Design with purpose, AI handles the rest
As we evolve in a new era, what’s needed to balance AI capabilities with our strengths to meet people’s needs and business goals?
The meaning of purpose can differ for each of us.
For me, having transitioned into UX Design and being in a career rooted in empathy — understanding people and creating solutions to improve their lives — guides me towards meaning and fulfilment. It infuses energy into my work.
Purpose is crucial in our careers, where we spend most of our time. A study by McKinsey found that 70% of people define their sense of purpose through their work.
The evolution of work
Let’s delve into how work has evolved. Before the internet, everything possible to impact was in front of everyone. During the Industrial Revolution, input equalled output: the harder and longer people worked at the factory, the more success they’d have.
Then came the Information Age, where it wasn’t just about physical labour anymore. It was about having great ideas, processing information, and solving problems.
Now, in this new era of Artificial Intelligence, what do we need to succeed?
The following reflection explores how I see AI enhancing the purpose of my career, and I believe it could do for many of us too.
Outcomes over Outputs
In my UX practice, one of the most rewarding moments is seeing my work create a change in human behaviour that drives business results. Josh Seiden calls this an Outcome, which is at the heart of UX Design and where UX designers can have the most influence. He wrote the book “Outcomes Over Outputs”, where there is a diagram illustrating how most organisations should shift their focus.
Josh Seiden argues that organizations often miss the focus on outcomes — what people do with what is created for them. So why don’t UX Designers focus on that, especially when it’s where they can make the most impact?
Before AI, a vast amount of time was spent in the first three stages of the model to deliver Outputs. In today’s fast-paced world, many companies are trapped in an output-driven cycle, focusing solely on deliverables rather than achieving meaningful outcomes.
Now, with powerful Generative AI tools, it’s possible to analyze vast amounts of data and work synergistically with AI during the initial phases. This partnership alleviates the heavy lifting of repetitive tasks, allowing for a greater focus on creating empathy with the users, understanding their world, and feeling as they do.
The power of Empathy
Empathy mitigates implicit bias and is crucial for the future. While AI can analyse data and predict behaviours to an extent, it lacks the human touch — the ability to truly empathise with end-users. AI cannot replace the depth and authenticity of human empathy. Together with AI, we can foster a design philosophy that is both data-informed and profoundly empathetic.
Cultivating Taste
AI handles many tasks, from initial resources to one of the areas that it’s most capable of, scaling outputs. Whether it’s generating content, images, or text, AI can create design templates and mockups with ease.
However, it’s Outcomes that shape the user experience. So, with AI generating outputs, how do we turn them into Outcomes?
In 2010, Ira Glass was interviewed in a series of videos, one of which became inspirational, especially for those in creative work.
He spoke about the gap between taste — what we know to be good — and our ability to execute something to that standard. People tend to develop taste faster than technical skills, creating a “Taste Gap.”
Generative AI tools provide readily available Outputs in seconds, addressing many technical limitations. Could this shorten the “Taste Gap”?
These days, with just a simple prompt, AI generates several Outputs within seconds. But… how do we determine which one to choose?
In this era where AI can achieve high technical skills, developing taste to know what to create becomes a crucial skill.
A refined sense of taste becomes a superpower!
Humans bring unique qualities to taste, including emotional intelligence, creativity, intuition, and contextual understanding. Those with a developed taste can now produce great work faster than ever, leading to a new golden era of creative work production.
Cennydd Bowles suggests that like in chess, developing taste requires experience, exposure, and practice. Exploring new paths, taking risks, and making mistakes help build a repertoire of effective techniques and, most importantly, understand why they work.
So, Ira Glass’s advice to do a lot of work remains valid. The shift today is that, with AI helping us execute our ideas faster, we can focus on improving other skills beyond the technical ones.
The 4Cs
AI’s automation enhances efficiency, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks during the initial stages. This allows to allocate more time to solving the nuanced, complex problems that truly elevate the user experience.
It frees us up to focus on outcomes and impact. At these stages Empathy becomes crucial, extending beyond users to include collaborators, stakeholders, and the broader community impacted by our work. Empathising with all stakeholders ensures the designs meet user needs and align with broader business objectives and values.
A study by EY found that 80% of CEOs from Forbes Global 2000 companies believe putting humans at the centre of decision-making will be a core value driver for their business. Regarding skills for the next five years, 75% believe empathy and soft skills will become key management capabilities.
Empathy and taste underpin the 4Cs of the 21st century, crucial in our field during this AI era: critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration. We should prioritise understanding the needs and desires of users and colleagues, collaborating to improve the outcomes we want to achieve.
The role of Cultural Exposure
I’d like to share a personal experience illustrating the importance of empathy and exposure in a real-world context, which can refine our soft skills.
Last year, I experienced two contrasting worlds within a week. One moment, I was in bustling New York City. People were driven by the pulse of a city that never sleeps. Then, a week later, I found myself in the serene Andes mountains of Peru. Life of the people there flowed at a different rhythm — slow, deeply connected to nature and prioritising communal values
The cultural differences were striking, especially in how empathy was expressed and perceived.
I believe that travelling exposes us to different cultures, refining our sense of empathy and taste. We create experiences not just for ourselves but for people with varied stories and values.
Such experiences remind me that empathy and taste are not one-size-fits-all but must be tailored to a diverse human base. While AI can process data, only human experiences can transform it into meaningful connections.
Driven by Outcomes
The core mission of UX Designers is to create experiences that deeply resonate with and impact users while driving business value. AI enhances our capabilities, excelling in Output generation. However, the true essence of UX design lies in the Outcomes. In this new era, we can dedicate more time and energy to that, where the human touch of taste and empathy plays a vital role.
As consumers of exponentially more machine-generated information, we must sharpen our abilities to ask discerning questions, detect bias, judge source credibility, check facts, and determine quality and usefulness.
By combining taste with empathy, we can design experiences that look good and feel right for our users while harmoniously collaborating with colleagues, ultimately driving better Outcomes.
A future where AI serves as our creative collaborator, enhancing our ability to innovate and push boundaries, while we stay grounded in human connection.
