Blow Your Mind: Exploring the Effects of Scene-Switching and Visualization of Time Constraints on Brainstorming in Virtual Reality

Brainstorming, a creative activity that aims to generate ideas, plays a crucial part in problem-solving processes and is widely employed to explore innovative solutions across various contexts. It may suffer from repetitive results, inefficient time management, and stagnation in discussion. Seeing the rich opportunities of virtual reality (VR) in visualizing the environments, we propose to use (1) scene-switching and (2) creative visualization of time constraints to facilitate this process. The current study sought to explore the effects of these two factors on brainstorming performance in VR. By conducting a mixed-method study of 20 three-participant groups, we found that scene-switching and implicit time limitations can stimulate creativity, establish diverse atmospheres, and open up new conversations during brainstorming. Additionally, we provide suggestions for visualizing time constraints and various virtual environments based on research results.