Reflect on your empathize process focusing on the use of AI
Objective:
At this stage of the project we were prompted to conduct interviews, take the information from the interviews, and produce Empathy Maps, Personas, and User Journey Maps based on the information collected.
However, my group had to pivot at this stage…
After reviewing our problem statement and possible solution to our original idea of a local coffee shop finder, we concluded that it was not using AI the system strong enough to align with the course description.
So without putting to waste our research and interviews already conducted we brainstormed as a team and landed on the idea of providing a virtual reality experience, immersing the user in any coffee shop across the world. AI will generate a 3D space of local coffee shops nationally and globally. With this virtual reality space you can control the environment with your personal preferences. Through interviews we found it was a common opinion that sometimes coffee shops are overstimulating and chaotic during busy hours, which can make it hard to get work done or carry a conversation.
AI Usage:
Most of my use of AI at this stage in the design process included ChatGPT summarizing my interview findings, pulling common themes, and also helping in the research aspect when we shifted ideas to virtual reality. I used AI to pull together large sets of information and summarize them to make the most accurate empathy maps and personas.
I also used Typeset.io to provide scholarly papers and research that influenced any further research and understanding of the new topic.
Me – “Whats the state of the art of VR based environments”
Typeset.io – “The state of the art in virtual reality (VR) environments showcases significant advancements across various domains, including neurofeedback, art, design, and gaming. These developments highlight VR’s potential to enhance user experiences through immersive and interactive environments, while also addressing challenges such as accessibility and user comfort”
Me – “What AI system learning is necessary for creating a virtual reality coffee shop experience.”
ChatGPT – “Creating a virtual reality (VR) coffee shop experience requires integrating various AI systems to enhance realism, personalization, and interactivity. Here’s a breakdown of the AI learning systems and technologies necessary
– Natural Language Processing (NLP) & Conversational AI
– Computer Vision (CV)
– Reinforcement Learning (RL)
– Spatial AI & Environment Interaction
By combining these AI systems, a virtual coffee shop can offer deeply personalized, interactive, and immersive experiences that adapt to each user’s preferences, behaviors, and moods, all while creating a dynamic social environment.”
Benefits Realized:
What I realized, despite the switch in problem statement and the direction we are going with the app we were able to pivot smoothly with the current research we had done. By using AI for gathering more research and efficient information summarizing we seamlessly integrated a brand new concept. One, that I am excited to explore. Two, that will challenge myself and team. Even after a lot of brainstorming and collaborating I am thankful where we landed. I am eager to see how we can bring this idea to life.
By switching our perspective it allows a space to challenge ourselves further in AI and push design thinking process.
Challenges Faced:
Changing our direction for the project brought many frustrations, but resulted in great learning. We challenged ourselves to think outside the surface level scope of AI, to try and figure out how to use it in a more creative space.
Some of our prior findings no longer relate to our problem and therefore we had to go backwards a little bit and collect more additional information and conduct new interviews that related to the new topic. Using accurate AI efficiently, we were able to play catch up with our new findings and apply them to our new idea.
Reflection:
Overall, this time in the project was almost defeating. My team and I felt stuck with our first idea and were unsure how to shift our perspective. We all agreed we wanted to keep an aspect of “locality” and support local coffee shops across the globe. But the question was “How do we do this and best utilize the greater extent of AI?”
My use of AI has been consistent and continues to be helpful by furthering my understanding of the information I have gathered. All the tools such as the Personas and User Journey Maps will give me a better idea of my intended target audience. I can get a better grasp of customer needs and desires by summarizing all my interviewees answers.
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