Two experimental studies on creative concept combinations in modular design of electronic embedded systems Alex Doboli, Anurag Umbarkar and Varun Subramanian, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2350, USA Simona Doboli, Department of Computer Science, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, USA This paper discusses the nature of concept combinations in modular design of electronic embedded systems as well as the relation between combination characteristics and novelty, quality, and usefulness of the produced solutions. Through two experimental studies, this work explored the frequency of relation- based and property-based combinations in embedded design solutions, and how the specifics of the given building blocks, i.e. salience, relatedness and number, influenced the produced combinations. The impact of popular aids, like titles and short descriptions (briefs), in improving novelty, quality, and usefulness of the designs was also analyzed. Design solutions include mostly relation-based combinations. Design novelty correlates mainly to the purpose and context of the produced combinations. Novelty is aided by titles but not by briefs. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: creativity, design cognition, system design, concept combinations D esign methodologies for electronic embedded systems stress the importance of modularity. Modular design solutions are created by connecting basic building blocks with well defined functionality, inter- faces, and performance, e.g., components, library circuits, or intellectual prop- erty (IP) blocks. Modular design reduces design cost and effort by reusing building blocks, and enhances design correctness as repeated testing and veri- fication of blocks eliminate most of their errors (Conradi, 1999; Kaeslin, 2008). New blocks are rarely created. Thus, designing original electronic embedded systems mainly involves finding new ways to relate blocks. This explains the significance of finding novel and useful combinations among building blocks. The importance of concept combinations in creativity has been intensely stud- ied by research in cognitive psychology (Estes & Ward, 2002; Simonton, 2010; Smith, Osherson, Rips, & Keane, 1988). Concept combinations are of three kinds. Property-based combinations transfer features from one concept, called Corresponding author: Alex Doboli adoboli@ece.sunysb. edu www.elsevier.com/locate/destud 0142-694X $ - see front matter Design Studies 35 (2014) 80e109 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.destud.2013.10.002 80 Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.