OST to offer AI specialization for design students
Rapperswil-Jona - Undergraduate students taking the Digital Design course at OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences will have the opportunity to take the AI Augmentation immersion course to learn about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be used to support design processes. The students will discover which AI models are appropriate to use in addressing specific questions.
(CONNECT) OST - Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences is supplementing its Digital Design undergraduate course with a specialization in AI Augmentation. This immersion course combines technical understanding with design-oriented practice and will allow students to pursue two study goals.
A core focus of the program is to develop an instinct on the part of budding designers for which types of AI models are appropriate to address specific problems. According to a statement issued by OST, the AI tools covered range from Large Language Models and supervised learning all the way through to image and pattern recognition. Students will also be taught how to sensibly integrate AI across the entire design process - from user research and ideation to prototyping and testing. By learning and honing these skills, design professionals are able to dedicate more time to core tasks such as critical thinking, reflection and designing suitable digital solutions.
Another focus is on the use of AI as part of the content creation process. Students will learn to use AI to design visual worlds and storyboards, generate assets for communication and marketing campaigns, in addition to creating and testing variations of interfaces, interactions and prototypes. At the same time, however, critical thinking and established methods of digital design will remain central components of the learning process. User-centered design, ideation, workshops and web engineering will continue to be used, while a module dedicated to human-centered AI that seeks to address questions of transparency, fairness and social responsibility will be mandatory for all students.
“With AI Augmentation, our aim is to develop digital designers who can discuss AI on equal terms with both development teams and decision-makers, and who are able to design AI-based applications in such a way that they are truly meaningful for people”, explains Professor Frieder Loch, director of the study program.
The immersion course will get underway in the fall semester of 2026 for students of Digital Design at the university’s campus in Rapperswil-Jona in the canton of St.Gallen. ce/ja