Exploring the Potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Human-Centred Design

This study evaluated the suitability of a generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool for impersonating human test participants in human-centred design (HCD) research. The experiment involved 23 office workers who gave feedback on a telepresence robot concept through an online questionnaire. The same questionnaire was answered by the AI tool (Copilot Microsoft Edge), using the background information of the human participants as an input. The results revealed that the human and AI groups had contradictory answers to the question of benefits of the concept: the human participants did not see much value in the telepresence robot system, while the AI participants gave more positive responses. Otherwise, answers were similar in relation to identifying challenges and improvement ideas. However, the AI tool suggested more improvement ideas than human participants. The findings suggest that even though there is potential in utilising AI in HCD (e.g., inventing ideas) there are still challenges to overcome, for example, in understanding the use context and experiences of users. These findings can be used by researchers and designers when utilising AI in HCD, and AI technology developers who aim to improve AI tools to better mimic human cognitive processes.