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Are generative design tools creative? A characterisation of tools throughout the design process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Owen Rahmat Peckham ,
Ben Hicks  and
Mark Goudswaard
Owen Rahmat Peckham*
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Ben Hicks
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Mark Goudswaard
Affiliation:
University of Bristol, United Kingdom
*
owen.peckham.2019@bristol.ac.uk

Abstract

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Generative design is now a core capability of today's CAD systems enabling broader exploration of the design space. This paper presents a desktop review of 15 tools with the aim of characterising where the tools are used in the design process and to what extent they can be considered creative.The results showed that, despite their increasing capabilities, GD tools are unable to exhibit all phases of creativity and cannot be applied in all stages of the design process. This highlights the criticality of the human in design providing opportunities for GD to augment designer creativity.

Keywords

creative processcreativitydesign processgenerative AIgenerative design

Information

Type
Design Methods and Tools
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 4: DESIGN 2024 , May 2024 , pp. 683 - 692
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), 2024.

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