Backdoor Creativity: Collaborative Creativity in Technology Supported Teams

This case study describes collaborative creativity in technology-supported teams with the task of making an interactive artefact. The teams work in the iLounge, which is designed and built with the purpose of supporting co-located collaborative work. iLounge is equipped with several vertical and horizontal large screens, called smart boards, where the team members can make their contributions available to all others. Creativity is discussed as a collaborative effort manifested in relation to technology support rather than some individual trait. Collaborative creativity is then examined and discussed as transactions between team members and their use of the workspaces. The main conclusion is that collaborative creativity is supported by using several Smart boards, and that the teams make use of the Smart boards when proposing and collectively refining ideas. Physical space also matters in terms of getting ones ideas into the discussions, but peripheral participation does not mean that one cannot be of great influence. This kind of backdoor creativity is interesting as it shows how even peripheral, in a physical sense, team members are contributing to the teams overall creative work.