The Mindpool hybrid: theorising a new angle on EBS and suggestion systems

Traditional suggestion systems, despite their shortcomings, have been used to promote creativity in industry for over a century. Independently, brainstorming has also been applied for almost fifty years as a method to increase idea generation. However, the two have never met. In this argumentative paper it is theorised that by adding computer support and applying lessons from the realm of electronic brainstorming (EBS) to traditional suggestion systems useful improvements may be achieved. A hybrid intranet prototype mimicking the attributes of an EBS system and at the same time serving as a complement to the suggestion system was therefore devised and evaluated using a theoretical framework. The implications suggest novel ideas for both suggestion systems and EBS research.