codes for creativity is the name of the Mater's thesis written by Caio Barrocal. It was submitted to the Design Program of the School of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU) in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Design at the University of São Paulo.

Barrocal, C. (2021). Codes for creativity: A creative-processes-oriented inquiry into designing interactive products powered by generative systems (Master's Thesis). School of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU), University of São Paulo, São Paulo. 

Abstract

Relying on a multidisciplinary theoretical foundation with contributions from the disciplines of design and computing, this research seeks to understand the creative processes employed by contemporary professionals for designing interactive products powered by generative systems. Such motivation comes from the idea that generative systems pose significant changes for the design process when they are employed to synthesize intended products entirely or partially, thus suggesting that producing scientific literature on the subject provides design maturity for practitioners and academics interested in their application. Therefore, to grasp the aforementioned creative process and enable a qualitative multiple case strategy, we began by building a comprehensive theoretical foundation on the themes of creative processes in design; interaction design; and generative creation and computational thinking in design. These foundations provided us with relevant theoretical patterns, which were synthesized into a first model to be confronted with the case studies for verification. To carry out this process and achieve this research's goal, we relied on in-depth interviews with professionals and on the analysis of final and partial deliverables provided by them to picture the processes undertaken and propose an accurate model comprising the relevant aspects of the creative process studied.

Keywords: generative design, interaction design, generative creation in design, computational thinking in design.

Online Database of Cases

1. Heartbits

Heartbits is a Brazilian mobile app developed by the Estúdio Guto Requena in collaboration with the production studio Midiadub. Released in the first semester of 2020 during the covid-19 pandemics, the app sought to mitigate the negative impacts of social distancing by promoting an affective experience between people, even if through the internet. ​​The team relied on a generative system to deliver a mobile application for iOS and Android devices, capable of detecting the frequency of users' heartbeats and using it to create a unique video to be shared with friends and family.

Links:

Official Website
Heartbits on Google Play Store
Heartbits on AppStore
Midiadub's Website

Transcripted Interview (in Portuguese)
Complete Recording of the Interview

2. Tocando Brasília

Tocando Brasília (Playing Brasília) was an installation created by Alexandre Rangel for the Brasília Mapping Festival #smartcities. The event happened on July 6th and 7th, 2019, in the National Museum of the Republic, in Brasília, and aimed to instigate reflections about the so-called smart cities and the perception of urban spaces through technological interventions. According to Camila Handam, one of the directors of the event, the primary purpose was to promote a dialogue between landscape architecture and the public space of cities through creative situations constituted by a lucid state of interactive content.

Links

Official Website

Transcripted Interview (in Portuguese)
Complete Recording of the Interview

3. Futebol Arte

Futebol Arte (Art Soccer) was developed by the production studio Cricket Brasil — currently a part of the international company MediaMonks — as a publicity campaign for the release of Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone. The project explored the movements of a soccer ball during kick-ups to synthesize generative art pieces. Caio Velenosi, responsible for developing the software tools employed in the project, was an interactivity developer at Cricket Brasil at that time. 

Links

Official Website

Transcripted Interview (in Portuguese)
Complete Recording of the Interview

4. Metaespaço and Atmosfera

Metaespaço and Atmosfera (Metaspace and Atmosphere) were created by Dimitre Lima and Gabriela Castro for the Inventum 2019 — a science, technology, and innovation fair promoted by the Brazilian city of Pato Branco. The installations were generative technological interventions proposed by the duo to enrich the experience of the event, which lasted five days and had an estimated audience of 250,000 people. Both Dimitre and Gabriela have consistent experience working with art, design and technology, reflecting on a portfolio composed of projects commissioned by brands such as MTV, Red Bull, and Nike, and projects for museums and the public sector.

Links

Official Website - Metaespaço
Official Website - Atmosfera

Transcripted Interview (in Portuguese)
Complete Recording of the Interview