Advancing Creative Redesign in HCI Education: Introducing the i3 Method

This paper introduces the i3 method for creative redesign—a structured, teachable approach for HCI education, grounded in over a decade of classroom practice. Addressing the limited pedagogical tools focusing explicitly on redesign, i3 builds on design space theory and three creativity mechanisms—ideation, combinational creativity, and constraints—to support both analytical and generative modes of thinking. The method involves three phases: i1: Identify (mapping key elements of an existing design to construct an initial design space), i2: Introduce (generating grounded alternatives that enrich this space), and i3: Integrate (combining selected elements into coherent new configurations). Unlike open‑ended ideation techniques, i3 foregrounds situated, analytical ideation, making it adaptable across design curricular contexts. By framing redesign as a distinct, teachable practice rather than an intuitive extension of original design, the method<br/>helps students navigate the boundary between 'what-is’ and ‘what-could-be,’ offering a conceptually robust contribution ready for deployment in HCI education.