The ability to identify and frame problems is your most valuable asset. Engineering won’t be the most valuable tech skill for much longer. As no-code app building becomes commonplace, and vibe coding gets better, the important question changes from “how do we build this” to “what should we build”? Guess who’s great at figuring out what to build? …
Year: 2025
Figma to functional: AI-powered iteration with Anima’s Playground
An AI-assistant that enhances your designs without taking away your creative control Though I hate to say it, there are limitations to designs and prototypes created in Figma. A designer knows what the end-product should look like, but developers might have to make guesses on what is intended in small nuances the design missed (like how many …
There’s no making without breaking
An animated comic illustration of a Fortnite character looking up and to the right, while a city burns in the background. Credit: Me. Fortnite wasn’t a hit when it started. It was a totally different game back then. No battle royale, no millions of dollars in prize money, no Mariah Carey frozen in an ice block …
The iPhone 16e: a “just enough tech” innovation for value
Apple’s modest new iPhone isn’t here to impress — it’s here to give more people access, value, and purpose. Continue reading on UX Collective » User Research (UR) is essential for building great digital products — yet many leaders like Henry Ford and Steve Jobs said it’s unnecessary. This article reexamines outdated beliefs while making the case for user …
The end of design certainty
Why AI forces us to embrace emergence instead of clinging to control and understanding Made by Patrick Morgan with Midjourney Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s recent podcast with Lex Fridman caught my attention with an observation that keeps replaying in my mind. Even as his team works to understand and interpret AI models, he acknowledged a …
Are Duolingo’s AI video calls just a gimmick or a valid way to study?
Turning the traditionally boring world of language learning upside down. Continue reading on UX Collective » OpenAI Operator and the shift to AI-first interfaces. Made with Midjourney How do we create user-centered experiences when our users aren’t human? Watching OpenAI’s Operator navigate the web, I can’t help but think about the early days of my career …
Dumb AI is pushing out good UX
A cautionary tale about the Washington Post. Continue reading on UX Collective » Facial expressions don’t always reveal true emotions — but that hasn’t stopped AI from trying to analyze them anyway. “How emotion recognition software strengthens dictatorships and threatens democracies”, source Imagine walking into a classroom where AI-powered cameras track students’ facial expressions, rating their attentiveness and …
Designing, developing, and deploying a web app entirely using AI
Take an idea and get it to production in three simple steps. Continue reading on UX Collective » An animation tool for UX designers who don’t have time for After Effects Creating any kind of UX animation is a challenging process because there are sooo many moving parts — the design elements (color, shadows, etc.), the trigger (what …
Customer Support is often a way to measure the value of design
Why reducing customer complaints is something businesses pay attention to Continue reading on UX Collective » Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers. The news that Sidebar.io was taking a break felt a bit like a heartbreak. Sidebar has been one of my favorite sources to keep up with design, and with content that would make …
Shaping minds: how first impressions drive AI adoption
Make-or-break moments. The first interaction with an AI system — whether it’s a website, landing page, or demo — shapes the mental model of the system. This, in turn, determines whether it will be adopted or not. Are these decisions driven by emotion or logic? Here’s how Technology Adoption Theory unpacks the mechanisms of technology acceptance, with insights applied …