#21 Exploring the Role of AI in Enhancing User Experience | 5 takeaways for designer
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Hello future lovers, hello UX designers and welcome back to the podcast The Future of UX. This is a bonus episode, usually new episodes come out on Thursday. This one is a bonus episode on a Monday to kick off the new week with a super important topic exploring the role of AI in enhancing user experience. So super, super interesting.

And in this episode, we will be discussing the role of AI in enhancing user experience and what UX designers can do to prepare for this new era of AI-driven design. And before I start with five important things to consider as a designer when co-creating with AI, I have a little announcement for you and I'm super excited to finally share it.

So for those of you who want to dive deeper into the topic of AI for designers, I have something for you. Because on April the 19th and the 20th, I will be hosting a live webinar each evening

A personal webinar on the topic of AI for designers called AI for Designers 101. And this two-day event will be live, but of course everyone will receive the recording if they can make it live or want to re-watch it again. And during this live event, we will take a deep dive into what AI means for designers. And the event consists of six modules with three modules per evening. We will

We will start with the basics of AI, including what it is and what you need to know to understand it. We will explore how you can prepare yourself and also future-proof your career. And we will take a very, very close look at particular design tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney and more and filter out how you can best use them as a designer to incorporate them in your workflow.

You are also going to explore AI design techniques and ways to integrate AI as well as looking into the ethical issues and risk which is super super important. So this webinar will give you the comprehensive overview you need to be up to date at the moment as well as provide you with a shortcut to the knowledge that you need as a designer at the moment.

We are at the beginning of a big revolution that will change a lot, especially in the creative and tech industry. So it is really important for us to be prepared, to continue learning and to be ready for what lies ahead. And therefore, join me and continue to educate yourself. I'm really looking forward to having you there. However, I must tell you that I only have limited spots available due to the provider that I'm chosen for the event. So

If this sounds interesting to you, if you want to be a part of it, sign up, secure your spot. The link with more information on what to expect can be found in the description box. So just check it out. I can't wait to see you there. But now let's start with the topic.

So AI is already changing the way we interact with technology. And I think this became super, super obvious in the last couple of months and couple of weeks where, you know, ChatGPT 4 was released, Microsoft released Copilot, Adobe released Adobe Firefly. So there were like a lot of changes happening. And when I'm thinking about text input to design, like what we have with ChatGPT, you know, Mid Journey, Adobe Firefly, it's all text input. Super interesting.

I'm wondering what does this really mean for us as UX designers? And one area where AI is set to make a really big impact on the user experience is natural language processing. And there startups like Adapt, I'm going to link it in the show notes as well, are already building systems that will help users navigate websites through text prompts.

So imagine you are on a fashion e-commerce website and you type in red jumpsuit below $50 that can be delivered until tomorrow with express delivery.

with express or you are on an online grocery website where you type in add me all the ingredients for spaghetti bolognese and deliver them for today to my home

AI is set to become much more intelligent in the future. And instead of just typing in a little video you want to watch, like, you know, thinking about you're on YouTube, you want to learn something, for example, how to do, I

I don't know, fake eyelashes, you will be able to type in, I want to get better at eye makeup and the AI system will have automatically create a customized course for you or a customized video. And AI will move us from

content-based queries to higher order goal-based queries. That sounds super complicated, but it's actually pretty simple. So the content or some kind of like, yeah, the output, the videos, any kind of content will be focused and customized for the user. And there is one brand that already does that a little bit already, which I think is pretty interesting. And this is TED Talks.

They are already using AI to categorize videos based on viewers' goals. For example, you can check out the TED app, for example, or the website. When you want to look a video, it's not that you just search environmental impact, but you

find categories like the feeling that you want to get out of this or the goal that you want to get out of watching this video. For example, I want to be inspired or motivational videos, for example. So this shifts a lot, which I find super interesting.

