Teaching Design with Consumer-ready Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality: A Case Study
Hoa Vo · 2024
Design disciplines that require intensive ideation and demand spatial perception (e.g., architecture, interior, and industrial design) benefit from advanced computer graphics, interactive techniques, and human computer interactions. However, design students without a background in Computer Science (CS) face a steep learning curve and difficulties in experimenting with such advancements. Consumer-ready technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR), can leverage design skills such as risk-taking, iterating, and visualizing. Interior design students can translate their proficiency in concept writing and computer-aided design (CAD) software into AI prompt writing and VR digital modeling. This Engaging Education Technique and Assignment (EETA) features a nine-week lighting design project. Students use AI to ideate in 2 weeks, VR to visualize in 4 weeks, and 3D print to prototype in 3 weeks. Assessments for the 2022 class showed significant statistical evidence for creativity improvements with the use of consumer-ready AI and VR (but not with 3D printing).