Consumer creativity: Effects of gender and variation in the richness of vision and touch inputs

This study investigates the influence of vision and touch inputs and gender on the creativity of consumer-derived product concepts. Manipulating vision and touch richness affects how much information is apprehended from product components. Tests include solid three-dimensional components (rich inputs) and line-diagram two-dimensional components (impoverished inputs). In a controlled laboratory setting, consumers imagined products, and the product conceptsʹ creativity was assessed on functionality and novelty. Results show that higher vision levels and touch inputs enhance the product conceptʹs functionality, while lower levels of vision and touch inputs enhance novelty. Gender modestly affects both functionality and novelty, with women generally more creative in designing products than men.