Writing on design, AI and everything in between.
Thoughts on product design, AI, leadership and the occasional life reflection — collected here as I figure things out.
View itemDon't leave assumptions up to AI
AI can generate assumptions, but it can't judge which ones matter. Learn why designers must own the load-bearing beliefs that shape product success.
View itemIntroducing Human Standards: an open design library with an MCP server
An open design library with an MCP server that gives Claude real-time access to usability heuristics.
View itemAI ate the design process. What's left is taste.
AI commoditised design execution. What remains valuable? The human judgment to know what's worth making. That's taste.
View itemHostile and effusive tones boost LLM creativity
A study on whether being polite to LLMs improves their output.
View itemRUX: Fighting fake UX with real UX (and what it actually takes)
Real UX comes from enforcement mechanisms that make user research non-negotiable. Here's how organisations escape FaUX.
View itemFaUX: The rise of fake UX (and how to know if you're practicing it)
Workshops that go nowhere. Research that's ignored. Designers with no influence. It's called FaUX — Fake UX — and it's costing more than you think.
View itemDesign for grammar, not layout
Interface design is shifting from crafting screens to defining the grammar from which infinite appropriate interfaces can emerge.
View itemWhy talking to your future self can craft your hero's journey
Engage in dialogue with your imagined future self to set goals, learn from regrets, and gain confidence for your hero's journey.
View itemReducing cognitive load for usability
Types of cognitive load, and solutions to reduce it, including chunking & progressive disclosure.
View itemOn design variations
A 7-step framework for systematically exploring design alternatives, escaping the trap of the "obvious" solution, and arriving at decisions you can genuinely defend.
View itemClarity over cleverness
Prefer clarity over cleverness. Clever makes things clean, seamless and tidy, but there is a cost involved. Keep cleverness for power users instead.
View itemUsers are fickle, their whys are not
Users change their mind. Don't take users literally. Try and get the why behind their comments and feedback.
View itemFlexibility: Product vs Service Design — With a 2024 Addendum on AI
Where should flexibility live—product or service layer? Exploring the tradeoff, with a 2024 addendum on how AI changes the equation.