A study of creative problem solving behavior of design students

"Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value." In this definition, two important conditions are identified: "new" and "value". This implies that creatively produced items should be "novel in our knowledge" and "appropriate in our applications". This research paper reports the findings from a design behavior study looking into the relationship of "novelty" and "appropriateness" in the design process. The paper also concludes that the students had three identifiable behavior patterns. These are discussed thoroughly with regard to the implications for design education.