Does Interdisciplinary Creative Coding Boost Creativity? A Mixed Methods Approach

TL;DR

This study investigates how interdisciplinary creative coding projects involving software engineering and graphic design students affect creativity, revealing increased socio-interactive creativity but initial product creativity decline, with insights into mindset influences.

Contribution

It introduces a mixed methods approach to assess interdisciplinary creative coding's impact on creativity, highlighting socio-interactive improvements and mindset challenges.

Findings

Socio-interactive creativity increased in SE+GD group

Initial product creativity decreased but recovered over time

Fixed mindsets influence perceptions of creativity

Abstract

This study explores the influence of an interdisciplinary intervention on creative problem-solving skills. Literature deems such skills as vital for software engineering (SE) students in higher education. 39 SE students and graphic design (GD) students were randomly paired to work on an open-ended creative coding assignment in p5.js, an online JS-based Processing editor that makes it easy for novices to quickly and easily code visual webpages. Three categories were formed: the test group SE+GD (18 students), and control groups SE+SE (10) and GD+GD (11). A mixed methods approach was taken to gather and interpret results: Amabile's Consensual Assessment Technique provided a global creativity score for the finished product, the Creative Programming Problem Solving Test assessed three dimensions of the creative process (Ability, Mindset, Interaction), and 9 semi-structured follow-up interviews provided context and revealed underlying themes. The results indicate that, while the creativity of the end product initially takes a hit, the SE+GD groups' socio-interactive creativity levels increased. We also observed fixed mindsets towards creativity ("design students are more creative than we") that call for future work.