Pedagogy and Professional Development

Mapping the Design Process of Fashion Design Students Working with Generative Artificial Intelligence through an Extended Linkography

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Abstract

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into design workflows, its influence on designers' creativity and decision-making is expanding, yet little is known about how fashion designers think and make decisions when working with AI. Guided by Actor Network Theory, this study develops an extended form of linkography, linkography for designing with AI, to document and analyze the ideation processes of fashion design students using AI tools. Building on Goldschmidt's original method, this extension captures the complexities of human-AI interactions that traditional linkography does not fully address. The approach was tested with five undergraduate fashion design students, generating meaningful link patterns and identifying critical design moves throughout their AI-supported sessions. Analysis revealed insights into prompting strategies, the role of AI as a non-human actor, and the evolving dynamics between students and Midjourney. This study contributes an innovative analytical framework for examining human-AI design processes in fashion education.

Keywords: Generative AI, Linkography, Fashion Design Education, Design Process

How to Cite:

Chen, C., (2025) “Mapping the Design Process of Fashion Design Students Working with Generative Artificial Intelligence through an Extended Linkography”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 82(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.21773