#61: The role of design in innovation, in 2023 and in the near-future.
A shortlist of huge patterns I'm paying close attention to
The world of work is changing so rapidly, it is getting much harder to compete. In the case of Design–especially for folks in the software industry–that change is probably moving at a much faster rate than compared to the others.
Everyday, new ideas are being born and distributed at scale, many thanks to digital marketplaces, forums and other community-driven software companies. And of course, advances in Artificial Intelligence. On the bright side, it is now much easier than ever to learn things, and to upskill for the highly ambitious ones, at least. The result of this, culturally, should not be underestimated.
Raising a generation of creative, inquisitive and computation-driven learners will produce unthinkable breakthroughs in innovation from all industries. This seems to be obvious to anyone paying enough attention. (This edtech startup started by 2 SpaceX employees seem to think so, they are putting their money where their mouth is.)
There are endless options to learn and more importantly, it has never been cheaper to do so. This is the side effect of innovation. If the solution to a problem works, people will build on top of it, making it a lot more accessible to the masses. It will be iterated to perfection until another black swan comes along and makes us rethink everything we know about how the world works. I don’t think there’s a need to give an example to this. This is a story as old as time, it is a pattern that will keep on happening for as long as there’s humans.
Because with humans comes hunger, the insatiable hunger, to make things better, regardless of the good and the bad consequences that go with it.
Change is hard, it is uncomfortable. Incredibly uncomfortable. It challenges our core beings, it rattles us, makes us question our sanities, increases our tolerance for pain and maybe even suffering. Innovation is not too different of a story.
For better or worse, it moves the world, a company, a product or a person. There is no shortage of it in design. Here’s a shortlist of patterns I’ve been noticing lately, in relation to this:
The commercialization of Augmented Reality / Virtual Reality products (hardware/software)
It’s only a matter of time before this happens, and it seems like Apple is making it happen faster. Starting with developers. This strategy makes a ton of sense from the perspective of the long game. Programmers lead software breakthroughs through experimentation and play. Give them enough tools to play with and they might just change the world. Don’t worry. There’s something here for designers too.
If you are looking for a good resource on this subject (programmers and breakthroughs), I would highly recommend reading Paul Graham’s work:
The growing role of design/UX in (LLMs) Large Language Models-powered applications
It is hard to talk about innovation in design without talking about Generative AI and all that comes with it. This is nothing new, especially in a lot of the top tech companies, I can imagine. From what I’ve understood (and for sure, I don’t know enough), OpenAI (ChatGPT) just opened this floodgate thanks to its massive popularity. How this will affect UX and all the people responsible for it is still unclear. The only thing I am quite sure of is that a lot will change, now just in what we build but in how we build things for the people we are building them for.
Exciting, isn’t it?
Artificial Intelligence shapes how we think, feel and behave. It drives the decisions that define our future.
We have the responsibility to use this potential for humane technology. Building an AI based on our diverse values and needs requires thoughtful design. - from the uxofai.com
From my archives:
The rise of Design-led companies and designer-entrepreneurs, in general
Everytime the subject of Design leadership comes up, I always think of Brian Chesky and the story of airbnb. His talk at the recently concluded Config was inspiring, thought-provoking and optimistic. Things that we seem to have a shortage of lately. If you are familiar with their background, this is a welcome treat. Humane, a super stealth technology startup, is also being led by designers.
Why does this matter and why should we care?
At the risk of sounding wholly idealistic and incredibly naive, designers finally having a seat at the table is a major win for humanity. Designers working side-by-side with technologists, engineers and product leaders at such a high level is nothing short of spectacular. It is a major lift, a status upgrade, a step closer towards a—hopefully—more ethical world through product design and entrepreneurship.
I don’t have to sell the idea that designers bring a lot to any table. It should be terribly obvious by now. And I’m sure a lot can agree when I say that without design and its influence, things would’ve been (and could be) a lot worse.
Design thrives in spite of chaos. It is even more useful during the worst of it. Rooting for design to make a more visible dent in the world today IS rooting for the world. Arguably, let me be bold as to say that the future might even be depended on it. It is not enough for the world to be livable and functional, organized and civilized.
It matters as much that the world—and the people in it—is in its best shape, guided and governed by morals, emotions, purpose and just about every good thing humans stand for.
I’d say that is impossible to achieve without design. (But, you know, I could be wrong.)
We have to believe this. Otherwise, we may as well let the vision of the bleak future win.
‘What happens to design, happens to the world’
Thank you for reading working title,
Nikki
Reading list:
Enabling conversational interaction on mobile with LLMs from Google Research
Design for the web without figma by David Heinemeier Hansson
Can I just say—I’m still mind-blown by the amount of free and rich resources you can find online for such important topics. I am thankful for the generosity of the people who are sharing all of these writings and pieces of content.
Thank you again. If you have a quick second, Would love your thoughts, feedback on my platform