base and target
domains, and the types of analogy [7].
6. Chiu & Shu proposed a methodology that involved the concept-
generation by using verbs as stimuli [6].
4
1. Introduction
[6] Y. Nagai, T. Taura, and F. Mukai, “Concept blending and dissimilarity: factors for creative concept generation process,” Des. Stud., vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 648–675, 2009.
[7] I. Chiu and L. H. Shu, “Using language as related stimuli for concept generation,” Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf., vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 103– 121, 2007.
[8] Eunyoung, Kim, Hideyuki, and Horii, “Analogical Thinking for Generation of Innovative Ideas&58; An Exploratory Study of Influential Factors,” Interdiscip. J. Inf., 2016.

5. Research problem and hypothesize:
How to develop a way of for designers to generate new ideas, solutions or works of visual design based
on words of different semantic types to improve the extraction and utilization efficiency of a design idea
and to provide support for future research on the cognitive thinking mode of innovative design?
We hypothesize that representational semantics and abstract semantics may be considered as factors
leading to the emergence of creative thinking. The semantic words could help designers spark creative
thinking, and designers of different backgrounds’ cognitive of semantic words will influence the design.
5
1. Introduction

6. 6
Objectives:
The experimental study we present aims to determine to what extent semantic words can help
designers inspire creative thinking, and the influence of semantic words with different types on design,
as well as the cognitive differences between different participants. We also want to determine how
the utility of words of different semantic types can have a positive effect on design through art
creation, and how to facilitate the progression of designers. Towards this end, participants were
provided with representation semantic and abstraction semantic sources.
1. Introduction

7. 7
2. Experimental Method
Participants:
409 subjects, 242 graphic design & 167 non-graphic design majors,
371 undergraduates & 38 postgraduates or above
Procedures:
1.Typical design works sampling
2.Evaluate, select, classify semantic words through questionnaire surveys and interviews
3.Divided into two dimensions according to semantic word features using Delphi method
4.Attitude scale of semantic words of different feature types in stimulating inspiration

8. 8
1.Typical design works
sampling
2.Evaluate, select,
classify semantic
words through
questionnaire surveys
and interviews
Fig. 1. A set of words that inspire creativity
2. Experimental Method

9. 9
2. Experimental Method
3.Divided into two dimensions according to semantic word features using Delphi method
Fig. 2. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 51 design professionals on these semantic words

10. 10
2. Experimental Method
4.Attitude scale of semantic words of different feature types in stimulating inspiration
Fig. 3. Rated according to the usefulness of different semantic words for inspiration by Likert Scale score

11. 111111
In the first experimental stage
89% of the interviewees expressed that it was easy to find inspiration from the semantic words.
In all categories of gender, educational background, major and experience,
78% of participants clearly expressed that it was convenient to find inspiration through semantic words;
only 11% thought that it was a little difficult and didn’t find any inspiration from these given words.
In the second experimental stage
the responses obtained from the experiment were analyzed according to two dimensions.
Four results were found to be statistically significant.
3. Results

12. 1212
3. Results
A. Idea generation
Participants were asked
to give score according to
the usefulness.
The results show that the
mean value of the
semantic word is higher
than the general degree
(3),
whether the semantic
word is representational
or abstract; the same
result is also found for the
four attributes of structure,
function, aesthetics, and
creativity (Table 1).

13. 1313
3. Results
B. Analysis of the Utility of Inspired Creativity from the Perspective of Two-level Dimensional Attributes

14. 1414
3. Results
B. Analysis of the Utility of Inspired Creativity from the Perspective of Two-level Dimensional Attributes

15. 1515
3. Results
B. Analysis of the Utility of Inspired Creativity from the Perspective of Two-level Dimensional Attributes

16. 1616
3. Results
B. Analysis of the Utility of Inspired Creativity from the Perspective of Two-level Dimensional Attributes

17. 17
4. Discussion and Conclusion
Based on the results of the relationship between creative inspiration and attribute
categories, the results found in this experiment show that there are significant differences
in the use of semantic words with different types of attributes for creative inspiration.

18. 18
References
[1] N. De Pisapia, F. Bacci, D. Parrott, and D. Melcher, “Brain networks for visual creativity: a functional connectivity study of planning a visual artwork,” Sci.
Rep., vol. 6, no. 1, p. 39185, 2016.
[2] J. Dacey, “Concepts of creativity: A history,” Encycl. Creat., vol. 1, pp. 309–322, 1999.
[3] W. Niu and R. J. Sternberg, “The Philosophical Roots of Western and Eastern Conceptions of Creativity,” J. Theor. Philos. Psychol., vol. 26, no. 1–2, pp.
18–38, 2006.
[4] P. Israel and R. Friedel, Edison’s Electric Light: Biography of an Invention. 1986.
[5] N. Bonnardel, “Towards understanding and supporting creativity in design: analogies in a constrained cognitive environment,” Knowl. Based Syst., vol. 13,
no. 7/8, p. p.505-513, 2000.
[6] Y. Nagai, T. Taura, and F. Mukai, “Concept blending and dissimilarity: factors for creative concept generation process,” Des. Stud., vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 648–
675, 2009.
[7] I. Chiu and L. H. Shu, “Using language as related stimuli for concept generation,” Artif. Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf., vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 103– 121, 2007.
[8] Eunyoung, Kim, Hideyuki, and Horii, “Analogical Thinking for Generation of Innovative Ideas&58; An Exploratory Study of Influential Factors,” Interdiscip.
J. Inf., 2016.
[9] N. Bonnardel and E. Marmèche, “Towards supporting evocation processes in creative design: A cognitive approach,” Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud., vol. 63,
no. 4–5, pp. 422–435, 2005.
[10] F. Cordier and C. Tijus, “Object properties: A typology,” Cah. Psychol. Cogn., vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 445–472, 2001.