Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CREATIVR (Creativity in Virtual Reality)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-01-01 al 2025-12-31
The rapid digital transformation of work, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the expansion of immersive technologies, has fundamentally reshaped how and where knowledge work takes place. Increasingly, organizations rely on hybrid and remote work models, while virtual reality (VR) technologies are emerging as potential alternatives or complements to physical working spaces. Despite growing investments in immersive technologies, little is known about how working in virtual environments affects core cognitive processes underlying relevant organizational behaviors such as creativity.
Creativity is the foundation of innovation and competitiveness in knowledge-based economies. At its core lies divergent thinking, the ability to generate multiple novel and useful ideas, which are then developed into successful innovations. Therefore, organizations invest significantly in creating conditions that benefit such processes, the spaces people work in being one of the most visible aspects of such conditions. While research has demonstrated that physical workspaces influence cognition, affect, and performance, the impact of deliberately designed virtual workspaces on creative idea generation remains largely unexplored.
The CREATIVR project addresses this gap by investigating how the design of VR workspaces influences individual creative idea generation. It integrates perspectives from organizational research, social and cognitive psychology, and neuroscience to examine three key functions of workspace design: symbolic (the meanings and norms conveyed by space), instrumental (how space supports attention and task performance), and aesthetic (the affective and sensory experience of space).
The project aims to:
- Develop a robust theoretical framework linking workspace design and creative cognition.
- Experimentally test how differently designed VR workspaces affect creative idea generation.
- Identify affective and cognitive mechanisms underlying these effects.
- Develop and validate an integrated interaction model explaining how VR workspace design influences creativity.
By combining immersive VR environments with behavioral, physiological, and neurocognitive measures, CREATIVR seeks to advance Europe’s leadership in extended reality technologies beyond entertainment and gaming applications. The results will inform the design of future virtual workspaces that enhance innovation performance, support sustainable remote work, and broaden participation in knowledge work.
Creativity is the foundation of innovation and competitiveness in knowledge-based economies. At its core lies divergent thinking, the ability to generate multiple novel and useful ideas, which are then developed into successful innovations. Therefore, organizations invest significantly in creating conditions that benefit such processes, the spaces people work in being one of the most visible aspects of such conditions. While research has demonstrated that physical workspaces influence cognition, affect, and performance, the impact of deliberately designed virtual workspaces on creative idea generation remains largely unexplored.
The CREATIVR project addresses this gap by investigating how the design of VR workspaces influences individual creative idea generation. It integrates perspectives from organizational research, social and cognitive psychology, and neuroscience to examine three key functions of workspace design: symbolic (the meanings and norms conveyed by space), instrumental (how space supports attention and task performance), and aesthetic (the affective and sensory experience of space).
The project aims to:
- Develop a robust theoretical framework linking workspace design and creative cognition.
- Experimentally test how differently designed VR workspaces affect creative idea generation.
- Identify affective and cognitive mechanisms underlying these effects.
- Develop and validate an integrated interaction model explaining how VR workspace design influences creativity.
By combining immersive VR environments with behavioral, physiological, and neurocognitive measures, CREATIVR seeks to advance Europe’s leadership in extended reality technologies beyond entertainment and gaming applications. The results will inform the design of future virtual workspaces that enhance innovation performance, support sustainable remote work, and broaden participation in knowledge work.
Work package 1: Theoretical framework
The project first developed an interdisciplinary theoretical framework to understand how the design of virtual workspaces influences creative idea generation. This framework integrates psychological theories of space with cognitive models of creativity and offers a perspective to analyze idea generation as a process influenced by emotional mechanisms. This comprehensive framework builds the foundationfor the first three empirical studies conducted in this working package. The corresponding manuscripts are currently being prepared for submission to leading journals. The conceptual foundation of the project has been established, and initial relationships have been addressed through the first empirical studies. Thus, the portion of this work package in the reporting period has been completed.
Work package 2: Empirical baseline.
Building on the theoretical framework developed in WP 1, the project developed five systematically designed workspaces and four experimental paradigms, which were implemented directly in immersive VR. In addition, an approach to the estimation of emotional states from participants' voice recordings was developed using machine learning approaches.
The environments and tasks were piloted with more than 70 participants. Subsequently, relationships were explored in three initial studies with more than 300 participants. The resulting dataset combines measures of memory structure, creative idea generation, affective states, and individual-level data. This represents the completion of the empirical baseline delineated for this working package.
Work package 3: Empirical extensions.
Building on the data of the three initial studies, the project conducted statistical analysis examining interaction effects of emotional dynamics and workspace design on creative idea generation. Initial evidence suggests that the effects of the virtual environments on idea generation depend on the interaction of workspace symbolism and emotional reactions. Extended experimental paradigms and analytical strategies are currently under preparation for the next data collection phase. This working package is thus currently in progress.
Work package 4: Affect and Creativity in VR workspaces
An in-depth theoretical focus was placed on the role of changes in emotional states for creative idea generation. The core theoretical framework was developed further towards a conceptual model of virtual environments, changes in emotions, and cognitive mechanisms. Initial empirical operationalizations of this model have been implemented in partial completion of this working package.
Work Package 5 (empirical validation using neurophysiological measures) has not yet started and is planned for the subsequent project phase.
Work package 6: Training and Knowledge Development
Training was completed in the development of VR environments, design and implementation of experimental paradigms in VR, semantic memory network analysis, and affective computing. Both Technische Universität Berlin and Georgia Institute of Technology provided continuous interdisciplinary mentoring. Leadership and career development aspects were addressed through participation in the Faculty Success Coaching Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This development was recognized through the appointment of the researcher to a junior research group leadership position at Technische Universität Berlin.
