Design Creativity 2010 part 5. What is ‘design creativity’? It is impossible to answer this question without considering why human beings can – and do – ‘design’. Design creativity is instrumental in not only addressing social problems faced across the world, but also evoking an innate appreciation for beauty and a sense of personal contentment. | Better Not Catchier Design Creativity Research in the Service of Value Gabriela Goldschmidt Technion - Israel Institute of Technology Israel Abstract. This article outlines applied and basic design creativity research as practiced today and as it is seen in the future in light of the high demand for creativity and innovation coming from business and the changing conceptualization of creativity in our society. Design creativity is seen as indispensable but also dangerous when misinterpreted and misused and when there are no robust ethical rules to go by. It is proposed that research draw lessons from the current Design Thinking method and in particular its stress on problem finding through observation of users and continuous prototyping. Thus research is approached as a design task where the goal is to arrive at better design that carries value for users and not catchy design with insufficient regard for real relevant users needs and aspirations. Keywords applied research basic research business design creativity Design Thinking ethics observation prototyping users 1 Why is Design Creativity Important In a recent article in Newsweek entitled The creativity crisis Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman report a survey among a large number of CEOs which identified creativity as the No. 1 leadership competency of the future. 1 Following up a few weeks later Thomas Friedman wrote in the New York Times We live in an age when the most valuable asset any economy can have is the ability to be creative - to spark and imagine new ideas. . 2 The fact that the arguably most important weekly and daily papers in the United States associate creativity so strongly with leadership and economic value attests to a consensus regarding the indispensability of creativity in today s society in all walks of life. Success in almost any initiative requires creative thinking. The current Design Thinking Movement in good currency in business environments even quite distant from traditional design .
