Navigating AI in Design Education: A Student-Led Reflection on AI as a Tool in the Creative Process

Abstract

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is disrupting and reshaping both professional design practice and design education. While AI-driven generative tools offer new possibilities in the design process, questions remain about their broader impact on creative processes, authorship, and pedagogical approaches. This paper presents findings from the first cycle of an Action Research project investigating the perceived benefits and challenges of integrating generative AI tools into the design process and design education. In this pilot study, 10 postgraduate industrial design students were tasked with completing a speculative design project in which they were challenged to envision possible futures where humans, technology, and the environment coexist harmoniously. Following the Double Diamond design process model, the curriculum-based project was structured to explicitly integrate generative AI technology as a primary tool in the visualisation and delivery phase (second diamond) of design outcomes. Students were required to accurately document and critically reflect on their experiences using AI in their creative process. This paper presents key findings and themes derived from a thematic analysis of student reflections and lecturer observations on the use and effectiveness of AI in a speculative design project. Initial findings highlight both the potential and limitations of AI in design. While AI enhances efficiency and expands creative possibilities, it lacks human intuition, emotional depth, and cultural nuance. Overall, this paper captures student perceptions of the impacts of AI on the design process and underscores the need for critical engagement with AI in design education. It concludes with recommendations for future research, including subsequent Action Research cycles and related projects, to further refine and expand on these initial findings.

https://doi.org/10.26803/MyRes.2026.20