Designing for the Unknown | Simon Landry | Senior User Experience Researcher | Thomson Reuters

Simon Landry discusses AI’s impact on UX design, emphasizing the challenges of user input variability and the importance of understanding technology.

Highlights

• 🎙️ Introduction to the User Insights podcast and Simon Landry.
• 📚 Simon’s background in UX research and AI.
• 🤖 The complexity of designing AI-based user experiences.
• 🌐 The uncertainty surrounding AI technologies and interfaces.
• 🛡️ Importance of security and filtering in AI applications.
• 🔍 Emphasis on traditional UX methods adapting to AI.
• 🚀 Advice for UX professionals to stay updated and engage with AI technologies.

Key Insights

• 🧠 Understanding AI’s Nature: AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), functions similarly to a “calculator for words,” making it essential for designers to grasp its mechanics and limitations. This understanding will help bridge the gap between user expectations and AI outputs.
• 🤔 User Input Variability: Designing for LLMs presents challenges due to unpredictable user inputs. This necessitates a shift in UX strategies to accommodate a wide range of user interactions and ensure consistent outputs.
• 🔄 Revisiting Traditional UX Methods: Existing UX research methods may need adaptation to address the unique challenges posed by conversational AI, emphasizing the importance of traditional design principles in new contexts.
• 🔒 Security and Governance: As AI systems evolve, the need for robust security measures becomes critical, especially in regulated industries like finance. Designers must incorporate filtering and oversight into their work to mitigate risks.
• 📈 Embracing Complexity: The complexity of AI interfaces demands UX professionals engage closely with data scientists and machine learning experts, fostering collaboration to create effective user experiences.
• 📚 Lifelong Learning: UX researchers should continually update their knowledge of AI technologies and tools, experimenting with various platforms to deepen their understanding and improve their design practices.
• 🌍 Accessibility and Inclusivity: As AI interfaces become more prevalent, the focus on creating accessible and inclusive designs must remain a priority, ensuring that technology serves all users effectively.