The Effect of An AI Model for Conceptual Similarity on Design Ideation in a Co-creative Design System

Abstract

This paper describes a co-creative system that enhances design creativity in the initial idea generation process. The Collaborative Ideation Partner (CIP) is a co-creative design system that selects and presents inspirational images based on their conceptual similarity to the design task while the designer is sketching. In this paper, we present a study of how the different types of similarity of the contribution of the AI partner influences design ideation in a co-creative system. We conducted an experiment with a control condition in which the images are selected randomly from a curated database for inspiration and a treatment condition in which conceptual similarity is the basis for selecting the next inspiring image. Our results show that the AI model of conceptual similarity used in the treatment condition has a significant effect on the novelty, variety, and quantity of ideas during human design ideation.

Keywords: co-creative system, computational creativity, design ideation, measuring ideation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004044