ENSURING CREATIVE APPROACHES IN INFORMATION-SYSTEM DESIGN

Improvement in computing capability is one way to aid US companies in recapturing competitive edge. The easy applications have been computerized; the difficult ones lie ahead. Creative approaches are needed to computerize those difficult applications. Yet IS has apparently little interest in the subject of creativity; less than a half‐dozen articles on the subject have been published in the 35‐year history of the discipline. The author reviewed the literature in other disciplines of art, science, engineering, psychology and education, to determine how creativity techniques had been utilized in those disciplines. The research revealed that many of those techniques are useful for the IS field. Definitions of creativity are provided, then three classifications of creativity research are reviewed: Rothenberg, Ackoff/Vergara, and Rosner/Abt. Creativity techniques are illustrated for general problem solving. The author advocates the use of creativity techniques in the information system development process at four points: near the conclusion of requirements definition, logical design, physical design and program design. Use of creativity techniques at each of these points is illustrated. By delaying convergence on a solution, new approaches and new alternatives can be generated and evaluated. These approaches can produce the systems needed to assist US companies in international competition. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.