Creativity in the Age of Emerging Technology: Some Issues and Perspectives in 2010

Five years ago, most research in computer science seemed to concentrate on specifying the ways a computer could support creativity in various areas of human activities such as brainstorming, creative problem solving (CPS), arts and design, to name just a few. Two contrasted approaches (generic vs. specific) were clearly represented in the literature. Some work considered technology at a rather global and generic level, attempting to propose and to establish general relationships between computer technology and how it could/should support creativity (see Shneiderman et al., 2006). These papers were usually very enthusiastic, providing a list of potential values and positive effects of information technology on developing creativity in organizations (Dewett, 2003). Alternatively, a second approach has been to advance from empirical evidence and theories related to a specific targeted activity to derive fine-grained requirements for skill-based tools (e.g., Burleson, 2005; Yamamoto & Nakakoji, 2005) and, in some work, to extract design principles to apply for designing tools that aim to foster creativity (e.g., Hewett, 2005). In this introductory, we examine the two featured papers in this issue which illustrate three evolutions of research in the field of computer support for creativity. First, collecting empirical evidence is needed to embrace different aspects of creativity with multiple methods that bridge the disciplines of computer science, human–computer interaction (HCI), ergonomics and psychology. Second, evaluation approaches are conceptualizing computers as tools and/or computers as (digital) spaces. Third, collaborative and social aspects should be also considered when studying creativity in order to get a more ecological picture of variables that practically affect creative processes as well as creative outcomes