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
ViewSingle.php?id=34993
high-level design aspects, like the interactive aspects or
appliance
www.freesound.org/samples popular event
affective aspects.
ViewSingle.php?id=5560
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.
Proceedings of The Third International Workshop on Kansei
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.
Proceedings of The Third International Workshop on Kansei
Conclusion
References
The preliminary results of the present study supports the
Bonnardel N., Marmeche E. (2005) Towards supporting
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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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Promotion of Science for partly funding this research
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through a post-doctoral fellowship for foreign researcher.
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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
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their kind contribution to the study: Stéphanie Buisine,
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