Crafting intelligent interfaces with AI

On Tuesday, May 12, we’re sitting down with Josh Clark and Veronika Kindred, authors of Sentient Design, for a live AMA you won’t want to miss.

If you haven’t heard of Sentient Design yet, it’s one of the most thought-provoking books to come out of the AI design conversation. Josh and Veronika explore what it means …

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Link correction*: join us here for the AMA: https://open.substack.com/live-stream/181419?utm_source=live-stream-share-button
(*we had some tech errors w/ Substack)

Few design leaders are as articulate about process, craft, and the art of being effective inside large organizations as Bob Baxley — and that kind of clarity doesn’t come from reading books. It comes from 35 years leading design at Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, and Thoughtspot.

Join us for a live AMA with Bob on Tuesday, April 28 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET / 5PM GMT. This AMA is available to paid subscribers. Upgrade now to join live — and unlock every past recording in the archive.

Beyond your questions, we’ll be asking Bob about the design culture he helped shape at Apple, what the leadership transition there means for the company’s design future, and what he thinks design teams need most right now.

Subscribe to join the Bob Baxley AMA

About Bob Baxley

Bob Baxley is a designer, writer, and advisor who lives and works in Silicon Valley. During a 35 year career that includes Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, and others, Bob has led teams and built products used by hundreds of millions of people around the world. Blending the principles of humanist philosophy with the craft of software design, he believes we have a moral obligation to create products that demonstrate a deep understanding, empathy, and concern for our audience…all the people out there on the other side of the glass.

In recent years, Bob has advised dozens of startups and mentored hundreds of designers and design leaders. With a perspective that intersects a liberal arts education with a deep background and understanding of computing and design, he regularly appears on leading tech podcasts and industry events around the world — asking difficult questions and nudging conversations into unexpected places.

Hi everyone!

Bobby Hughes and recently created a new workshop offering, aimed at Design Researchers who are looking to expand their skillset. The first workshop sold out and went really well, so we’re running another two-day workshop on April 24th and May 1st.

We’re limiting the event to 20 tickets, and are giving early discounts to Design Better premium members (see links at bottom).

These discounted tickets will likely sell fast, so if you miss them, you can also register here (workshop hosted via Maven):

Register for workshop

Here’s a testimonial from one of our participants:

“My biggest takeaway was how to better influence stakeholders, shifting from delivering large, dense reports to sharing smaller, digestible “snacks” of insight. It’s a simple idea, but it completely reframed how I think about communicating research.

The course also introduced new AI tools and, more importantly, new ways to use them. The hands-on exercises made it easy to explore and apply what we were learning in real time.

I’d recommend this course especially for researchers newer to AI, but even experienced practitioners will likely pick up a few valuable techniques.” —Marlon V., Senior UX Designer

Workshop Description

AI x Influence for Design Researchers

A hands-on workshop for design researchers who want their insights to go further.

You’ve done the interviews. You’ve found the patterns and written the report. And then... a stakeholder skims it, a designer misinterprets it, and six months later someone suggests research you already did.

The problem isn’t your research. It’s that insight alone doesn’t move people — stories do. Visuals do. Things people can hold onto, share, and remember do.

This workshop teaches you how to make your research stick.

Learn AI tools to transform your findings into artifacts that travel — crisp one-pagers, sharp visuals, narratives that make stakeholders feel what your customers feel. No design background required. No waiting on someone else to realize your vision.

Gain practical skills across three areas:

Discover communication techniques that keep your work visible — Turn findings into clear, compelling updates and narratives that stakeholders actually read, remember, and reference in decisions.

Gain confidence creating visual assets — Build simple, effective visuals that bring emotion to your work and make insights easier to understand and harder to ignore — without needing a designer to do it for you.

Expand visual storytelling skills — Develop storyboards and scenarios with consistent characters and contexts so stakeholders and designers can envision what customers need — as you see it, and on your timeline.

This isn’t about dumbing down your research. It’s about giving it the reach it deserves.

