MARLEN SARMIENTO

UX design is an important part in the development and human interaction for various services such as websites, apps, and software. It is an extensive process based on personal experience in designing an app called SereniPets, a mental health service gear towards generation-z housing multiple services under one app while incorporating a virtual pet for motivation. Users experience is essential in how a service should function by understanding a user and with the advancement of AI in throughout the years, and it has become a major key component integrated in many products. Users have become much more involved with AI than ever before including in UX design. As AI is influencing user experience, it has set new perspectives and standards on designing and working with human interaction within a system. Looking into how AI is reshaping expectations in UX through its enhancements, challenges, ethics, how it expands from traditional, and reflection looking into its use through the SereniPets app design.

AI changes the process of UX design as it has benefit various aspects such as the early stages, final product, and beyond. Traditionally the workflow is very intensive as designers are constantly collecting and organizing data per project, researching, sketching, low fidelity to high fidelity designs, and eventually prototyping. A journal that analyzed AI assistance in UX design workflows brings up that about 50% of workers saw a change in their work ethic when AI was introduced (Zhu et al., 2024). The journal further explains that even though AI tends to produce general information, as it evolves and improves, it has the possibilities to drastically ease the workload for designers and working with clients without background insight in certain fields such as healthcare (Zhu et al., 2024). According to the Medium article regarding AI’s impact, AI has been adapting by looking at user’s behavior and allowing for a personalized experience based on the collected data. One major function that has been seen through countless websites are chat bot services and how they’ve personally adapted.

According to a journal by Seounmi Youn and S. Venus Jin, chatbots are typically scripted and carefully programed to follow protocol while trying to effectively resolve the user’s concern (Youn & Jin, 2021). It is clear to see that AI has created a sense of ease to design a space in which it can cover without human interference on the service end, however, it is still important to consider how users interact when it comes to the tool. The journal mentions that designers try to humanize the AI in some way such as designing agents with generated human-like profiles as well as the dialoged mimic human conversation (Youn & Jin, 2021). To further elaborate companies such as Microsoft and Samsung express their take with AI in UX.

Microsoft has made AI a crucial tool in working with new and current projects and interviewed designers on how it has changed the way they design. Paniaras, for example views a huge shift from traditional as AI works with the team and fill in areas in the project that members don’t claim as another designer (Velush, 2024). Albahadly, another designer, similarly backs this statement up as AI helps in ways that the team might encounter challenges (Velush, 2024). The designers in a way, consider AI as team member as it can adapt and work alongside with them. Samsung also takes the opportunity to interview and talk about one of their products. These designers work with developing an interface using AI to serve users called “Intelligence UX” for the Galaxy S24 series ([Design Story] Intelligence UX). Scott Jeonggun and Heri Na were asked a series of questions regarding Intelligence UX. Choi mentions how it works through improving apps such as the Gallery App as AI works with image editing ([Design Story] Intelligence UX). As for Na, they talked about the design process of the AI and making it much more appealing with implementing visuals while working with various designers such as user interface, graphic user interface, and visual interaction ([Design Story] Intelligence UX). The process becomes very collaborative experience. AI clears multiple obstacles for designers such as Tina Gada who shares their experience and its challenges.

Gada is a UX designer and would also agree with the personalization through algorithms and creating predictions from previous user behaviors (Gada, 2024). There are also other areas in which they point out such as the efficiency, accessibility, adaptivity, and iteration (Gada, 2024). AI allows the workflow of designers as an article by Kate Parish from Built In discusses this smooth transition using AI through generating personas, competitive analysis, creating mood boards, fill-in text, collecting and organization documentation of the process (Parish, 2023). With its perks comes with its challenges, nonetheless.

A journal from Emerald Insight investigates various studies talking about how AI tools can help in creating low fidelity prototypes and has potential with its conversion of prototypes into code (Stige et al., 2023). However, there are flaws as some elements and components merged, wronged classification being made or no longer visible (Stige et al., 2023). Gada points out AI’s limitations such as invasion of privacy when it comes to collecting data, unwanted biases that can develop, and where it finds its information (Gada, 2024). Referring back to the Medium article, AI can take time to understand as it constantly evolves, there is a risk of co-dependency, and users being against the over consumption of AI (Master Creationz). Through these concerns, ethics in AI are undoubtedly questioned. AI ethics has been heavily debated with the rise of false impersonation according to a journal by Keng Siau and Weiyu Wang (Siau & Wang, 2020). They bring up multiple concerns such as data collected having the risks of misuse, bias including gender and race, and who would be held liable for AI failing to perform its task or malicious choices (Siau & Wang, 2020). Through this collected research, there is so much to take in consideration, reflect, and analysis when it comes to the SereniPet app.

