An experiment in AI-led experience design
Call it a hobby, a digital distraction, or just plain curiosity, but over the past few weeks I’ve been testing how far ChatGPT and DALL·E can go when it comes to creative visualisation. Not just for writing or strategy, but for the stuff we often see as strictly human territory: sketching, spatial design, and brand world building.
The results? Surprisingly compelling. With a few carefully crafted prompts, I was able to generate a complete conceptual exhibit all without leaving my chair. In one sitting I went through more than a dozen iterations and ended up with three genuinely different layout directions I could actually talk through rather than just gesture at.
I wasn’t quite sure what to test it on, so I started close to home: the electric piano one of the kids was playing in the background. I gave it the same name as my site, alotté, a simple blend of their names with a hint of French design flair, and used that as the starting point for the whole exercise. That one small moment turned into an entire brand world.
The process
I began with a master prompt written as if I were briefing a top tier 3D designer, outlining the dimensions, the aesthetic (minimalist, Apple Store meets sound gallery), the materials (natural oak, matte black accents), and the user journey through the space.
ChatGPT helped translate that into a set of structured prompt variations, and DALL·E did the visual heavy lifting. From there it became a loop: generate, critique, refine. I asked it to label the elements for a more client ready concept board, then strip the labels away for a final clean version. It followed with eerie precision.
Yes, there were glitches such as floating objects, typos, odd shadows, and proportions that made no sense, but the rate of iteration was astonishing. And the core idea was always solid.
Why this matters
To be clear, this is concept acceleration, not production design. You still need proper designers for feasibility, safety, budget, and buildability. And I’d never put confidential client information into a public model. But as a way to get to alignment earlier, and reduce the number of “I’ll know it when I see it” conversations, it’s genuinely useful.
This isn’t about replacing designers. Not even close. It’s about augmenting our ability to visualise, ideate, and communicate ideas quickly, especially in the early stages when you’re just trying to explain what you see in your head.
It’s like having a junior creative on hand around the clock. One who never gets tired, doesn’t mind redoing things five times, and can sketch your late night ideas before you forget them. The real trick, of course, is still the same as always: a sharp brief, a clear concept, and just enough constraint to spark creativity.
Would I use this for a live project?
Not entirely. But as a way to test layouts, spark conversation, or inspire a more polished execution? Absolutely. And as for an alotté keyboard, well, who knows. There might be something in it after all.