Exploring Generative AI Empowerment in City Brand Building from a Human-Factors Perspective: An Empirical Study Based on Wuhan City Emoji

Abstract: The application of generative AI in enhancing the cultural identity of cities within the context of urban branding presents a novel perspective. Emojis, as vivid, engaging, and easily disseminated communication media, have become a crucial means of interaction in contemporary society. This study, based on a human factors engineering perspective, takes the design of Wuhan city-themed emojis as an empirical case study. Initially, a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect diverse data from Wuhan residents, tourists, frequent emoji users, and design experts, aiming to gain in-depth insights into the cultural essence and symbolic imagery of Wuhan. Subsequently, grounded theory was employed to perform a three-level coding process, leading to the development of an initial theoretical framework. The Kano model and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were then integrated to classify and prioritize user needs through a systematic weighting analysis. Finally, based on the priority of element weights, Midjourney was utilized for design practice and iterative optimization. The results indicate that generative AI can stimulate creativity and foster emotional connections in city-themed emojis, meeting the diverse needs of various application scenarios and enhancing the digital dissemination of Wuhan's city image. This study provides a novel creative approach and theoretical model for city-themed emoji design, offering valuable insights for other cities in digital branding and cultural communication.

Keywords: Generative AI, Human Factors Design, City brand, Wuhan city emoticon package, Grounded theory-Kano-AHP hybrid modele

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006335

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