So what are the key takeaways for UX designers when it comes to AI and the future of user experience? We already talked about two things that I find particularly interesting, right? So that you have the text input for websites, for any kind of digital interfaces and get with a prompt. I mean, we're already seeing that with all the tools that came out in the last couple of months, right?

and use that to create personalized output as well as changing the search and the navigation, not based on how the videos look like, but based on the goal for the customer. I think this is super interesting, especially seeing that from the user experience point of view. So let's start with the top five takeaways. Number one is understand that AI is not just about search and navigation.

It's said to become much more intelligent in the future and it will enable higher order goal queries that are customized to the user. And I think this is super interesting. Already mentioned the example, right?

AI is no longer just helping users find information or navigate on a website. But in the future, AI will be able to understand users goals and preferences also based on past experiences or past search inputs, for example, and provide personalized recommendations and advice based on those goals. For example, instead of simply searching for a product on a website,

users will be able to tell the AI what they are looking for and why. And the AI will be able to provide more customized results. As UX designers, it's important to understand how AI is evolving and how it can be used to enhance user experience. So here the interesting

I would say takeaway is you need to understand the user's goal in that point, right? So this is not a structure around the content that you have on the website, but this is the user's goal, right? So super interesting. Already talked about the example in the intro, so I don't want to mention that again. And then let's come to the key takeaway number two, which I also find very interesting.

Because what you can do is you can keep the three piece framework in mind when designing for AI. And for everyone who doesn't know the three piece framework, it's personalized, predictive and proactive. So when you are designing for a AI driven future,

It is customized entirely for the user. It predicts their needs and preferences and it takes action on their behalf with their approval, but without their explicit query. So the 3P framework is a useful way to think about how AI can enhance the user experience. So it's like personalized, predictive, proactive.

Personalized AI will be able to create a market of one, where everything is customized on the individual user. And predictive AI will be able to forecast actions and answers before they happen,

And proactive AI will take action on those predictions with the user's approval. So as UX designers, it's important to design for an AI-driven future that takes into account these three aspects, right? Like personalized, predictive, so what is the next step, and then proactive, really goes for it and be proactive with the output.

One example would be Netflix. Netflix uses AI to personalize its recommendations for each user based on their viewing history and preferences. And this makes it easier for users to find content they are interested in and enhances their overall experience.

Okay, let's come to key takeaway number three. The world of AI is constantly evolving and new technologies are being developed all the time. As UX designers, it's important to stay up to date, of course, on these developments and experience with new AI tools so that they can be used to enhance the user experience. And this can involve

anything from having an AI design a workout plan for you to staying or to playing games with AI and one example that I find super interesting is Adobe they have they're working a lot with AI I mean they're having like their Adobe AI platform it's called Sensei and

And this platform is integrated in a lot of the Adobe design tools. It offers a really big range of tools for designers like image recognition, color matching, font indication. And by using these tools, designers can save time and also improve the quality of their work. And for those of you who already had the chance to check out Adobe Firefly, which is a super interesting new tool,

some kind of like mid journey but much better actually um i was lucky to be one of the better testers so i already had a sneak peek into what is going to what the like the future of creativity is going to look like right so it'll be firefly is a tool there where you can actually co-create with a i you have a text prompt so for example you enter

I don't know, illustration for like a child's book in, I don't know, like a girl in the city, for example. Then it creates this illustration and then you can personalize everything and changes. And the goal of this tool is, I'm also going to link it in the show notes so you can have a look.

is to be the starting point for people to become creative. So use that first visual that the machine creates that you can also personalize. You can change the style, you can change the color. So there are a lot of things to iterate on it and use that as a starting point to become creative. And I think this is

Really, really interesting, especially for creatives, how we can use AI in our design workflow, of course, but also understand that AI is constantly evolving. There are new technologies and new ways to use it to try things out. And I think this is like a very, very important thing.

