Group work is frequently part of idea generation, despite
evidence that group interaction may reduce productivity during
brainstorming sessions. Idea quantity is one aspect of
creativity, but the originality of ideas generated is also
important. In this paper, we examine how different aspects of
group interaction, such as who makes the most contributions to
an idea and the number of group members contribute to an idea,
impact the originality of concepts generated by engineering
students. We found that the most original concepts were
produced when the concept originator was the top contributor
to the design, and when the majority of group members
contributed to the concept, particularly among senior students.
These results are discussed in relation to previous work and
suggestions are made for future research that assesses the
interaction between design fixation and group processes.