Design Heuristics for Computer Supported Collaborative Creativity

Technical support of collaborative creativity is a complex challenge because the interacting people usually have differing backgrounds or ways of thinking, and their collaboration is only weakly structured. We outline the heterogeneous characteristics of creative collaboration and its dimensions, and the barriers to be overcome. On this basis, five CSCW-oriented design heuristics have been derived: Supporting the larger picture - the visualization of rich material; malleability of shared material and stimulation of variations; support of convergence within evolutionary documentation; smooth transitions between different modes of creative collaboration; integration of communication with work on shared material.