Comparing the design processes informed by the engineering design and the creative design approach – implications for interaction design practice

Interaction design research acknowledges that two distinct design approaches, namely, the engineering design approach and the creative design approach can be applied to carry out the activity of interaction design. The interaction designer therefore appears to have a choice when it comes to the selection of a design approach when confronted with a design situation. But what should be the basis of this choice? In this paper, considering design as a problem solving process, I compare the structure of the design processes informed by the engineering design approach and the creative design approach. I identify some differences between the design process informed by the engineering design and the creative design approach and note that the awareness of such differences could form the basis for interaction designers to opt for one design approach over the other.