(RE)DISCOVERING EMPATHETIC ROOTS: A BALANCED SYSTEM FOR HUMAN-AI CO-DESIGN

This paper argues that the sustainable future of human-centered design lies in a conscious return to its fundamental roots: empathic understanding. We present a novel human-AI balanced framework that positions empathy as a multidimensional construct comprising cognitive, affective, and somatic knowledge. The framework integrates human-driven and AI-based methods within the Double Diamond model, leveraging AI as a collaborative partner to triangulate and scale empathetic understanding while humans contribute their innate capacity for qualia and contextual knowledge. This symbiotic approach was tested in a seven-week co-design project with blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, operationalizing two methods: multi-platform AI sentiment analysis using theoretically grounded prompts across four large language models, and somatic workshops led by a performance artist to reawaken designers' dormant sensory awareness. Findings reveal that granular, context-specific prompts yield the most reliable emotional insights, while multi-platform triangulation is essential to avoid misinterpretation. Somatic exercises cultivated active empathy as a practiced, relational capacity, positioning the body as a legitimate instrument of design inquiry. The proposed framework enables flexible calibration between human sensitivity and AI augmentation, forging new pathways for inclusive, multisensory design.