Enhancing the process of idea generation in Hong Kong Chinese university students: The Fashion Visual Merchandising experience

The provision of skills to students for developing new ideas is important in design education. Success depends on the teaching method and the learning style of the students. Chinese students tend to refer to perceived standards, such as the use of typical and usual ideas in their creative thinking, which makes it difficult for them to generate new design ideas. By using an integrated technique, which consists of a customized assignment, visual learning platform and online virtual interactive display library, the process by which students in this study generate ideas has been explored. The need for aesthetic congruity in the elements of design ideas is an important factor that influences the Hong Kong Chinese students’ generation of new design ideas. The application of an integrated technique was found to reduce the degree of aesthetic congruence and encourage students to explore ideas in more depth. Finally, insights on the idea generation of Hong Kong Chinese students are discussed.