This week introduces the fundamentals of AI. You will learn how generative AI works, explore how AI appears in everyday products and services, and see live demos of tools such as ChatGPT, Sora, and Suno. You will identify real-world design problems drawn from lived experiences, review existing solutions and research, and explore how AI is currently used in similar contexts. The week concludes with team formation and framing of an initial design challenge for the semester project.
Morning class will be held on Zoom on Wednesday, Jan 28, 2026. Please check the latest Canvas announcement for the Zoom meeting link.
Afternoon class will meet in person.
Topics
- How (Generative) AI works
- AI in everyday products and services
- AI Tools demo: ChatGPT, Sora, Suno, Typeset.io
- Generative AI & Design Thinking Process
Studio Activities
- Explore Design Problems
- Under your personal Figma account, create a project called “DES 3643”
- Within that project, create a FigJam called “Problem Exploration”
- Using this template, add up to 2 design problems you want to explore this semester. Focus on design challenges from your lived experiences, from your social circle, community etc.
- Share & Review
- Share your design problems by copy pasting them in this FigJam board
- Carefully read all the design problems in the pool.
- React (add a sticker) to at least 2 problems you’d like to work on
- Team Formation
- Based on shared interests, teams of 2-3 students will be formed
- As a team, play this game ThisImageDoesNotExist.
- Figma teams setup
- Explore Existing Solutions
- Review existing products/services related to the problem you’ve selected by searching app stores, play store and their reviews.
- Review research papers addressing the problem you have identified (Scispace, Statista, Pew)
- Explore how AI is used in similar problems (Google search or search similar apps at https://theresanaiforthat.com/ or https://aiagentsdirectory.com/landscape)
- Frame Your Design Challenge
- As a team, Create a FigJam file named “Framing a Design Challenge”
- Using this worksheet, frame your design challenge and develop your initial solution idea
Todo for next week: Prepare to present/talk about the design challenge your team plan to work on this semester.
Assignment 2: Framing your design challenge.
Useful Links
- Free online introduction to AI for non-experts: https://www.elementsofai.com/
- A library ofAI UX examples,AI design patterns and actionable cheatsheets for people designing intelligent products.: https://www.aiverse.design/browse
- An AI graphic Intro course, for people with 0 Knowledge
- Experience Design in the Machine Learning Era:
- Conversational AI-Powered Design: ChatGPT as Designer, User, and Product
- AI-powered applications: