Comparing the effects of auditory stimuli and visual ...

Proceedings of The Third International Workshop on Kansei

Comparing the effects of auditory stimuli and visual stimuli in design creativity Céline Mougenot1, Jean-Julien Aucouturier2, Toshimasa Yamanaka3, Katsumi Watanabe1,4,5 1

The University of Tokyo, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Watanabe Lab (cognitive science). 4-6-1, Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8904, Japan 2 Temple University, Japan Campus. 2-8-12 Minami Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 106-0047, Japan 3 Tsukuba University. Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Science. 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki, 305-8574, Japan 4 Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi-shi, Saitama, 332-0012, Japan 5 National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract Previous studies have explored the role of images in the design process and their impact onto designers’ kansei and creativity. But creativity might not be influenced by the visual sense only; therefore this study investigates how auditory stimuli impact design creativity, compared to visual stimuli. We carried out an experiment where naïve participants had to sketch a new concept of chair, either after having looked at a picture (n=13) or having listened to a sound (n=11), both being taken from the same life situation. The originality of the sketches was assessed by external judges. The results show that auditory stimuli, compared to visual stimuli, tend to support the generation of more original concepts through a deeper elicitation of experiences and emotions.

Key words: Design, Creativity, Visual perception, Sound perception, Impressions

Introduction

stimuli and lead to original design concepts. We think

Design is thought and practiced mainly using pictures:

that sounds have the potential to help designing products

designers use a strongly visual vocabulary, many studies

with unique affective properties and high kansei, because

have shown that images support creativity [Goldschmidt

sounds may afford more freedom for sketching, unlike

et al., 2005] and image-search engines were specifically

pictures, which might tend to prime designers toward

developed for designers [Bouchard et al., 2008] [Keller

irrelevant low-level image properties like shape or color.

et al., 2009]. But designers are multi-sense human beings, who claim to seek inspiration in many types of sources,

Methods

exhibitions, cinema, music, not only visual sources

A design experiment was carried with two groups: group

[Mougenot et al., 2008]. Therefore, the study of design

A (n=13) was assigned to an image-based task, group B

practice should not concentrate on the sole visual

(n=12) to a sound-based design task. Both groups had to

modality.

powerful

design a chair after having received either an auditory

emotion-trigger. Our research will try to answer the

stimulus or a visual stimulus. The participants were

following question: Can design creativity be enhanced

students enrolled in a joint design project between

through the elicitation of emotions by auditory

Temple University and Tsukuba University and students

stimuli? Our research hypothesis is twofold. First, we

taking a cognitive science class at the University of

expect that auditory stimuli will support design creativity

Tokyo. They were trained in design (9) or not (25). In

as much as visual stimuli do. Second, we expect that the

this present paper, we report only a part of the whole

type of creativity supported by auditory stimuli will be

experiment, focusing creativity within general population.

different from design creativity stimulated by visual

Designers’ creativity will be studied in the next stage.

Sound

for

instance

is

a

Proceedings of The Third International Workshop on Kansei Table 1: Profile of the participants

1) to write down 5 words which come to their mind

Non-designers

Designers

Group A: visual stimuli

13

to come

Group B: auditory stimuli

12

9

Selection of auditory stimuli. Four recorded sounds were selected from an online sounds library1 by the experimenter, trying to represent a variety of situations. The sounds were delivered through loudspeakers, to all participants simultaneously. They were played during 40 seconds each (if the recording duration was less than 40 seconds, it was played again, up to 40 seconds). Table 2: Sounds used in experiment as auditory stimuli (group B)

group A: Using the image on the left as inspirational source, sketch a new type of chair here (you can add annotations). group B: If this sound represents a new type of chair, it would look like this : (sketches and annotations)

The participants were given six minutes to write down the words and to produce a sketch. Rationale behind the design brief. Everyone knows what a chair is and that its major function is to enable to sit. Plus, this product is rather easy to represent. We thus assumed that even non-designers could engage in the

#

Sound name

URL

1

crying baby

www.freesound.org/samples human emotions

task of designing a chair in a short time. Also, since the

ViewSingle.php?id=82497

shape of chairs is often stereotyped, we expected the

2

waterfall

Type of sound

2) to sketch a chair, following these instructions:

www.freesound.org/samples natural sound ViewSingle.php?id=82491

3

hair-dryer

4

fireworks

participants to stick to the stereotypes in terms of

www.freesound.org/samples use of household

structure and shape and to be creative rather on


high-level design aspects, like the interactive aspects or

appliance

www.freesound.org/samples popular event

affective aspects.


Selection of visual stimuli. For each case, six images were selected by the experimenter from an online library2, using the keywords “crying baby”, “waterfall”, “hair-dryer” and “fireworks”. Then the images were shown to 7 external judges who had to individually select the image that best corresponded to each sound. The most quoted ones were selected for the experiment and printed out in black and white. The dimensions for each image were about 12x9cm. On the participants form, one

Evaluation of the design concepts. The novelty of each concept was assessed by 2 external judges (experienced designers). The assessment was based on a guideline we designed with the idea that design creativity should be reflected in artifacts with high kansei value and novel modes of usage and user-interaction. Table 4: Guideline for assessing the originality of sketched concepts Low-level features

High-level features

(shape, color, texture…) not novel

(use, interaction, emotional impact…) not novel

0

picture was printed out next to one sketching area.

novel

not novel

1

not novel or novel

slightly novel

2

Table 3: Pictures used in experiment as visual stimuli (group A)

not novel or novel

highly novel

3

#1: crying baby

#2: waterfall

As an example, a chair concept that had a novel shape but no originality in its usage received a “1”.

