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Corporate Mindset: Big companies often miss the mark on surprise and delight. They get too caught up in features and roadmaps, losing sight of what really matters to users.
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First Mile Matters: The first experience users have is crucial. They want to feel successful right off the bat, even if they’re a bit lazy or selfish. Ironically, the final mile of a product launch often relies on defaults, which can refresh the experience. But as products grow, they tend to focus more on power users, leaving early adopters in the dust. The solution? Keep investing time in that first mile experience.
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Generative AI: These products push us to the edge of what’s true, but when they hit the mainstream, they often lack excitement. Algorithms can lead us into dangerous territory, including misinformation. Consumers need to understand why they see what they see—sometimes it’s just “because people like you clicked on this.”
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Tech for Everyone: The goal should be to lower barriers while raising potential. For example, generative recolor can enhance packaging and reveal new possibilities.
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Learning Taste: Taste is becoming more important than ever. Teaching creativity isn’t just about saying “taste is essential”; it’s about experience and exposure. Photographers, for instance, can find inspiration in architecture. This cross-pollination of ideas is vital, encouraging us to create spaces that are lateral and horizontal, not just vertical.
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Feeling Known: In our hyper-personalized world, why aren’t we known everywhere we go? Brand moments have turned into “feeling special as a service.”
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Building Impactful Circles: With so many founders and investors out there, how do we create meaningful connections? It’s all about shared interests and like-minded folks challenging each other. Find people you respect and make an effort to debate and grow together.
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Next Steps: The future isn’t just about startups with good capabilities; it’s about creating an orchestration layer that gets things done. Right now, there’s frustration over the lack of granular controls from APIs. As this tech matures, we need to design hooks that allow for more detailed capabilities.
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Collaboration is Key: The answer to talent and enablement is working together. Talented designers want to engage with leads, but breaking down traditional hierarchies can empower everyone.
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Reclaiming Identity: In the end, we all long for that sense of being known—like in the good old days before the anonymity of the Industrial Revolution. We want to reclaim our identity on our own terms while embracing the scale and efficiency that modern tech offers.