  Context: Designing software is an activity in which software developers think
and make design decisions that shape the structure and behavior of software
products. Designing software is one of the least understood software
engineering activities. In a collaborative design setting, various types of
distances can lead to challenges and effects that potentially affect how
software is designed. Objective: To contribute to a better understanding of
collaborative software design, we investigate how geographic distance affects
its design thinking and the creativity of its discussions. Method: To this end,
we conducted a multiple-case study exploring the design thinking and creativity
of co-located and distributed software developers in a collaborative design
setting. Results: Compared to co-located developers, distributed developers
spend less time on exploring the problem space, which could be related to
different socio-technical challenges, such as lack of awareness and common
understanding. Distributed development does not seem to affect the creativity
of their activities. Conclusion: Developers engaging in collaborative design
need to be aware that problem space exploration is reduced in a distributed
setting. Unless distributed teams take compensatory measures, this could
adversely affect the development. Regarding the effect distance has on
creativity, our results are inconclusive and further studies are needed.
