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VISUALISING AND REVERGING: UNDERSTANDING THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN CREATIVITY AND VISUAL THINKING

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2023

Alix Jansen ,
Katrina Heijne ,
Iren van Oosterom  and
Milene Gonçalves
Alix Jansen
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering Faculty; Flatland Agency
Katrina Heijne
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering Faculty;
Iren van Oosterom
Affiliation:
Flatland Agency
Milene Gonçalves*
Affiliation:
Delft University of Technology, Industrial Design Engineering Faculty;
*
Gonçalves, Milene, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, The, m.guerreirogoncalves@tudelft.nl

Abstract

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We investigate reverging - the phase between the diverging and converging steps in a creative process - in the context of a visual thinking agency. Creative facilitation literature advocates for such a phase, aimed at revisiting and rearranging ideas generated during diverging, to prepare for converging. However, in practice this step is often neglected or not performed well, resulting into a sense of increased complexity or lack of client ownership.

Two studies were used to investigate reverging in context: a preliminary study consisted of interviews and observations to better understand reverging in current visual thinking practices. The follow-up study focused on co-creating a tool to solve the problem identified in the preliminary study.

While the preliminary study revealed the need to involve clients in both diverging and reverging phases, the follow-up study resulted in the creation of the Whiteboard Canvas. The tool was tested in practice and several benefits of reverging in visual thinking practices emerged.

The tool empowers visual thinking practitioners to involve their clients more actively in reverging, resulting into a more deliberate creative process and an increased sense of client ownership.

Keywords

VisualisationCreativityCreative FacilitationRevergingDesign practice
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 3: ICED23 , July 2023 , pp. 3831 - 3840
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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