Design Thinking and its Application to Healthcare Innovation: An AI‐Enhanced Framework for Drug Discovery

The drug discovery process of new pharmaceuticals is costly, time-consuming and lacks patient-centered innovation. Artificial intelligence (AI) has accelerated elements of drug development such as compound identification and toxicity screenings. However, it lacks adaptability and often detaches from users’ needs. Design thinking, a human-centered approach emphasizing empathy and ideation, can bridge this gap by reframing drug development challenges with patient needs in mind. The aim of this study involves integrating AI with design thinking as it optimizes efficiency while ensuring innovative and user-focused pharmaceutical solutions. By analyzing results from incorporating design thinking principles into prompt engineering with three AI models: ChatGPT, Gemini, and DeepSeek, this study explores how combining AI’s speed and predictive modeling with design thinking’s iterative approach can enhance drug discovery. The responses demonstrated a deeper understanding of the user's needs through the "Empathize" step and became more dynamic through the “Ideation” step. This research proposes a hybrid framework leveraging AI and the design thinking process ensures drugs are developed efficiently while prioritizing patient-centered care, ultimately leading to more effective and diverse pharmaceutical innovation.