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This study presents results from a comparative case study of interdisciplinary product design teams from two consecutive years under non-balanced and balanced disciplinary conditions. The main difference between the two conditions was the hands-on exercise modules focusing on each discipline (e.g., electronic prototyping exercise) used for the balanced condition. The purpose of this paper was to examine cultural traits of different disciplines (Electrical & Computer Engineering, Industrial Design, and Marketing) using questionnaires and show the impact of disciplinary balance on the effectiveness of interdisciplinary product design teams through qualitative analysis of team meetings and products. The results indicated that the teams under the balanced disciplinary condition showed higher effectiveness. Implications and the future direction for the work are also described.

This paper reports preliminary results from a semester-long case study of interdisciplinary student engineering design teams that use a classroom with flexible features in order to examine the impact of team interaction and flexible environment on creativity. Twenty-one students recruited from a senior-level interdisciplinary class consisted of five self-formed teams with computer engineering, marketing, communication and industrial design majors. They were tasked with a "Smart Dorm Room" design project for students with special needs. Team meetings were observed and interviews and questionnaires were administered to examine student perception of the impact of physical environment and tools as well as team interaction levels and creativity of the teams. Preliminary findings confirm the positive impact of flexible environment as well as interdisciplinary team interactions on creativity.

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