This study was conducted to explore interior design students' perceptions and attitudes toward creativity in design problem solving using CADD versus conventional drafting tools and to research whether CADD stifles or encourages students' creativity in that manner. Students' level of CADD perf onnance, past experience with CADD or other microcomputer software and level of CADD problems were used as the independent variables for this study. During the last two weeks of the spring semester 1989, 32 interior design students, who comprised the population for this study, were given two design problems, one to be done with CADD and the other with conventional drafting tools. After that period students were asked to fill out a survey questionnaire and participate in a group discussion. The collected data then was a subject of a descriptive and analytical statistical study. Findings of this study showed no relationship between students' level of CADD experience and their attitudes toward using CADD in creative design problem solving. On the other hand, a significant relationship was found between the level of CADD problems that students had and their attitudes toward CADD. As a result, although students liked using CADD in design and 78% of them did not feel intimidated by it, more than 65% of the students felt that they could come up with more design ideas with conventional drafting tools than with CADD. Most of the students attributed this attitude to their long experience with design and drafting tools. Other problems that caused discomfort to students when using CADD in design were lack of knowledge of DOS commands, unfamiliarity with computer hardware and software problems, and their limited time to work on computers. / Master of Science

Ce mémoire explore la relation entre le design industriel et les technologies numériques, en s'intéressant particulièrement aux interfaces tangibles (TUI) et à l'informatique ubiquitaire (Ubicomp). À travers une revue de littérature et une étude qualitative menée auprès de 13 designers québécois, il met en évidence un écart entre le potentiel offert par ces technologies et leur adoption concrète dans la pratique du design. Les résultats révèlent que, si la plupart des designers reconnaissent l'importance grandissante du numérique, ils expriment souvent des réticences liées au manque de formation, à la peur de la complexité technique ou à l'inefficacité perçue d'un tel apprentissage. Le mémoire souligne également l'impact de la culture traditionnelle du design, peu encline à intégrer l'électronique et la programmation comme nouveaux « matériaux ». Enfin, il propose des pistes pour mieux arrimer le design industriel à ces technologies : refonte des curricula, intégration de la pensée computationnelle, création de communautés de pratique et valorisation accrue du rôle du designer dans l'innovation. L'objectif est d'identifier les leviers susceptibles de réduire le fossé entre l'offre technologique et son appropriation par les designers, afin d'ouvrir la voie à de nouvelles formes de création et d'expérience utilisateur. / This thesis examines the relationship between industrial design and digital technologies, focusing on tangible user interfaces (TUIs) and ubiquitous computing (Ubicomp). Through a literature review and a qualitative study involving 13 industrial designers in Quebec, it highlights a gap between the theoretical potential of these emerging technologies and their concrete adoption in design practice. While most designers acknowledge the growing significance of digital tools, they often express hesitations stemming from limited training, the perceived complexity of programming or electronics, and doubts about the practical benefits of learning new technical skills. The thesis also underscores how traditional design culture can be slow to embrace code and circuitry as novel "materials." To address this challenge, it proposes various strategies, including curriculum reform, the integration of computational thinking, the creation of dedicated communities of practice, and a stronger recognition of designers' role in innovation. Ultimately, this work aims to identify how best to bridge the gap between technological advancements and their integration into industrial design, paving the way for new forms of creativity and user experience.