On Design in the Age of AI
There is a common claim today: “In five years, AI will design entire products by itself. Designers will be obsolete.” I do not believe that. AI is excellent at applying existing patterns, but weak at recognizing when a pattern needs to be broken. The moments that define real design come from empathy, systemic understanding, and the courage to question what already exists. The radical simplification of oneButton, the decision to explore smell as an interface, the choice to test autonomous mobility on real streets. None of these came from pattern matching.
The best designers are not those who master tools. They are the ones who think critically and strategically, and translate that thinking into a design language.
The whole point of human-centered design is to tame complexity, to turn what would appear to be a complicated tool into one that fits the task, that is understandable, usable, enjoyable.
Don Norman (researcher, professor, and author)
How I Work With AI
Claude and ChatGPT are part of my daily practice. They are multipliers in execution, not substitutes for judgment. What changes with AI is the role of the designer: more critical thinker, more editor, more decision maker. The creative problem solving stays in the human mind. Execution work like research synthesis, documentation drafts, and code scaffolding moves to the machine.
The skill that matters is not knowing how to use a specific tool. It is knowing what good looks like, and demanding it.
On Inclusive Design
Inclusive design is not a checklist at the end of a project. It is a perspective that changes design decisions from the very beginning. The radical minimalism of oneButton came from user testing with elderly participants who struggled with smartphone based booking. The haptic feedback, using vibration to orient in space, came from testing with visually impaired users. These were not accessibility additions. They were the design itself.
Designing for everyone makes the product better for everyone.
Design is about making things better for people.
Dieter Rams (industrial designer)
On Agility
I have lived agile from many angles. In small interdisciplinary teams and in large structured programs. In holacracy setups and in late stage serial development. Real agility thrives where teams have room to experiment, fail fast, and build mutually across disciplines. Agile theater is the opposite: standups without decisions, sprints without learning, rituals without ownership.
The most important agile skill is recognizing which mode you are in. Experimentation, refinement, or commitment. Each phase asks for a different kind of team and a different kind of leadership.
On Design Leadership
A good Design Lead makes their team capable of deciding, not capable of executing what the Lead has already decided. My team holds the deepest insight into the design itself. My role is to support, remove obstacles, and ensure they can do their best work. I step in to make the final call only when needed.
I have worked in real agile setups and in agile theater. The difference matters. Agile worked best in small interdisciplinary teams with the budget to experiment. Projects like oneButton and Neue Mobilität Potsdam thrived because we could fail fast and learn fast.
The primary focus of any manager should be to energize people, to make sure that they actually want to do all that stuff.
Jurgen Appelo (author, speaker, and entrepreneur)
What I Want to Leave Behind
In five years, I want to look back at work that speaks a clear design language and creates concrete value for people and society. Work that holds up to scrutiny, not because it avoided criticism, but because it earned its place.