Reception of Users : Respecting the Perspectives of Users for Creative Thinking in Design

Creative thinking in design is not the "creation of the perfect design" according only to the decision of designers ─ professionals ─ since this goal could never be reached, as the needs and wants of users are diverse and continuously changing. Rather, creative thinking in design should be towards the co-operative outcome, which relies on the designer's professional knowledge and the user's participation. By borrowing the "reception theory" originally applied in literary studies, and through empirical case studies on users' reception of the computer interface design, this paper argues that "users" have their own preferences, and their own ways of thinking and operating. To be creative in design thinking, it means we (designers) should respect users' perspectives as well as their ways of operating.