DX Perspective: Forging Humanistic AI, Config 2024, and Making Futures Work
Hi all!
Here’s your weekly dose of DX Perspective, a list of what I’m exploring and thinking about. Feel free to forward this along to friends.
I really enjoyed speaking at the Config Leadership Collective this week. Andrew Hogan (Figma Head of Insights) moderated and Garrett Hope (VP Consumer Product, PayPal) joined me onstage for our discussion — Creativity and AI in software: PayPal’s journey.
I’ve mentioned before that Config is like an annual reunion for the design community, and it was wonderful to see the impact and growth that Figma is having in nurturing it — over 12,000 attendees this year. The other thing to note, is how the conference is bringing more product managers and engineers into the fold, showcasing how strong cross-functional partnership and workflow is the future.
kw picks
Design without process, or the form factor trap by Pavel Samsonov
Visuals are a core part of the design process, but they can also conceal incomplete thinking. Without establishing conceptual fidelity through tools like the primary user benefit, designers risk creating negative value for their teams.
Craft in design: What it is & why it matters
In software design we have all heard the phrase “well-crafted user experience.” It may have come up in conversation, in an article or in a job interview. Indeed, conversation and debate about craft, what it is and why it matters, has been a through-line during my 20+ years in tech.
What I’m watching + listening to
Forging Humanistic AI with Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri – Invisible Machines podcast
Journey into the innovative mind of Tom Gruber, co-founder of Siri and Chief AI Strategy Officer of Sherpa.ai. Robb and Josh welcome Tom for an enlightening exploration of humanistic AI—systems that augment and collaborate with humans, rather than replacing or competing with them.
Intersection of art and technology – Meredith Black and Refik Anadol at Config 2024.
Emerging Tech
Challenges in Red Teaming AI Systems
Red teaming is a critical tool for improving the safety and security of AI systems. It involves adversarially testing a technological system to identify potential vulnerabilities. Today, researchers and AI developers employ a wide range of red teaming techniques to test their AI systems, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
Transforming UX with Generative AI
This article is a deep dive into the emerging landscape of GenAI-first UX. Imagine transitioning from rigid, linear user flows to flexible, intuitive experiences.
What I’m reading
Making Futures Work: Integrating Futures Thinking for Design, Innovation, and Strategy by Phil Balagtas
Design Thinking and Innovation Metrics: Powerful Tools to Manage Creativity, OKRs, Product, and Business Success by Michael Lewick
Tools and Resources
13 business questions for your next design project
The best way to gain business empathy is to start design projects with some simple but powerful business questions. Here is a list of my favorite ones.
What is our design process by Resend
Sharing taste and the meaning of quality is crucial for cultivating an open culture about design, and the key to achieving that is collaboration. It is very common for us to design solutions together, booking an hour to go through a problem and generate high-fidelity mockups in Figma together.
My recent articles
Decoding The Future: The Evolution Of Intelligent Interfaces What happens when we move beyond our screens and unleash computing power, the internet, and AI into the real world? It starts to get interesting.
Scaling Quality: 4 Steps To Foster A Culture Of Empowerment And Accountability For Design Excellence In building design organizations, one of the hardest parts is maintaining quality at scale. When you’re a small team that’s tight on expectations and holding the bar, it’s easier to maintain an understanding of quality. But much like fostering culture, as you grow, keeping that bar for quality becomes a more complex endeavor.
10 Truths From Building Design Organizations at Scale Having the opportunity to build design orgs in some of the world’s largest companies, I’ve observed that even with completely different cultures, org structures, and industries…some things stay the same.
Mastering Orchestration: 8 Ways to Drive Business Outcomes as a Design Leader Connecting competitive advantage and value to customer and business impact.
🔈 Design Leadership at Scale
DLS Career Architecture: Managing Your Design Leadership Career
This weekend course is your blueprint to architecting a successful design leadership career. Over two days, we'll dive deep into frameworks, tactics, and approaches essential for shaping a thriving design leadership journey. Whether you're looking to refine your path within your current organization or eyeing new horizons, this immersive is tailored for directors and VP-level design leaders.
🗓️ 01 cohort: July 20-21
✨Learn more and enroll in the July weekend immersive.
NEW! Design Leadership at Scale: Operations
An advanced-level course for senior and rising design leaders ready to address the most common challenges Design Leaders face. Learn best practices to build design infrastructure that scales. Establish mechanisms and high-leverage activities that maintain culture, quality, and community as you grow.
🗓️ 01 cohort: Aug 19 – 29.
✨Learn more and apply for the operations course.
Design Leadership at Scale: Executive
This is an advanced-level, two-week course curated for senior design leaders ready to transform their sphere of influence, amplify their impact, and lead design practices into the future.
✨Learn more and join the waitlist for the executive course.
Design Leadership at Scale: Director +
Learn the core principles of effective design leadership in scaled enterprises in this rigorous two-week course for established design leaders positioning themselves for future executive roles.
🗓️ 03 cohort: August 19 - 29
🗓️ 04 cohort: November 11 - 21
✨Learn more and apply for the Director+ course.
And please give me feedback. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know.
Have a wonderful weekend.
— Rachel