When and How to Use AI in the Design Process? Implications for Human-AI Design Collaboration

Abstract

As the potential for human-AI design collaboration increases, understanding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the design process becomes more important. How does AI currently support the design process and how could it do so in the future? To answer this question, we categorized existing AI design support systems (DSS) according to the Double-Diamond design process model, and found that they are mostly used in the later stages of the design process, focusing on generating design solutions. In contrast, very few systems focus on the early stages of the process, which include discovering and defining design problems. To explore this finding’s alignment with designers’ expectations in real-world design, we present a case study involving emerging AI technologies such as ChatGPT and robots. This study proposes that AI agents can potentially assist designers by providing inspirations, defining design problems with constraints, offering grounded metaphors, and exploring design materials.

Keywords:

• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• design thinking
• design process
• engineering design
• Human-Computer interaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation [grant numbers 1907542, 2019].

Notes on contributors

Seo-young Lee

Seo-young Lee is a doctoral candidate, studying Human Centered Design at Cornell University. Her research interests focus on improving human-AI collaboration by exploring the human behaviors, design, and psychological aspects of the interaction between humans and AI agents.

Matthew Law

Matthew Law is an assistant professor in Computer Science department at Denison University. He studies how robots can help people make creative decisions and complement human intuition when solving design problems.

Guy Hoffman

Guy Hoffman is an associate professor in Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University. Hoffman studies computational, design, and social aspects of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), focusing on human-robot collaboration and companionship. His research interests include embodied cognition for social robots, anticipation and timing in HRI.