DN(Ai): Expanding Design Thinking
Jan 27, 2025 · 5min
You're deep into a design project. You've gone through the classic design thinking steps, empathizing with users, gathering insights, and sketching concepts. You’ve followed a solid, time-tested process. And while it’s led to clarity and direction, there’s a sense that it could be… well... more.
More expansive, more dynamic, and more attuned to the countless angles of human experience.
Instead of moving linearly from empathy to testing, what if there were an invisible thread—a DNA—connecting each phase, making the process dynamic, adaptive, and infused with AI’s unique power?
For many designers, prompting can feel like an afterthought—a way to ask AI quick questions. But that’s changing fast. Joel Lewenstein, Head of Product Design at Anthropic, recently shared a story where hundreds of prompt iterations transformed a “simple” chat feature into something far more powerful. His team witnessed AI not just responding but shaping each user interaction and decision (Dive Club, 2024, 22:30).
With AI-driven large language models (LLMs), prompting has evolved into a tool that pushes design thinking beyond the linear, traditional path. No longer confined to distinct steps, prompting weaves empathy, ideation, refinement, and testing together in real-time, creating a seamless flow across phases. Prompting doesn’t just enhance design thinking; it transforms it into a rich, dynamic process where each insight and solution gains new depth.
In this new approach, prompting isn’t just an addition; it’s the backbone of design thinking, a kind of DNA that ensures the process is always evolving, expanding, and equipped to explore new dimensions.
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Empathy is where great design begins. Traditionally, we observe users, conduct interviews, or gather feedback. But with AI-driven prompts, we can take it a step further. Think of a prompt that says, “Imagine a user feeling overwhelmed in a crowded environment.” The LLM can simulate how a user under pressure might interact with your product, giving you rich insights into potential pain points. This approach amplifies your ability to understand user emotions and behaviors—even when direct observation isn’t possible.
Once empathy insights are gathered, it’s time to clarify the problem. The Define phase benefits immensely from precision prompting, helping you narrow complex challenges into clear, actionable focus points. Instead of vague statements, targeted prompts bring clarity. For instance, “What obstacles might users face in low-bandwidth environments?” or “What challenges might first-time users encounter with this feature?” Each prompt adds focus, breaking down the problem in a way that drives productive solutions.
Ideation is where the magic of AI prompts truly shines. Prompting AI to generate multiple solutions, from practical to out-of-the-box, can enrich the idea pool. This isn’t just about getting one “right” answer, but sparking creativity. For example, a prompt like “Suggest ten unique ways for users to engage with this feature” pushes AI to think beyond the obvious, fueling creative freedom and encouraging various perspectives that might not emerge in a standard brainstorming session.
Prototyping requires quick iteration, and AI prompts make this faster and more flexible. Instead of building and testing manually, you can prompt the AI to simulate interactions across different devices and conditions. Ask it to “Show how this feature looks on mobile and desktop” or “Simulate a user with low vision navigating this interface.” Instantly, you get feedback on layout and usability across scenarios, helping you identify adjustments without fully built prototypes.
Testing is the final checkpoint before release, and prompts let you gather various simulated feedback. By creating profiles for different users—newbies, power users, or those with accessibility needs—you can uncover how the design responds under varying conditions. Prompts like “What might frustrate an inexperienced user?” or “How would a user with visual impairments navigate this feature?” make testing comprehensive and valuable, revealing nuanced insights.
Implementing is where your design becomes reality. AI prompts help prepare for a smooth launch by guiding final checks and anticipating real-world user interactions. Prompts can help develop launch checklists or simulate rollout scenarios. For instance, “What steps are essential for ensuring accessibility upon launch?” or “Generate a checklist for tracking initial user adoption.” Thinking through these questions, ensures that quality and readiness are built into every deployment stage.
Prompting creates the DNA of design thinking, bridging human creativity with the adaptive power of AI. From empathy to implementation, each prompt builds on the last, creating a fluid, responsive journey that refines and evolves in real-time. Leaders in the field already recognize that prompting is no longer just a helpful tool; it’s a critical skill. Prompting transforms the design process into an interactive dialogue, blending user needs with AI intelligence to shape richer, more adaptable solutions.
The next time you dive into a design project, think of DN(Ai) as more than just a framework. It’s your design partner—an ally in every step, weaving together each insight, challenge, and solution. Embrace prompting not as a side tool but as the connective tissue that enhances each phase. This is design, reimagined as a deeply human, intentionally crafted experience powered by the evolving intelligence of AI.
This isn’t just a tool; it’s the connective tissue of modern design thinking.
