ABSTRACT
This research attempted to understand the possibility on whether non-deign background users can develop creative design works and activities through microblogs by information from users interact with each other or user-produced. Moreover, the differences on functions and usage of microblogs may be the important factors, which effected design activities. The research combines the perspective and methods of human-centered design, then, a series step of experiment in case study were adopted by recording, investigating, and integrating. All of conversations, posting messages, comments from 15 participants’ logging on exchange information were classified by card sorting and analyzing them in four famous microblogs. The results indicate that (1) it’s not only the design activities from participants’ co-operating will be achieved possibly but also their message, idea can be converted into creativity represented on design works, even the participants with non-design background and no design experience (most of them are students of commercial departments)；(2) in this case study, the participants are easily familiar with the interfaces of four microblogs even they never use them. Hence, when they exchange absolutely and focus on posting message, comments and conversation, the design works will be generated more easily；(3) there is an obvious difference on the quantity of design sketches between four microblogs from participants. But there is insufficient evidence on which one element of the user interface in four microblogs, which affected greatly participants’ design behavior,
quality of user-generated content and creative contents. However, indeed, the microblog can not only be a way of communication same as application of traditional media tools, but also is a main influential factor to induce participants creating user-generated contents for achieving innovation in cyberspace.