Tools we’ll use: ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Gemini, ImageFX

Discounted Tickets for Design Better Premium Members

We have a limited number of discounted tickets for our premium members, which are first come, first served:

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We’re excited to be part of Crafted, UserTesting’s conference for people who build products, design experiences, and do research.

May 28th: Seattle

September 17th: London

It’s a hands-on event — workshops, panels, and keynotes from practitioners — held in spaces designed to actually get people talking and collaborating. If you’re a product leader, designer, or researcher looking for fresh thinking and practical tools you’ll use after you get home, this one’s worth a look.

My colleague Bobby Hughes and I will be running a workshop in Seattle on AI + Design Thinking and UX Research.

More info coming soon, and register here if you can attend in either Seattle or London.

Get Tickets

Hi folks!

Bobby Hughes and I have created a new workshop offering, aimed at Design Researchers (but also useful if you are a more generalist designer who would like to increase your influence on your team and organization).

We’re limiting the event to 20 tickets, and are giving early discounts to Design Better premium members (see links at bottom).

These discounted tickets will likely sell fast, so if you miss them, you can also register here:

Register for workshop

AI x Influence for Design Researchers

A hands-on workshop for design researchers who want their insights to go further.

You’ve done the interviews. You’ve found the patterns and written the report. And then... a stakeholder skims it, a designer misinterprets it, and six months later someone suggests research you already did.

The problem isn’t your research. It’s that insight alone doesn’t move people — stories do. Visuals do. Things people can hold onto, share, and remember do.

This workshop teaches you how to make your research stick.

Learn AI tools to transform your findings into artifacts that travel — crisp one-pagers, sharp visuals, narratives that make stakeholders feel what your customers feel. No design background required. No waiting on someone else to realize your vision.

Gain practical skills across three areas:

Discover communication techniques that keep your work visible — Turn findings into clear, compelling updates and narratives that stakeholders actually read, remember, and reference in decisions.

Gain confidence creating visual assets — Build simple, effective visuals that bring emotion to your work and make insights easier to understand and harder to ignore — without needing a designer to do it for you.

Expand visual storytelling skills — Develop storyboards and scenarios with consistent characters and contexts so stakeholders and designers can envision what customers need — as you see it, and on your timeline.

This isn’t about dumbing down your research. It’s about giving it the reach it deserves.

Tools we’ll use: ChatGPT, NotebookLM, Gemini, ImageFX

Discounted Tickets for Design Better Premium Members

We have a limited number of discounted tickets for our premium members, which are first come, first served: Update: we’ve sold out of our discounted tickets for premium members

• 50% discount (2 tickets) Sold out!

• 25% discount (3 tickets) Sold out!

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Thank you , , , , , and many others for tuning into our live video with !

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Mar 12, 2026 | TIME: 11:00 am EDT

AI is changing how design teams work — faster than most organizations know how to handle. Teams are moving quickly, expectations are rising, and yet something curious is happening as work moves from early ideation toward review and launch: confidence is dropping.

That tension is worth exploring.

Drawing on research with 183 designers across the US and EU from our friends at UserTesting, this 60-minute session looks at how design leaders are building accountability into their workflows — not by slowing down, but by making their decisions easier to defend.

We’ll dig into what that actually looks like in practice, why evidence and user insight matter more than ever for maintaining trust with executives and other stakeholders, and what it takes to lead through the ambiguity that comes with working with these new tools and platforms.

If your team is experimenting with AI but struggling to stay confident as the stakes get higher, this one’s for you.

Join us for a panel discussion moderated by Jahvita Rastafari, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at UserTesting, with Jason Giles, UserTesting’s VP of Product Design, and us — Aarron and Eli.

Register for the panel discussion

Join us for on Friday, February 27th at 9:00a PT for a conversation and AMA with , cartoonist extraordinaire. We’ll chat about his creative process, living a creative life, and what he calls “the slow burn of mastery,” as well as taking questions from the audience.

Sign up to join the livestream

Thank you , , , , , and many others for joining our Design Better AMA.

If you’d like to join future AMAs, and ask questions directly to former guests of the show and industry experts, consider becoming a premium member.

