ImageSense: An Intelligent Collaborative Ideation Tool to Support Diverse Human-Computer Partnerships

Professional designers create mood boards to explore, visualize, and communicate hard-to-express ideas. We present ImageCascade, an intelligent, collaborative ideation tool that combines individual and shared work spaces, as well as collaboration with multiple forms of intelligent agents. In the collection phase, ImageCascade offers fluid transitions between serendipitous discovery of curated images via ImageCascade, combined text- and image-based Semantic search, and intelligent AI suggestions for finding new images. For later composition and reflection, ImageCascade provides semantic labels, generated color palettes, and multiple tag clouds to help communicate the intent of the mood board. A study of nine professional designers revealed nuances in designers' preferences for designer-led, system-led, and mixed-initiative approaches that evolve throughout the design process. We discuss the challenges in creating effective human-computer partnerships for creative activities, and suggest directions for future research.