Crowd creativity through combination

The goal of this research is to perform large-scale experiments to see if the crowd, mediated by technology, produces creative designs by combining designs. To fulfill this goal, a sequential combination system is built. The system is a variant on a human based genetic algorithm, through which the crowd participates in an iterative process of design, evaluation, and combination. The study will provide a way of creatively solving problems in a number of different domains. It will also shed light on the mechanisms of social creativity: how individuals can build on each other's work and how technology can facilitate design by encouraging collaboration through shared designs.