See what users know.
Use lived experience and explicit reasons together.
TechBytes / before we begin
Bring your
point of view.
Follow along. Vote. Sketch. Try.
I’m here — start the talk →No account needed. Pair up or just watch, too.
Design thinking + building with AI
Design what
you know.
Better apps begin with the people who use them.
Greg Chism
Assistant Professor of Practice · Director of Instructional Computing
University of Arizona · InfoSci
Our aim / 30 seconds
Three things to take away
Build one useful change.
Give AI a person, a task, and clear limits.
Find out whether it helps.
Watch someone use it. Revise what gets in their way.
A polished screen is a starting point—not proof.
Example 1 / 3 minutes
A place you know
The route is recorded. The awkward crossing is lived.
Mētis / situated judgment
Epistēmē / systematic, reasoned knowledge
Quick comparison / Apple Maps
Walking options can avoid stairs, hills, or busy roads. What local knowledge still has no place to go?
Example 2 / 2 minutes
Why did you
press play?
A play is a signal. Sleep, friends, or taste is the context.
Spotify / Exclude a track or playlist from your taste profile.
Apple Music / Turn off Use Listening History, including through a Focus filter.
Both offer a say. Which fits the moment?
One vote / 2 minutes
Which app shall we work on?
One task. One small prototype. One test.
Selected: Collective
Collective / first encounter / 4 minutes
What did I
stop noticing?
I designed this from what I know.
Try it with fresh eyes.
- 01Find the evidence. Describe a visible change.
- 02What can’t you conclude?
- 03One strength. One hesitation.
Explore, pair up, or watch. Installation is optional.
Two groups / 4 minutes
Your app,
one task
- 01Two 30-second app stories.
- 02Vote for one small task.
- 03Show it. Where does experience matter?
Use a public screen. Keep private information off the projector.
Our brief / 3 minutes
What would better mean?
→
KeepOne strength.
→ChangeOne observed difficulty.
→Watch forTwo signs it helped.
Our working brief stays on this device. It is included only when you submit a sketch.
Two groups / 3 minutes
Two ways
to help
Sketch the next step.
- 01What should someone notice first?
- 02Where can their knowledge change the outcome?
One idea and why it might help.
A working sketch
Draw with a finger or pointer. Draft recovery is enabled on this device.
Prepared alternative / 3 minutes
A candidate
to question
Watch. Observe. Review.
What changed?
A local note. Room for uncertainty.
What did it miss?
Compare with your sketches.
Prepared before today. Still a hypothesis.
Settings → Experience switches between both versions. No research submissions.
A direction to try / 3 minutes
Which sketch
earns a try?
Choose by our criteria.
StartA clear goal.
→ActOne meaningful choice.
→CheckWhat happened?
Figma Make / 6 minutes / stop at minute 28
One change
with AI
Person + task
Who needs to do what?
Evidence + choice
What did we see?
Limits + test
What will we watch for?
One generation. One repair. Then test.
A volunteer test / 5 minutes
What happens
without coaching?
“Here’s your goal.
Show us what you would do.”
- 01Watch before explaining.
- 02“What were you expecting?”
- 03Check our two criteria.
Our revision / 2 minutes
What did the test change?
OBSERVATIONWe saw…A behavior.
→DECISIONWe’ll change…A detail, for a reason.
→NEXT TESTWe still wonder…What would challenge our explanation?
Sketch the revision. No second build session.
Takeaway / questions
What do users know
that we missed?
ExperienceHelps us notice.
↔Explicit reasonsHelp us question.
→A prototypeGives us something to try.
AI helps us build. People help us find out whether it helps.
Keep exploring: Collective. Optional installation. Salem footage stays online.