Abstract

This paper investigates childlike thinking as a means toward creative practice through researching literature, constructing a set of original childlike thinking design methods, and testing these methods using burgeoning design practitioners. This paper indicates which phase within the design process benefits most from creative thinking, positing that childlike thinking can increase creative thinking through molding childhood games (e.g., Musical Chairs) into design ideation games. Five main creativity criteria are used to measure the outcomes of the game testing, and the end results indicate that the experimental group (who played design ideation games) is more creative than the control group (who did not play games). Both groups report how they would label their thinking throughout the design ideation process. The game-playing group's self-labeling indicates that their thinking throughout the activity is more creative than the non-game-playing group. Ultimately, the results indicate that game-playing during the design ideation phase produces about 170% more ideas. This paper concludes with thoughts on further potential studies regarding the facilitation of creative childlike thinking.

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