A Study on Participatory Design with Data-Driven Virtual Users Built by AI : Focusing on Fitness App KEEP in China

In the era of digital transformation, artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly important role in optimizing user experience and interaction design. This study proposes a method using artificial intelligence to create data-based virtual users and integrate these virtual users into the participatory design process to plan and produce products that better meet user needs. This approach reduces the time and cost of traditional user research, decreases researcher bias, and more accurately reflects the true characteristics and needs of diverse user groups. The study uses China's fitness app Keep as a case study, utilizing artificial intelligence to collect and organize quantitative and qualitative data, and creates three typical virtual users representing healthy, overweight, and underweight user groups. These virtual users participated in the UI design process, and feedback and requirements from the virtual users provided design improvement solutions for layout, interaction efficiency, and personalized features. Comparative analysis and user surveys have verified that participatory design based on virtual users created with artificial intelligence is effective in improving user experience. The methods proposed in this study are expected to further disseminate user-centered design and enhance the quality of design.