Neuroscientists have comprehensively assessed how design can support creative thinking, most often in studies that detail the effects of a single physical factor. Creativity-linked design elements that have been identified include colour (surface and light), visual complexity, plants in view, natural light, visible wood grain, aesthetic factors, soundscapes, comfortable environmental control, audio and visual distractions, ceiling height, opportunities for movement, access to needed tools/task support, nonverbal messages sent by a space, and chance for cognitive restoration, for example (e.g., Batey et al., 2021; Studente et al., 2016; Weitbrecht et al., 2015). For the study reported here, multiple factors linked by previous research studies to enhanced creative performance were investigated simultaneously in real-world settings to determine their potential roles in creative thinking. Study participants first completed a task that assessed their individual creativity at a particular moment in time (Green et al., 2017). Then they categorized/described the components of the physical environment in which they did that task using the criteria noted above (e.g., surface colours). Findings confirmed many hypothesized consistencies between aspects of the physical environment previously identified as supporting creative thinking and the design of spaces where participants whose creativity test scores were among the highest 25% (the “higher scorers”) completed the creativity task. Data from the higher scorers indicated that, compared with other participants, they were more likely to have answered the creativity test questions in spaces with, for example, plants in view, visible wood grain, possible natural lighting, nature sounds audible, surface colours with saturation and brightness levels that support cognitive work, comfortable environmental control, ceiling heights linked to enhanced creative performance, and that were perceived to support mental work.
Designers can apply the information derived by this study to develop environments that support creative thinking/problem solving and researchers generally can also use reported findings to better understand data collected at different study sites.
