As a particular type of artificial intelligence technology, machine learning (ML) is widely used to empower user experience (UX). However, designers, especially the novice designers, struggle to integrate ML into familiar design activities because of its ever-changing and growable nature. This paper proposes a design method called Material Lifecycle Thinking (MLT) that considers ML as a design material with its own lifecycle. MLT encourages designers to regard ML, users, and scenarios as three co-creators who cooperate in creating ML-empowered UX. We have developed ML Lifecycle Canvas (Canvas), a conceptual design tool that incorporates visual representations of the co-creators and ML lifecycle. Canvas guides designers to organize essential information for the application of MLT. By involving design students in the “research through design” process, the development of Canvas was iterated through its application to design projects. MLT and Canvas have been evaluated in design workshops, with completed proposals and evaluation results demonstrating that our work is a solid step forward in bridging the gap between UX and ML.

作为一种特殊类型的人工智能技术，机器学习（ML）被广泛用于增强用户体验（UX）。但是，设计人员，尤其是新手设计师，由于其不断变化和可扩展的特性而难以将ML集成到熟悉的设计活动中。本文提出了一种称为材料生命周期思考（MLT）的设计方法，该方法将ML视为具有自己生命周期的设计材料。MLT鼓励设计人员将ML，用户和方案视为三位共同创建者，他们在创建具有ML功能的UX方面进行合作。我们已经开发了ML Lifecycle Canvas（Canvas），这是一种概念设计工具，其中包含了共同创建者和ML生命周期的可视表示。Canvas指导设计人员为MLT的应用组织必要的信息。通过让设计专业的学生参与“通过设计进行研究”的过程，通过将Canvas应用于设计项目来迭代其开发。在设计研讨会上对MLT和Canvas进行了评估，提供了完整的建议和评估结果，表明我们的工作是缩小UX和ML之间差距的坚实一步。