Simulating Design Thinking Empathy Interviews Using Generative AI

Design thinking has become a widely used methodology for innovation in business and other applications and is increasingly being taught in various educational settings. Successful implementation of design thinking depends on developing empathy for users, which refers to the ability to understand how users experience a problem from their perspective. A primary method for developing empathy with users is through in-depth interviews with them. However, in a classroom setting, it is often difficult for students to develop skill in this domain because they are not able to engage in empathy interviews in realistic settings or are reluctant to do so. In this experiential exercise, undergraduate students in a required management major course use generative AI, specifically ChatGPT, to conduct empathy interviews with simulated AI-generated users as part of a series of connected assignments that span all phases of the design thinking process.