Abstract
In this paper, we use sentiment analysis to understand the change in moods of individual designers and teams throughout a collaborative design project. Although there is much research on design psychology, the impact of psychological and emotional characteristics on creativity, and group affective tone, there is limited longitudinal research on the dynamic nature of mood and affective tone over the course of a design project. This limited knowledge leaves a gap in our understanding of how the complex emotional states and interactions among team members affects the ability of the team to work together effectively, and ultimately, achieve expected design outcomes. Research that fills this gap can help improve design outcomes and educational strategies. Thus, a longitudinal study was conducted on student design teams using self-reflections collected from three different points over the course of a semester-long design project, in order to understand changes in designers’ moods during a collaborative project. Our results show that time was a significant predictor of change in moods amongst teams, but not necessarily for individuals. These results highlight the complex relationship between individual and team moods during different phases of the design process and provide a foundation for future systematic investigations of team-based affect on design outcomes.
