Thinking Outside the Box: Fostering User-Centered Chatbot Design through Design Thinking

This study explores the use of Design Thinking (DT) in Software Engineering Education (SEE) for chatbot development. Over one semester, undergraduate students completed three DT cycles (Inspiration, Ideation, Implementation) to design and evaluate chatbots. Data from weekly reflective diaries were thematically analyzed. Results show that DT fostered empathy, creativity, collaboration, and iterative refinement, while improving students’ ability to align technical decisions with user needs. The study offers empirical evidence and practical guidance for integrating DT into SEE, highlighting its role in bridging technical rigor and human-centered design.