Things got lively on episode 140 of the Design Better podcast: The Turing test is a trap. The happy path is over. Design experience is both an asset and a liability. Skepticism has to be part of the brief. Wile E. Coyote understood intelligent interfaces. Personality is the third rail.
Josh Clark and Veronika Kindred were on the podcast to talk about Sentient Design—the philosophy and framework for designing intelligent interfaces with AI. Hosted by Eli Woolery and Aarron Walter, the podcast conversation was rich and wide ranging.
Note: This episode of Design Better is a members-only show, but Eli and Aarron provided a free 30-day trial so that you can listen to the whole shebang.
Here’s just a taste of what the conversation covered:
The joys and insights of working across generations. Josh and Veronika are a dad-daughter pair—and proof that old heads like Josh need fresh eyes like Veronika.
Why chat is a design trap, but how it still points the way to radically adaptive experiences.
Product design innovation is back (after a decade of stagnation when innovation focused on process and design systems instead of experience).
AI doesn’t have to be a tool to replace or diminish design. It’s a powerful material to elevate design and create entirely new experiences.
What magic crayons and Wile E. Coyote teach us about radically adaptive experiences.
Examples of emerging design patterns for AI that go way, way beyond chat, including the intelligent canvas, bespoke AI, and NPCs.
Why Claude is the Trader Joe’s of AI (and why ChatGPT is Walmart.)
Why AI’s fake “memory” is a design problem and how to address it.
How to contend with an ethically fraught design material like AI. “This is the most extreme form of extractive capitalism ever created.”
Why the emerging future has users conjuring their own one-off apps and interfaces, inside systems that we create.
How we’re moving from search and curation to manifestation of content and experience – and what that means for designers.
What the animal kingdom can teach us about personality without anthropomorphism.
Josh’s trashy tastes in media and literature.
There was so much more. Have a listen, let us know what you think, and while you’re there, consider becoming a subscribing member (free trial). Aarron and Eli do great work.
If you’re trying to understand the role of AI and machine intelligence in your products, we can help. Our Sentient Design practice includes product strategy, product design, workshops, and Sentient Design sprints. Get in touch to learn more.