AI has shown its possibilities and strong suits as a tool in UX design. It’s evident that it can help with many aspects in design making the process so much easier. That includes creating personas to even having the possibility in creating low to high fidelity designs. Taking advantage of the AI as a tool to be incorporate in one’s project, opens the opportunity allows for time to refinement and iterations. It shouldn’t be heavily relied on to the point that the entire development was made by AI but rather taking the time in reviewing, editing, and adding onto the work produced by it. As for the ethics of AI, it can be a challenge. Companies such as Microsoft and Samsung, are hopefully expected to establish regulations in their system, but there is still uncertainty with how it is regulated based on other companies, states, and countries. With that in mind AI can improve the SereniPets app in its personalization, assistance, analytics/data, and still establishing regulations within the app.

With personalization, since AI has the capabilities to adjust with how the user interacts. One function of the app is generating general lessons to user if they aren’t connected to a therapist. With AI, it can start analyzing the behaviors of the user including asking for additional information which would allow for more personalized lesson for that specific user. As for assistance, users have options to book appointments, however, the cost can be an obstacle at times. Having AI chat system that is specifically program to focus on mental health and wellness can help as well for those for don’t feel conformable to talking to a person directly. Finally, collecting and organizing analytics from the user. This can include therapy sessions, biometrics when looking at sleep and eating patterns, treatments, and so forth which can be sent to the therapist if the user has one. These 3 movements will require consent from the user, strict restriction for their privacy, confidentiality when improving the app, allowed to revoke their consent, and remove the data collected. AI can make huge changes to the app and overall UX Design as a whole.

UX design is such an important part that creates a bridge between users and the products. With AI become more involved in the process it has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to using the tool. It is constantly evolving and has shown its benefits in the workflow as well as challenges. It is necessary to set standards and boundaries when working with AI. It’s important in finding a healthy balance which should be researched more including areas where AI shouldn’t be involved such fields where artists and other creators can take part instead. Overall, AI isn’t going away and UX designer are taking the opportunity to amplify their work.

Work Cited

[Design Story] Intelligence UX: Making Mobile AI Features Accessible and Intuitive for Everyone. (2024, February 27). Samsung Global Newsroom. https://news.samsung.com/global/design-story-intelligence-ux-making-mobile-ai-features-accessible-and-intuitive-for-everyone

Gada, T. (2024, April 22). Optimizing Customer Satisfaction: The Role of AI in UX Design. Forbes.

Master Creationz. (2024, April 30). The Impact of AI on UX Design: Opportunities and Threats. Medium. https://biz-mastercreationz.medium.com/the-impact-of-ai-on-ux-design-opportunities-and-threats-e60e7e6c05b8

Parish, K. (2023, April 19). AI and UX Design: How AI Can Enhance User Experience. Built In. https://builtin.com/articles/ai-enhances-ux

Siau, K., & Wang, W. (2020). Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics. Journal of Database Management, 31(2), 74-87. https://doi.org/10.4018/jdm.2020040105

Stige, Å., Zamani, E. D., Mikalef, P., & Zhu, Y. (2023). Artificial Intelligence (AI) for user ecperience (UX) Design: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. Information Technology & People, 37(6), 2324-2352. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp-07-2022-0519

Velush, L. (2024, August 30). Redesigning How We Work at Microsoft with Generative AI. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/insidetrack/blog/redesigning-how-we-work-at-microsoft-with-generative-ai/

Youn, S., & Jin, S. V. (2021). “In A.I. We Trust?” The Effects of Parasocial Interaction and Technopian Versus Luddite Ideological Views on Chatbot-based Customer Relationship Management in the Emerging “Feeling Economy.” Computers in Human Behavior, 119, 106721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106721

Zhu, Z., Lee, H., Pan, Y., & Cai, P. (2024). AI Assistance in Enterprise UX Design workflows: Enhancing Design Brief Creation for Designers. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/frai.2024.1404647