Negotiating the New: Finding The Common Ground To Integrate AI into Early Applied Design Education for Industry Readiness

Abstract

How can AI support creativity without compromising foundational skills in design  education? This study reports on an educational innovation grant project conducted in a first year interior design course at Petra Christian University. AI was introduced not as a design  generator but as an ideation partner. Students began with manual sketching based on field  research of historical architecture in Surabaya’s Old Town. They gradually learned to enhance  their sketches using free AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Canva, and Photopea). Collaborative  work with fashion design students aimed to add contextual narrative layers for users and  reinterpret Art Deco elements into spatial and wearable concepts. The research was conducted  in a mixed-method design by observing design thinking applied in both studios while  incorporating AI in the design process, peer review to enhance collaborative design  development between 2 studios, and quantitative evaluation through a questionnaire. The  questionnaire was disseminated as a post-studio evaluation and completed by 54 students from  both studios. Findings from the questionnaire and instructors’ observations indicate that, rather  than diminishing creativity, AI has helped students gain clarity in early design decisions and  encouraged the intentional use of manual techniques. However, challenges remain in students'  prompt-building capabilities and understanding of scale, interior spatial senses, fashion details  constraints, and authorship in AI-generated images. This paper reflects on the pedagogical  implications of AI as both opportunity and disruption, advocating for a balanced, human centred curriculum where technology serves—but does not replace—designer intuition.