In the digital era, the paper-based collage and mind-map have been gradually developed into the digital forms. This study aims to develop a new digital collage tool called EDOS-Touch for helping novice designers (students) to generate design ideas through the design exploration. We propose two characteristics, i.e. intuitive manipulation and immersive experience; both of them are important to build a better digital collage tool. For evaluating its effectiveness, we conducted an experiment to answer two research questions. A small number of eight subjects from five groups were involved, including session 1 used EDOS-Touch, and session 2 used a paper-based collage. Quantitative results are presented, and significant observation notes and interview comments are also discussed. The conclusion reached is that EDOS-Touch provides novice designers appropriate assistance in generating design ideas (like the paper-based collage), but is even better. We suggest that the multi-touch interface and big-size screen are two important consideration.
Keywords: generation of design ideas; design exploration; mind-map; collage; multi-touch
Users' outcomes by using EDOS-Touch (including the mind-map and digital collaged result of EDOS-Touch)
Users' outcomes by using paper-based collage (including the mind-map and physical collaged result)
