A DESIGN AND AI COURSE: IN CONVERSATION WITH MACHINES
Year: 2024
Editor: Grierson, Hilary; Bohemia, Erik; Buck, Lyndon
Author: Derksen, Gerry; Bansal, Sejal
Series: E&PDE
Institution: Clemson University, United States of America
Page(s): 527 - 532
DOI number: 10.35199/EPDE.2024.89
ISBN: 978-1-912254-200
ISSN: 3005-4753
Abstract
This research is based on a course developed as a model for design and AI that explores the use of AI in the design process, its shortcomings, and its strength as a design tool. Much of the work generated in class by students were visual communication prototypes but lessons learned can be applied to other disciplines within design. Another goal for the course was to produce a work pipeline for the design process which greatly shortened the production of the concept development stage and allowed for longer periods of evaluation of the content. Interestingly students were more critical of the results due to their assumed role as creative directors rather than production designers. The AI image generators developed concepts akin to dutiful employees who were given direction via prompts. Students responded by shaping the prompts and building on the output by seeding the generator with their results. The rapport between student and generator was immediate, shifting toward clear communication in writing prompts and a much greater focus on ideas that were unexpected, and unique as well as those in line with the student’s initial vision. A model for mapping the process based on the double diamond model, from the British Design Council was reimagined to include innovative processes and user testing to form three stages of divergence and convergence. Thoughtful discussions concerning the design process were particularly insightful challenging students who were familiar with current practices and those who were not but could leverage AI to write a design brief, craft innovative prompts, and critique potential solutions that may have otherwise not been explored due to time or effort requirements. The course was open to design students and masters students who were attempting to qualify for design degree programs coming from non-design disciplines. Course projects were developed around each of the three stages of the process culminating in a comprehensive project that used the entire process pipeline. In some cases, prototype testing was done which caught early problems and misconceptions about the intended audience. All the students created two concepts and used A/B testing methods to gather user feedback. Among students, the use of AI generators leveled their skills to present sketches or create high-level illustrations of their concepts. Students reported difficulty in achieving the results they envisioned until they developed phrasing strategies that worked but also saw results of audience feedback that responded to their desired communication despite a different representation of their idea. It begs the question, is it communicating the concept or developing the form that determines the success of a design?
Keywords: Design Process, Education, Prototyping