Designing a graphical interface for creativity support tools for designers: a case study

Abstract

This study proposes a co-designing, iterative methodology to design graphical user interface for creativity support tools for designers. Given the high level of expectation from designers, the interface quality was one of the most challenging aspects of the work, in conjunction with the utility of the functionalities. An iterative design and evaluation process was used to create the icon-based interface, during which the needs of the designers and the functionalities of the system were integrated until a complete operational prototype emerged. This process provided three sequential prototypes. In order to achieve this, we derived qualitative and quantitative results from various methods: creative sessions, semantic and emotional evaluations, questionnaires, semidirective interviews, subjective performance assessments, longitudinal tests, and focus group assessments. Finally, our iterative design and evaluation process can be considered to be a very efficient means of integrating end users’ spontaneous feedback about icon redesigns in the early phases of development. The design outcome enabled the end users to ensure that key features of the creativity support tool were both usable and appealing.