Tolerance of ambiguity - Its implications for creativity and design practice

This paper reflects on an individual’s tolerance of ambiguity and its relationship to creativity. The different ways in which people handle ambiguous situations is discussed and how tolerance of ambiguity is measured. This paper discusses the adequacy of current Ambiguity Tolerance measurement methods for the field of industrial design. We discuss how creativity and tolerance for ambiguity are integrated in a designers’ life. Furthermore, the paradoxical relationship between tolerance of ambiguity as a personality trait for being creative and the statement that everyone can be creative is discussed. The paper finally presents guidelines on how to tackle tolerance of ambiguity and a proposal to make Ambiguity Tolerance measurement suitable in the field of design.