Work package 7: Project Management, Communication, and Dissemination
Data management and career development plans have been completed and implemented. A project website has been launched to communicate the project’s aims and progress to the public.
The studies conducted during the reporting phase were presented at 4 international conferences, in Boston, Atlanta, Porto, and Lucerne. A workshop on creative work in VR was conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and outreach to practitioners included participation in the Best in Education Summit – XR & AI origanized by the VR/AR Association.
The project first developed an interdisciplinary theoretical framework to understand how the design of virtual workspaces influences creative idea generation. This framework integrates psychological theories of space with cognitive models of creativity and offers a perspective to analyze idea generation as a process influenced by emotional mechanisms. This comprehensive framework builds the foundationfor the first three empirical studies conducted in this working package. The corresponding manuscripts are currently being prepared for submission to leading journals. The conceptual foundation of the project has been established, and initial relationships have been addressed through the first empirical studies. Thus, the portion of this work package in the reporting period has been completed.
Work package 2: Empirical baseline.
Building on the theoretical framework developed in WP 1, the project developed five systematically designed workspaces and four experimental paradigms, which were implemented directly in immersive VR. In addition, an approach to the estimation of emotional states from participants' voice recordings was developed using machine learning approaches.
The environments and tasks were piloted with more than 70 participants. Subsequently, relationships were explored in three initial studies with more than 300 participants. The resulting dataset combines measures of memory structure, creative idea generation, affective states, and individual-level data. This represents the completion of the empirical baseline delineated for this working package.
Work package 3: Empirical extensions.
Building on the data of the three initial studies, the project conducted statistical analysis examining interaction effects of emotional dynamics and workspace design on creative idea generation. Initial evidence suggests that the effects of the virtual environments on idea generation depend on the interaction of workspace symbolism and emotional reactions. Extended experimental paradigms and analytical strategies are currently under preparation for the next data collection phase. This working package is thus currently in progress.
Work package 4: Affect and Creativity in VR workspaces
An in-depth theoretical focus was placed on the role of changes in emotional states for creative idea generation. The core theoretical framework was developed further towards a conceptual model of virtual environments, changes in emotions, and cognitive mechanisms. Initial empirical operationalizations of this model have been implemented in partial completion of this working package.
Work Package 5 (empirical validation using neurophysiological measures) has not yet started and is planned for the subsequent project phase.
Work package 6: Training and Knowledge Development
Training was completed in the development of VR environments, design and implementation of experimental paradigms in VR, semantic memory network analysis, and affective computing. Both Technische Universität Berlin and Georgia Institute of Technology provided continuous interdisciplinary mentoring. Leadership and career development aspects were addressed through participation in the Faculty Success Coaching Program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This development was recognized through the appointment of the researcher to a junior research group leadership position at Technische Universität Berlin.
Work package 7: Project Management, Communication, and Dissemination
Data management and career development plans have been completed and implemented. A project website has been launched to communicate the project’s aims and progress to the public.
The studies conducted during the reporting phase were presented at 4 international conferences, in Boston, Atlanta, Porto, and Lucerne. A workshop on creative work in VR was conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and outreach to practitioners included participation in the Best in Education Summit – XR & AI origanized by the VR/AR Association.
During the reporting period, the project has advanced the state of the art by moving from fragmented analyses of isolated design elements toward experimentally controlled, coherently designed virtual workspaces whose symbolic associations and affective evaluations are systematically validated. The project identifies concrete mechanisms linking workspace design to creativity: schema (in-)congruency and process-related affective dynamics shape core antecedents of creativity, including semantic memory structure and attentional control. Empirically, the results of the studies conducted so far suggest that neither purely leisure-oriented environments (e.g. natural landscapes) nor standard work-congruent offices directly increase idea generation. Instead, creativity depends on interaction effects between workspace symbolism and affective dynamics. Notably, work-congruent environments modified through computer vision techniques show direct positive effects on originality, suggesting that structured visual deviations within a clear work context can enhance creative thinking.
Methodologically, the project establishes a novel experimental platform integrating immersive VR, systematic environment manipulation (including computer vision tools), semantic memory network estimation, executive control tasks, and continuous affect assessment based on machine learning analysis of voice recordings. This enables a process-based understanding of creativity in virtual workspaces.
The potential impacts are significant for organizations adopting immersive technologies for remote and hybrid work. The findings provide an evidence base for the design of VR workspaces that support innovation rather than relying on intuitive or purely aesthetic design principles. To ensure further uptake, future steps include continued confirmatory research, demonstration studies in organizational settings, collaboration with VR developers and workspace designers, and the development of practical design guidelines. International dissemination and interdisciplinary partnerships will be essential to translate these findings into scalable applications and contribute to Europe’s leadership in evidence-based extended reality technologies.
Methodologically, the project establishes a novel experimental platform integrating immersive VR, systematic environment manipulation (including computer vision tools), semantic memory network estimation, executive control tasks, and continuous affect assessment based on machine learning analysis of voice recordings. This enables a process-based understanding of creativity in virtual workspaces.
The potential impacts are significant for organizations adopting immersive technologies for remote and hybrid work. The findings provide an evidence base for the design of VR workspaces that support innovation rather than relying on intuitive or purely aesthetic design principles. To ensure further uptake, future steps include continued confirmatory research, demonstration studies in organizational settings, collaboration with VR developers and workspace designers, and the development of practical design guidelines. International dissemination and interdisciplinary partnerships will be essential to translate these findings into scalable applications and contribute to Europe’s leadership in evidence-based extended reality technologies.