AId for design thinking Stage by Stage Literature Review on the potential of AI in design thinking

Abstract

This literature review investigates the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Design Thinking (DT), with a focus on how AI technologies can enhance each of the 3 core stages of DT: Data gathering about user needs, Idea generation, and Testing. In an era where AI's rapid evolution continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, this review examines its potential to revolutionize DT methodologies, thereby enabling more, user-centered, iterative, innovative, and efficient design solutions across a spectrum of domains. Our findings reveal that AI not only streamlines the DT process by offering scalable and efficient solutions, but also challenges designers to rethink their approach to creativity and problem-solving. Since AI has the power to influence so much in the design process, is relevant to understand which new tasks will be taken from designers and which new tasks will be demanded from them. The review identifies key areas where AI contributes significantly, including user research, data analysis, idea generation, and rapid prototyping, while also addressing the ethical considerations and challenges inherent to AI integration, such as the presence of moral bias in the AI code, or the development of AI-dependence by its users. The discourse navigates through the nuances of human-AI collaboration, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that leverages AI's strengths without diminishing the value of human intuition and creativity. This literature review is based on the study of multiple papers related to “AI”, “design Thinking” and other many cross-disciplinary searches on AI and the multiple stages of DT. During this research, some limitations were encountered such as the presence of much contradicting data, since AI performance today is not the same as they were 10 years ago. This field of study demands continuous analysis to guarantee a full understanding of the latest developments in AI technology and to ensure that AI capabilities for design thinking are in tune with today’s latest events. By fostering a deeper understanding of AI's current capacities and potential applications within DT, this review aims to pave the way for a future where AI and human creativity work in harmony, driving forward the boundaries of innovation.