Peers’ ideas enhance creativity in collaborative design

Background Engaging students in collaborative engineering design activities has become increasingly popular in the field of design education. Numerous studies suggest that exposure to peers’ ideas can inspire students and enhance their creativity. Aims This study investigates the impact of the timing of idea exposure on students’ design processes and creativity within a collaborative engineering design setting. Sample A total of 67 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: those exposed to a peer's idea before sharing their own ideas (Early Exposure condition), and those exposed to a peer's idea after sharing their own ideas (Late Exposure condition). Methods This study employed Eye tracking and screen recording to capture students’ design processes. An independent samples T-test was conducted to examine differences in creativity, time-course analysis was employed to investigate fluctuations in fixation duration over time, and lag sequential analysis was used to identify differences in behavioral patterns between the two conditions. Results The study's findings revealed that exposure to a peer idea after sharing one's own significantly enhances student creativity in a collaborative design context. This exposure increased certain behavioral sequences, which are crucial in design activities. Furthermore, students' fixation duration on a peer's ideas mediated the relationship between the timing of idea exposure and the feasibility of their artifacts. Conclusions The current study enriches our understanding of how exposure to a peer idea influences student design processes and creativity within a collaborative design context.