Promoting University Students' Creativity and Entrepreneurship: An AI-Powered Scenario-based Design Thinking Approach

Creativity and entrepreneurship are deeply interconnected. While design thinking (DT)—a process of experimentation, prototyping, and iteration—has shown promise in boosting creativity, its role in entrepreneurship education remains understudied. In this study, we developed an AI-powered, scenario-based design thinking approach and tested its impact on students’ creativity and entrepreneurship-related abilities in a game-based learning design course. A total of 33 university students were recruited to participate in a 15-hour scenario-based design thinking program. Working in teams, students engaged in the five stages of design thinking (empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing) to develop a game prototype. A series of scenarios about becoming an entrepreneur guided students through each stage of design thinking. Generative AI tools were used to support students in designing their game prototypes. Results demonstrated significant improvements in creativity and entrepreneurial abilities, offering a practical framework for innovation education. The study highlights DT’s potential in preparing students for entrepreneurial challenges through structured, collaborative problem-solving and provides a practical pedagogical framework for creativity and entrepreneurship education in higher education.