THE USE OF BRAINWALKING FOR INFORMAL TEAM IDEATION IN DESIGN EDUCATION

Understanding the nuances of informal design techniques is not merely an academic exercise, but a practical necessity for designers seeking to excel in their craft. Informal techniques encourage designers to propose any and all potential solutions that come to mind, utilising their given knowledge and intuition, with a focus on idea quantity and diversity. In this paper, the outcomes of a research investigation employing brainwalking as an informal ideation technique are shared. Students revealed evidence for enhanced creative outcomes of teamwork. Key issues are discussed including evidence for the effectiveness or shortcomings of existing informal design techniques, identification if informal design technique that could be better suited to certain design tasks when working in a group, and if informal techniques are capable of enabling better creative results than comparative formal ones.