Analysis on Remote Global Co-Creative Design Process with Evaluation Grid Method

The International Summer Design Workshop (ISDW) is an annual workshop aiming to increase intercultural awareness and promote design skills. In it, participants from South-East Asia gather and, working in intercultural groups using English as a lingua franca, participate in a co-creative design process to develop a product proposal. In 2020, due to international travel issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizers utilized online communication and design tools (Zoom, Miro, LINE and FielCam) to hold the ISDW remotely. This paper examines participants' reflections to understand how their groups collaborated during this event. Interview data from three participants was analyzed using the Evaluation Grid Method. Results indicate that when students were able to create group cohesion quickly, they were able to effectively use the various online collaboration tools. Otherwise, communication issues tended to deteriorate during the process. While there were positive aspects such as the flexibility of working from their homes, participants also said that socializing opportunities and inter-group communication were insufficient. Written reflections from eight Japanese participants corroborated interview findings that developing empathy and effective communication were important. Results will be used further to develop the remote co-creative process for future ISDWs.