Abstract:

Traditional design thinking models were largely developed for human-centered, autonomous creative problem-solving, assuming that designers directly engage in ideation, prototyping, and iteration through manual or craft-based processes. The emergence of generative AI as an increasingly active collaborator, rather than a passive tool, appears to challenge some of the foundational assumptions underlying these models. This paper develops a conceptual reconstruction of design thinking frameworks in the context of human–AI co-creation.

Grounded in existing scholarship on design methodology, human–AI collaboration, distributed cognition, and emerging studies of generative AI in creative practice, the paper re-examines how traditional design thinking stages may shift when AI systems participate in ideation and production processes. Rather than treating AI as a replacement for human creativity, this analysis explores how its capabilities may reshape the roles, responsibilities, and cognitive labor associated with each stage.

Across stages such as empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test, generative AI appears to introduce both opportunities and tensions. It may expand data analysis, accelerate divergent thinking, and enable rapid prototyping, while also raising questions around authorship, originality, evaluation, and ethical oversight. These shifts suggest an increased emphasis on meta-cognitive competencies, including strategic direction-setting, critical curation, prompt literacy, iterative orchestration, and reflective judgment.

Building on these observations, the paper outlines a conceptual model of “Co-Creative Design Thinking,” which maintains the structural logic of traditional frameworks while reframing the designer’s role from primary executor to collaborative orchestrator. Rather than presenting this model as definitive, the paper positions it as a theoretical lens for understanding evolving human AI design practices. The discussion concludes by considering implications for design education, professional development, and the ongoing evolution of creative practice in AI-augmented environments.

Keywords:

Design thinking, human-AI collaboration, co-creation, generative AI, design methodology, visual communication.