Enhancing Creativity in Virtuality: How Annotations in Creative Support Tool Innovate Design Ideation in Virtual Reality

Asynchronous design ideation is increasingly vital in virtual reality (VR) environments. Annotations, referring to notes, marks, or comments overlaid on virtual designs, are essential for providing context, feedback, and clarity, facilitating communication among designers using Creativity Support Tools (CSTs) in the design sector. However, the effectiveness of various annotation methods in enhancing creativity during VR design ideation remains underexplored. This study aims to identify effective annotation methods that promote creativity in VR-based design ideation, addressing the shift from traditional paper-and-pen practices to immersive environments. We adopted a three-phase approach: (1) semi-structured interviews with design experts, (2) an empirical mixed-design study with design professionals, leading to the development of AsyncCreativity, our VR CST system, and (3) a deployment study evaluating annotations via AsyncCreativity in VR design ideation. Our findings reveal that multimodal annotations, especially audio annotations, significantly enhance user engagement and creativity compared to unimodal annotations. Participants reported improved ideation experiences when utilizing diverse annotation types during ideation when searching, sketching, and presenting. Our study provides valuable insights for developing effective CSTs in VR and design field, advancing the understanding of how optimized annotation strategies can foster creativity in immersive design environments.