Framing Creative Work: Helping Novices Frame Better Problems through Interactive Scaffolding

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Problem framing—the process of defining a problem—has been described by many researchers and designers as the crux of the design process. However, novice designers struggle with problem framing. To better understand this process and the potential for scaffolding, we conducted two studies. In the first study, we analyzed 41 problem statements from an introductory design course and found that novices often omit key information, like the primary stakeholder or the obstacle they face. To get novices to reflect on and include necessary design information, we created ProbLib that cues novices explicitly reflect on aspects of the problem such as stakeholders. To evaluate this approach, we conducted a between-subjects student (N=73) to compare ProbLib with an unstructured open text form. We found that participants using ProbLib wrote higher quality statements, included more information, and were more confident about specifying design needs. We also observed creative behaviors such as brainstorming and analogical reasoning.