The Impact of Teaming and Cognitive Style on Student Perceptions of Design Ideation Outcomes.

Ideation is a key component of the design process, which often takes place in team settings. The team approach to design requires the involvement of all parties demonstrating the use of their expertise and knowledge in the area. Teaming has been shown to have both positive and negative impacts on ideation activities1-5. Cognitive style - or the stable, preferred way that people manage and seek to bring about change - helps us understand the different ways in which people solve problems individually and as part of a team. When team members' cognitive styles are diverse, creating an effect known as cognitive gap, the team may experience the advantages of approaching problems in diverse ways, but the likelihood of conflicts and misunderstandings increases6. This study investigated the relationship between cognitive style and the perceptions of students working in teams about their own ideation. Through the analysis of reflection surveys from 202 pre-engineering, engineering, and design students participating in an ideation study, we explored the following questions: (1) how does working in teams impact students' perceptions of their own ideation?; and (2) how do team members' cognitive styles impact their perceptions of their ideation and team contributions? In this paper, we report on the significant correlations between cognitive style and changes in students' perceptions about their ideation creativity, diversity, elaboration, and difficulty, as well as our exploration of the impact of teaming on these perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]