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Join Aarron and Eli tomorrow, Tuesday, January 27th at 9:00a PT, for a conversation about what we learned from our guests on Design Better in 2025, and what to look forward to in 2026.

For the first time, we’ll be hosting the AMA right here from Substack, and the conversation will be open to all subscribers.

Sign up to join the livestream

Join us for a conversation with Alison Rand, author of Sentido and a pioneer in design operations. We recently interviewed Alison, exploring her concept of radical humanity and the heart-driven nature of designops, and now we’re bringing Alison back for a live Q&A.

Bring your questions about building healthier team dynamics, navigating organizational transformation, or challenging the conventional wisdom of design leadership. Whether you’re wrestling with how to lead with both courage and compassion, or curious about applying organic intelligence to your work, this is your chance to dig deeper.

Subscribe to get access

Become a Design Better Premium subscriber to view the video recording from our conversation with Alison. When you join, you’ll also get access to all recordings from our past AMAs and much more. It’s just $7/month.

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They don't teach business in design school, so it's no surprise that the careers of designers are often constrained by a lack of understanding of how design can and should be supporting business goals. Ryan Rumsey, founder of Second Wave Dive and Chief Design Officer (CDO) School, helps designers at major companies think strategically and in this AMA, he's going to do the same for you. Join us for a conversation with Ryan about how to cultivate literacy in business to realize your potential as a design leader.

In case you missed it, Ryan wrote a fantastic issue of The Brief about the hard truths designers need to hear. It’s a must read.

About Ryan Rumsey

Ryan Rumsey is a design leadership coach, consultant, author, and micro-business operator based in rural Vermont. With over 20 years of experience at top-tier companies like Apple, EA, USAA, Nestlé, and Comcast, Ryan brings deep expertise in product design, leadership, and strategic thinking to the table.

He runs Second Wave Dive, a creative studio and holding company from which he publishes a weekly-ish newsletter exploring sustainable independent work, micro-business building, and creative strategy . As founder of Chief Design Officer (CDO) School, he teaches senior designers and design teams how to think strategically in their roles.

Ryan is also the author of two practical and empowering guidebooks—Business Thinking for Designers (teaching designers how to build trust and influence business partners) and Play Up Your Impact (helping creatives effectively communicate their contributions using data and storytelling).

Beyond writing and coaching, he speaks globally—at companies like Google, Zillow, and DocuSign, and at conferences including TEDx, UX London, IxDA Oslo, and Creative Mornings. He’s also worked with universities such as Georgia Tech, UT Austin, and EPFL.

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Is your design system still a struggle? The best way to make progress is with the insights from someone who has designed, built, and implemented design systems at some of the world's biggest companies.

Get all your design systems questions answered in our AMA with the world's foremost authority on design systems, Brad Frost.

Wednesday June 25, 9AM PT/12PM ET/5PM GMT

Get access to this event and the Design Systems Handbook

Get access to this and all our monthly AMAs with the brightest minds in design and tech by becoming a Design Better Premium subscriber. When you join, you’ll also get access to our entire library of books, including the Design Systems Handbook, written by leading experts in design and engineering from Etsy, Square, Github, Shopify, and Microsoft.

Become a Premium subscriber

About Brad Frost

Brad Frost is a web designer, speaker, consultant, and musician based in Pittsburgh, PA. He is best known for his work on design systems and his book, Atomic Design, which introduces a methodology for creating and maintaining effective design systems. He also co-hosts the Style Guides Podcast and has created several tools and resources for web designers, including Pattern Lab, Styleguides.io, and This Is Responsive.

Figma is central to most designers' workflow these days (certainly is here at Design Better). So it's important to get familiar with all of the latest features. Who better to give us the back story of the releases announced at Config than Noah Levin, VP of Product Design at Figma. Join us for a conversation with Noah and a closer look at how Figma is helping designers design better.