Results #3: hair-dryer

#4: fireworks

First, we looked at the average ratings given to the sketches of each group, in the four cases and throughout the whole experiment (Fig.1). The average scores for the group with visual stimuli vary between 0.77 and 1.08, with an overall average of 0.88. Given their low scores, the sketches of this group seem to be original in term of

Design assignment. After watching the picture (group

low-level features only, like shape, pattern or texture.

A) or listening to the sound (group B), the participants

The average scores for the group with auditory stimuli

were requested:

vary between 0.83 and 1.89, with an overall average of 1.42. This group generated more novel concepts, with a

1 2

www.freesound.org www.gettyimages.com

tendency towards original high-level features, like new modes of using the product or interacting with it.


Figure 1: Average originality scores in 4 cases and overall

A Two-tailed T test was performed. In all cases, the

Figure 3: Audio condition. Left: “hair-dryer”. Right: “fireworks”

inter-judge agreement (Cronbach’s alpha) was higher than 0.7, which we consider acceptable in this context. Table 5: Comparison of group A and group B Stimulus #

Inter-judge agreement (Cronbach’s alpha)

Group A / Group B comparison (Two-tailed t test )

On the example on the left, the hair-dryer sound made the participant remind of her/his personal daily experience of drying hair, which she/he judged boring (mendokusai); thus, the proposed concept aims at having

1: crying baby

0.743

t (19) = 0.101; NS

the user experience the same kind of tedious situation:

2: waterfall

0.787

t (23) = 0.92; NS

the user has to climb up a ladder to eventually be able to

3: hair-dryer

0.8

t (21) = 2.74; p = 0.012

sit on the chair. In the example on the right, the user can

4: fireworks

0.866

t (23) = 2.36; p = 0.027

experience,

t (91) = 2.93; p = 0.004

impressions as the participant when the latter listened to

overall

In the case of stimuli #1 and #2, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. As of stimuli #3 and #4, and also throughout the whole experiment, the sketches produced with auditory stimuli received higher scores than the sketches produced with visual stimuli and this

difference

between

groups

was

statistically

significant.

through

the

haptic

sense,

the

same

the recorded fireworks. Besides, a new way of interacting with a chair is proposed to the user. Overall, it seems that with auditory stimuli, the participants tended to create original experiences and new ways of interacting with a chair; they also tended to address a wider range of senses and to create chairs that arouse deeper impressions and emotions among users. A Japanese way of describing artifacts. A specificity of

Discussion

the participants to this study was the tendency to

This preliminary investigation showed that auditory

annotate the sketches with onomatopoeias. Japanese

stimuli might support design originality more than visual

language has short words enabling to express sounds,

stimuli.

motions, impressions and so on. This fuzzy and

Two examples of concepts sketched in the visual

convenient mode of expression was studied in the

condition are shown in figure 2. They illustrate the

context of inter-individual nonverbal communication

participants tended to stick to low-level features from the

[Takahashi et al., In press].

inspiring source (hair-dryer and fireworks, in that case).

Figure 5: Sketch annotated with (Japanese) onomatopoeias

In our study, the participants used onomatopoeias to Figure 2: Visual condition. Left: “hair-dryer”. Right: “fireworks”

describe several aspects of the product: structural aspects,

The examples below illustrate how the participants who

e.g. ひらひら(frill), ぼろぼろ(tattered), functional aspects,

received auditory stimuli generally tended to imagine

e.g. ぷよぷよ (springy), ゆらゆら (wobbling), and tactile

new stories based on their personal experiences and to

impressions, e.g. ふわふわ (fluffy), ふかふか (soft). This

create “chairs” that embodied these stories.

observation suggests that onomatopoeias seem to be highly relevant in the context of design communication.


Conclusion

References

The preliminary results of the present study supports the

Bonnardel N., Marmeche E. (2005) Towards supporting

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evocation processes in creative design: A cognitive

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422-435

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and

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and

the

Bouchard C., Omhover J.F., Mougenot C., Aoussat A.,

generated concepts were aimed at generating the same

Westerman S.J. (2008) TRENDS: A Content-based

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Information Retrieval System for Designers. Design

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Computing and Cognition '08. Pp. 593-611. Ed.: J.S.

the participants might help us to determine in what way auditory stimuli help to produce more original concepts. This study forms a part of our research agenda which consists in describing the mechanisms of kansei in creative tasks like design.

Acknowledgements

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The authors are grateful to the Japanese Society for the

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The authors would also like to thank the participants and

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the following people at Arts & Métiers ParisTech for

State of the art on designers’ cognitive activities and

their kind contribution to the study: Stéphanie Buisine,

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