IdeaMurals: supporting ideation in public policy knowledge work

The creativity and innovation found in knowledge work such as public policy is often hidden. This "hidden-ness" is likely due to the predominantly textual representation of the work done in this domain. Unlike other areas that are more design-oriented, public policy knowledge work generally does not rely on, or produce, graphical artifacts which can showcase the innovation. In contrast, for domains such as engineering-design or the fine arts, the generation of such artifacts is inherently a part of the work itself. IdeaMurals attempts to explore how creativity and innovation can be supported for a domain that is largely ignored. It also seeks to explore how visual elements can be leveraged to support the ideating process of policy work. The organizing principle of IdeaMurals is to support ideation based on how ideas are constructed; and the construction of these ideas is framed as being analogous to the construction of art compositions.