Understanding how expertise shapes human-AI collaboration in graphic design with PatternPursuit

Abstract

Abstract The increasing importance of co-creative tools in creative graphic design tasks has made it essential to understand how different levels of expertise shape the collaborative process between humans and computers. This paper presents a study with 30 participants to explore the impact of the PatternPursuit on the creative process, as well as on the collaborative experience and the user’s perception of the system as a creative agent. PatternPursuit is an ideation system that uses pre-digital design work to produce graphic patterns for wrapping paper. The study involves two different groups of users interacting with the system; one group comprises design experts, and the other comprises non-experts. The results suggest that experts tend to see the system as a creative partner that challenges their objectives, while non-experts see it as a tool that broadens their skills and supports creative exploration. The findings can be used to develop effective co-creative systems that consider the target audience and their understanding of the creative process.