A Four Strategy Model of Creative Parameter Space Interaction

This paper proposes a new theoretical model for the design of creativity-enhancing interfaces. The combination of user and content creation software is looked at as a creative system, and we tackle the question of how best to design the interface to utilise the abilities of both the computer and the brain. This model has been developed in the context of music technology, but may apply to any situation in which a large number of feature parameters must be adjusted to achieve a creative result. The model of creativity inspiring this approach is Wiggins’ Creative Systems Framework. Two further theories from cognitive psychology motivate the model: the notion of creativity being composed of divergent and convergent thought processes, and the “dual process” theory of implicit vs. explicit thought. These two axes are combined to describe four different solution space traversal strategies. The majority of computer interfaces provide separate parameters, altered sequentially. This theory predicts that these oneto-one mappings encourage a particular navigation strategy (“Explicit-Convergent”) and as such may inhibit certain aspects of creativity.