In this AMA, Noah demo’d some of Figma’s newest tools and featured, and we discussed topics including:

• Hiring and scaling design teams in the AI age

• Emerging trends in design

• Career growth for junior UX designers

• Fostering better designer-developer collaboration

• Improving table design workflows in Figma

• AI's impact on design and development roles

• Support for print-focused workflows

• Staying up to date with Figma tools and features

• Lessons from designing the new Figma

You can access Noah’s slide deck here: https://www.figma.com/community/file/1525591690579811855/design-better-slides

About Noah Levin

Noah Levin is the VP of Product Design at Figma. Before that he led the UX team at ClassPass in NYC, and before that he was at Google working on Mobile Search in Mountain View. He also spent some time teaching designers to code as an early advisor at Framer, and building a digital assistant for Astronauts at NASA. He studied Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon and is from Pittsburgh originally.

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Learn more about Figma's recent product launches at https://www.config.new/

Grace Ling, founder of the design community Design Buddies, is helping thousands build creative careers. Join us for a conversation with Grace about what she's learned building a global community and the essential steps to advancing your career.

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Become a Design Better Premium subscriber to join our live conversation with Grace and ask questions directly. When you join, you’ll also get access to all recordings from our past AMAs and much more. It’s just $7/month.

Subscribe now

About Grace Ling

Grace Ling is the founder of Design Buddies, a global community she launched in April 2020 to support and connect designers at all stages of their careers. What began as a small Slack group has grown to over 150,000 members worldwide, offering mentorship, portfolio reviews, virtual events, and resources to help designers land jobs and build their skills. In addition to community building, Grace creates educational design content, illustrates, speaks at conferences, and competes as a runner. She is based in San Francisco.

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Get access to this and all past AMA events by becoming a Design Better Premium member today. It’s just $7/month or $72/year.

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We’ve got a few fun things to announce that are coming this month, including a new Storytelling + Design workshop, another session of our popular AI + Design Thinking workshop, and a book giveaway.

The Storytelling Edge: A Live Workshop for Product Designers & Leaders

As designers and product leaders, we rely heavily on compelling visuals, research data, and bulleted feature lists to influence product direction—but people don’t remember data. They remember stories.

During the 8 years we’ve been interviewing highly creative people for Design Better, we’ve collected many tips and tactics that can help you become a better storyteller, from people like David Sedaris, John Cleese, Dan Pink, Ed Catmull, and Hillary Coe.

In this live, interactive 3-hour workshop, you’ll experience why storytelling is the secret weapon for getting buy-in, making insights stick, and turning ideas into action.

• Break free from the "safe zone" of data, and craft narratives that captivate.

• Use improv-inspired exercises to unlock spontaneity and presence.

• Learn alongside fellow product designers, PMs, and leaders—because great storytelling is about human connection.

By the end of this workshop, you’ll harness the power of storytelling to influence decisions, pitch ideas with newfound confidence, and make your work truly unforgettable. You’ll walk away with proven narrative strategies, a practical toolkit for refining your stories, and the beginnings of real narratives you can shape to amplify your impact

This is a hands-on, high-energy experience designed to transform how you communicate.

Ready to tell stories that stick? Fill out the short form below to let us know if you're interested in attending our workshop on April 29th, and you'll be among the first to know when tickets go on sale later this month:

I'm interested in Storytelling + Design

April 8th AI + Design Thinking Workshop

We’ve still got a handful of tickets left for our AI + Design Thinking workshop on April 8th.

And we’ve also set aside a few discounted tickets for Design Better premium members, which you can find if you scroll to the bottom of this post. And if you become a premium member at the yearly level, please reach out to see if we have any additional discounted tickets by sending an email to subscriptions@thecuriositydepartment.com.

We also put together a handy guide for expensing the workshop so you can get reimbursed by your employer.

Register for remote workshop April 8th

Book giveaway: Human-Centered Security

Our recent guest, Heidi Trost, just published a book called Human-Centered Security: How to Design Systems That Are Both Safe and Usable. In the book, Heidi aims to help people who are “tired of hearing things like ‘humans are the weakest link’ and instead want to focus on designing more secure, more resilient systems.”

