Experimenting with GenAI

Traditionally, user discovery in Design Thinking involves extensive fieldwork and direct user interactions to understand users' needs and challenges deeply. These data collection approaches are crucial for designing relevant and impactful human-centric solutions. However, computing students may lack the domain-specific understanding necessary when designing digital solutions for healthcare problems and may not have frequent access to patients and clinicians for user interviews.

 

Integrating Generative AI (GenAI), such as ChatGPT, into the user discovery phase of Design Thinking, offers a promising way to bridge this gap. By simulating surrogate patients, ChatGPT enables students to engage in virtual user discovery, where they can ask follow-up questions, seek clarifications, and gain a more comprehensive understanding of users’ needs and context.