Now let's come to the next point, which is really understanding the ethical considerations of using AI in UX and also ensure that you are using it in a way that is transparent.

ethical and respects user privacy. Sorry. So you really need to keep asking critical questions about AI limitations, biases, data privacy, and leverage your resources to find the answers. So one discussion that I find extremely interesting is also how to deal with creative work and AI.

And Adobe, for example, with the tool Adobe Firefly, I already mentioned it, how they are dealing with it is that when you download the image that the machine created for you, it has a little label underneath that says this is created by AI.

And the labeling, I think, is pretty interesting also to differentiate between this is an AI-created image and this is like an image that like a true creator created by himself with his hands, right? And also the input, I think, is pretty interesting how they are handling it because everything, like, I mean, you can use the images where you have the right for, but if you mention like,

do a certain illustration in a certain style from a famous illustrator, the tool is not going to do that for you because you don't have the right to use this illustration style or certain elements. For example, if you want to do an illustration with Mickey Mouse, it's not allowed because you don't have the right actually to use Mickey Mouse in your illustrations. Maybe you do have it, but probably not. I think this is pretty important to show the limitations.

and also help the machines and the AI to understand what is allowed to use, what is okay and what is not okay. And I think Adobe is handling that super, super great. So I think this is very interesting. And here's another example that I find really interesting. So Google has faced massive criticism for its use of AI algorithm in hiring.

which were found to be biased against women and minority candidates. I don't know if it was trained on purpose or what was the reason behind it, but this is just a fact, right? So that it was biased. And the company has worked to address these biases and prove the fairness to its hiring process. So they at least recognized it and they're changing it. But these biases can always happen.

And we need to be super, super curious to learn about how the biases happen and also be very cautious about how we train the AI. What kind of inputs do we use to be fair, right? And to create an environment where we really want to live and to work. Okay, let's come to the last point, which is embracing the possibilities of AI and the future of UX and really stay curious.

The only thing that we can do is to try new ways of using these technologies and also to see how it reacts. And I personally find this super exciting and interesting. AI is a massive paradigm shift for our world and everyone deserves voice in our world. As UX designers, it's important to stay really open-minded and curious about the possibilities of AI and the future of UX design.

This means being willing to experiment with new technologies and approaches and to constantly explore new ways to enhancing the user experience. So, for example, the use of chatbots in customer service is a growing trend in UX.

By using AI to provide automated responses to customer inquiries, companies can improve the speed and efficiency of their customer service operations while also providing a more personalized experience for users. So we should definitely keep that in mind. It's an always learning mentality. Okay, let's summarize.

all the important points. The key takeaway number one is understand that AI is not just about search and navigation, but really creating some kind of like a goal based input. Super interesting. Think about the example with the sofa, for example, or with the TED Talks. Then number two, which is a framework, right? Like the three piece framework.

personalized, predictive and proactive where we are designing for an AI-driven future that is customized entirely to the user. Number three, really keep in mind that the world of AI is constantly evolving, right? And that we really need to keep up to date. A lot of things are happening, so we need to experiment with it and really lean in this place of unknown, right?

Number four is to understand the ethical consideration biases and keep in mind that it's important to know what kind of input you are putting in the AI and what is the output if it might be biased and also understand how biases are happening. And number five is really embrace the possibilities of AI in the future of your acts and stay curious, stay hungry.

This is a mindset that will really push you forward, I think, throughout your whole career and through everything that's coming. And it's super, super, super important.

Okay, that's it for today's episode about the role of AI in enhancing user experience. I really hope you gained some insights into how AI is changing the field of UX and what you can do to prepare for this era of AI-driven design. So remember to stay up to date on emerging technologies, experiment with AI tools, and be mindful about the ethical considerations surrounding AI in UX. And as I mentioned in the beginning,

I am hosting the AI for Designer 101 webinar. If you want to dive deeper into the topic and really prep yourself and your career for what's currently ahead of us, sign up for the webinar. I added the link with more info in the description box. So just check it out and join us. I'm super excited to have you there. So thank you so much for listening and hear you in the future.