Concept Generation for Design Creativity (PDF)

Toshiharu Taura is a vice-dean and professor in the Organization of Advanced Science and Technology (and  professor in the Graduate School of Engineering) at Kobe University. He received his B.S., M.S., and Dr. Eng. degrees from the University of Tokyo, Japan, in 1977, 1979, and 1991, respectively. From 1979 until 1988, he worked as a mechanical engineer specialized in rolling mill at Nippon Steel Corporation. In 1992, he joined the University of Tokyo as an associate professor, and in 1998, he joined Kobe University as a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He is currently working on several research themes that focus on the creative thought process of both engineering and industrial design, including interdisciplinary aspects of design science. He is a member of the Advisory Board, heads the Design Creativity SIG of the Design Society, and is a Fellow of the DRS (Design Research Society). He is also the recipient of the Best Paper Prize at the 2nd International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition (2006).

 

Yukari Nagai is a professor in the School of Knowledge Science at Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. She graduated from Musashino Art University, majored in Design (M.A.), and conducted research abroad at the Creativity and Cognition Research Studios, Loughborough University (2002). She received Ph.D.s from Chiba University (2003) and the University of Technology, Sydney (2009). She was also awarded the Best Paper Prize at DESIGN2002 Conference and International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition (2006). She is a member of the Advisory Board and co-chair of SIG Design Creativity of the Design Society, and is a Fellow of the DRS. She has served as an editorial board member of the Journal of Engineering Design and contributed as guest editor to the special issue of the journal "Artifact" (2008). Her research interests are design creativity, design knowledge, and creativecognition.