Undergraduate students − and in my experience, particularly in Design and HCI − often struggle with selecting a thesis topic that is engaging, relevant, conscious of implications to the field of study and beyond, and academically rigorous. This paper presents a structured tool for guiding students through the process of brainstorming, prioritizing, and detailing potential thesis topics, aiming to foster creativity and autonomy. Specifically, a best practice is proposed for students who are writing their essay or thesis in an industry setting, supported by an experienced mentor. This framework encourages exploration of AI’s role in business software systems. The benefits of this industry-university collaboration are also highlighted, emphasizing practical skills development and future career mentoring and preparation. The outline for best practice advocates three main steps: wide-ranging ideation, systematic prioritization based on interest and relevance, and detailed description of the emerging topics of preference. The study aims to understand the extent to which a systematic, context-specific best-practice guide might help Design and HCI students develop a thesis topic based on own ideas. The proposed methodology contributes to the body of knowledge on undergraduate thesis supervision and student-centered learning, offering a practical, creativity-oriented pathway tailored to HCI and Design students, the better to prepare them for critical research and the design of innovative, ethical, and impactful solutions. It also highlights the need for further research to develop a robust framework that may be applied across the various educational institutions, fields of study, and also professional settings in which students write their thesis.