Working title
| Meaningful application of high technology in design |
1. the problem (Starting point, problem description)
Which theoretical, practical, social, etc. problem is the starting point of your thesis?
What do you think is the real cause of the problem?
| In the last few years, technology has made huge leaps and we are on the verge of a technological revolution comparable to the advent of the steam engine. This cannot but affect various fields of labor, and some professions may cease to exist in the next decade. Some fear that the design profession (in various iterations, from graphic designer to product designer) may be replaced by Artificial Intelligence. This is a topic of great interest to me, as I myself am studying towards Interaction Design and plan to continue my career as a UX Designer. That’s why I wanted to explore this topic. |
2. state of research
What is the state of research on this problem? What findings are available? What has not yet been (sufficiently) addressed, clarified or contradicted? How does your own work relate to the existing research?
| At this point, I wouldn’t say there are a lot of different studies regarding this topic. Many papers are appearing right now, as the topic became relevant just a couple of years ago. So I keep my finger on the pulse and check to see if new research is emerging. |
3. the question
Which question(s) should be answered in your master thesis? What is the main question?
| Consequences of AI on the traditional UX/UI design |
4. the hypothesis resp. the objective (max. ½ page)
What do you want to prove, disprove or design, programme, … in your Master’s thesis?
Target catalogue
| I’d like to answer the question of how much the latest technology will affect the design field. I will probably consider two scenarios: utopian and dystopian. |
5. the reference to theory
Which explanatory approaches or theories are referred to?
What is your point of view? What is your position?
| I also want to look at previous cases of technological revolutions, how they occurred in a historical context, and what input they had on disappearing or highly changing fields of labor. I would also like to look at how AI works, what it can do, and what the potential outcome of its development might be. |
6. the method
What is the methodological procedure (work steps, approach)? Which methods and instruments do you want to use in the project? What does a possible solution path or procedure methodology look like? How should the problem be solved, the question answered, how should the sources be analysed?
| Speculative design, expert interviews |
7. the material
What material and sources are available on the topic?
Which sources (data, videos, comparative material, …) are available, which need to be identified, collected?
| There are many interviews with famous visionaries (Ilon Musk, Bill Gates and others) about AI and its possible impact on the industry, many designers share their opinions and experiences on various portals, there are already some statistics on layoffs from large companies. All this is to be collected and analyzed for relevance. I also want to do some interviews with experts and process them. |
8. (preliminary) bibliography in compliance with the rules of citation
| I can’t give a preliminary list of references yet, as the topic is quite specific and evolving dynamically |
9. (preliminary) structre
Which aspects should be dealt with and in which order?
| I would definitely like to include a historical overview, the nature of AI, how it works and what it can do, expert interviews and 2 scenarios at the end, a utopian and a dystopian. |
10. the timetable (project phases and duration)
How much time is needed for the most important work steps (research, data collection, data evaluation, creation of the work piece, writing the raw text, revision, layout, final correction)? – Milestones
When should the work be finished?
| During spring I would like to collect all the theoretical material, in summer I am going to process it and conduct expert interviews. By the end of August I would like to finish it. |
