Generative AI for Design Thinking

Human-centred problem solving sits behind many of the tools that Dr. Alfred Ang has built. Dr. Ang is a full-stack AI developer, Agentic AI solution architect, corporate trainer and CTO of Tertiary Infotech Academy Pte Ltd in Singapore, the training organisation behind Tertiary Courses, designing intelligent agents and complete solutions from the front end through back end, databases, cloud deployment and native mobile apps. Several projects among the 300+ public repositories are themselves tools for design thinking. There is a Padlet-inspired digital canvas for sticky notes, whiteboards and real-time collaboration, ideal for affinity mapping and ideation sessions; a minimal browser whiteboard with vector shapes and flowchart elements for sketching journeys and processes; a guided SIPOC and process map builder that tags pain points; and a Mentimeter-style live polling app for gathering quick feedback from a room. Dr. Ang has also built a WebXR playground that generates AR and VR scenes from vibe prompts, which makes it possible to prototype immersive concepts in minutes, and many rapid prototypes of mobile apps and landing pages that were tested with users and refined before launch. The products that reached the App Store and Google Play went through repeated cycles of observing users, redefining the problem and iterating. This practice of empathising, defining, ideating, prototyping and testing, accelerated by generative AI at every stage, is what Dr. Ang brings to this course. Building these tools required careful thought about how groups actually brainstorm, cluster ideas and vote, which is valuable insight for anyone facilitating design thinking.

Generative AI for Design Thinking shows learners how to keep people at the centre while letting AI speed up the work. The first topic, generative AI fundamentals for design thinking, introduces the design thinking process and the tools that support each stage, along with the limits of AI when it comes to understanding real human needs. The second topic, AI-assisted user research and opportunity discovery, has learners plan interviews, synthesise research notes, build personas and journey maps, and identify pain points and opportunities, with Dr. Ang demonstrating how to check AI-generated insights against actual evidence. The third topic, AI-powered ideation, prototyping and testing, is the most hands-on: learners generate and cluster ideas, select promising concepts, produce quick prototypes such as storyboards, mock screens or simple clickable pages, and design tests to gather feedback, often using the same rapid prototyping approach Dr. Ang applies to new apps. The fourth topic, implementing and measuring AI-driven design solutions, covers turning a validated concept into an implementation plan, defining success measures and learning from results. Throughout the course, learners work in small teams on a business challenge, using collaborative canvases and live polling to share and vote on ideas. Dr. Ang's facilitation style is energetic and practical, with an emphasis on testing assumptions early. Learners leave with a complete design thinking toolkit enhanced by AI. To see the collaboration and prototyping tools Dr. Ang has built, visit https://github.com/alfredang.