We’re giving away 5 copies of her book to existing Design Better premium members. Just fill out the form below, and the first 5 respondents will get a copy (note that currently free shipping only covers the US, but the code is also valid for a digital copy of the book if you live internationally).

Thanks for your support, and hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!

-Eli, Aarron, and Bobby

Discounted access to workshops + book giveaway for Design Better premium members below

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Vicki Tan's new book Ask This Book A Question is an exploration into better decision making, grounded in the science of cognitive bias and the wisdom of storytelling. She applies a designer's mindset to the most vexing decisions we face in life.

In her time at Google, Lyft, Spotify, Headspace, and now Pinterest, Vicki has developed a wealth of knowledge on the design process and team dynamics. Join us for an open conversation with Vicki Tan.

The event happened Tuesday, April 1st at 10:00 am PT/1:00 pm ET.

About Vicki Tan

Vicki Tan is a digital product designer, based in San Francisco, with over a decade of experience crafting widely used and beloved experiences. As a design leader at Pinterest, Spotify, Headspace, Lyft, and Google, she blends behavioral science with design to create meaningful products that help people find inspiration and build healthy habits. When not designing or writing, Vicki can usually be found walking with her Great Pyrenees Charlie, reading sci-fi, or exploring the best noodle spots in the city.

Video from the AMA

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Design thinking methodologies often give the impression that design is something that happens linearly. Start here, move through these steps, innovation will pop out on the other side. But reality is much more nonlinear.

That's exactly what recent Design Better guest, Kevin Bethune, lays out in his new book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction, which emphasizes that to achieve real innovation, teams must be willing to venture into the “proverbial forest of ambiguity.”

Design and collaboration can be a messy business. Join us for a conversation with Kevin about how we can shakeup our workflows to embrace ambiguity and exploration.

When: Tuesday March 11 12PMPT/3PMET/8PM GMT

About Kevin Bethune

Kevin Bethune is a design and innovation executive, entrepreneur, best-selling author and keynote speaker based in Redondo Beach, California. He serves as the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of dreams • design + life, a think tank that delivers design and innovation services using a human-centered approach. His background spans engineering, business and design in equal proportion over 25+ years of in-depth product experiences. His first book, Reimagining Design: Unlocking Strategic Innovation (The MIT Press) released with notable acclaim under the Simplicity: Design, Business, Technology, Life Series in March 2022. His second book, Nonlinear: Navigating Design with Curiosity and Conviction (The MIT Press), just released on February 4, 2025. He also serves as a Board Trustee for ArtCenter College of Design and a Board Director for the Design Management Institute (DMI).

Scott Berkun, a recent guest on Design Better, wants to help you realize your potential as a designer by pulling back the veil of how politics and power work in big organizations. His new book, Why Design is Hard, looks at how designers can learn to navigate organizational power structures and gain more influence over decisions that affect their work, how the myth of the “design hero” shapes young designers entering the field, and why design schools often fail to prepare students for the real-world dynamics of organizational culture and power.

Join us for a chat with Scott about how to be more effective in your work.

When: January 28th, 2025

About Scott Berkun

Scott Berkun is a bestselling author and popular speaker on UX design, innovation, leading teams, public speaking and other subjects. He’s published nine books, including How Design Makes The World, The Myths of Innovation, Confessions of a Public Speaker, and The Year Without Pants. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Guardian, Wired magazine, USA Today, Fast Company, National Public Radio, CNN, NPR, MSNBC and other media. His popular blog is at scottberkun.com and he tweets at @berkun.

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As a part of the series of fundraisers organized by Hang 🤙 Xu and Lex Roman in support of LA's recovery from recent wildfires, we hosted a hangout with Design Better co-founders Aarron Walter and Eli Woolery, with a suggested donation of $25 that will go directly to an affected family's GoFundMe.

We also had special cameo appearances from Meredith Black, co-founder of DesignOps Assembly, and Jake Knapp, co-author of Sprint.

You can find the recording of our session here on LinkedIn.

If you’d like to donate, click the button below:

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