Pavel A. Samsonov

There's a new "design is dead, because AI" piece (thinly disguised marketing from Anthropic). But looking past the hype headlines, their claims cover purely production-stage tasks.

When it comes to the work of understanding user needs and evaluating the opportunity space, AI actually makes your thinking worse. Studies show that it alienates you from users and colleagues, and flattens your thinking.

We need more human-centered practice, not less.

https://productpicnic.beehiiv.com/p/software-is-a-coordination-problem-ai-can-t-help-you-with-that

#LLM #UX #AI #tech

Software is a coordination problem. AI can't help you with that.

The feedback loops of the product delivery lifecycle go through people. Adding AI makes this process slower, not faster.

The Product Picnic
Mar 16 at 1:33pmWeb
Show threadPavel A. SamsonovMar 16
Thanks @mulegirl @stevenjmesser @Wolven @thure @baldur @camerontw @JessTheUnstill @Cjforms and everyone else not yet on Fedi for the writing and ideas in this week's issue of the Product Picnic!
Show threadCedar Fen Farm Cedar Fen FarmMar 16

@PavelASamsonov

The world need tallented developers not on a corporate leash to do this right. New business startups should florish in the wake of this corporate idiocy.

Show threadPavel A. SamsonovMar 16
@oldoldcojote Unfortunately startups nowadays either rush to grab VC funding (and get saddled with a board that performs this function) or get crushed by those who did because the VC cash can subsidize the real costs of providing service.
Show threadCedar Fen Farm Cedar Fen FarmMar 16

@PavelASamsonov

Our thinking needs to change. Coops based on real needs could help change this. Venture capitalism chooses investents based on get rich quick business plans.

Show threadDavid MankinsMar 16

@PavelASamsonov

It’s good to raise issues like this to point out beneficial strategies.

One of the benefits of proper use of AI tools is they reduce the burden of throwing prototypes away, and let you iterate over user-centered design with real implementations instead of mock-ups.

The problem is (and has always been) the tension between the dual masters of budget and craft. AI tools, properly approached, decrease budgetary pressure and make more time and opportunity for craft.

Show threadPavel A. SamsonovMar 16
@lain_7 That is not what I have ever observed actually happening. Convincing people not to treat "good enough" as the stopping point of the process is an insurmountable task under the incentives AI creates.
Show threadDavid MankinsMar 16

@PavelASamsonov

I can remember when getting people to write tests was “insurmountable”. Documentation still seems to be insurmountable. Yet we have ideals and ideas of what can make for best practices.

If you’ve not observed it, ask why? The people around you who think their AI tools are making them so much more preductive must now have time to get the software right, ask them why they’re not taking advantage of that — inculcate good habits instead of claiming good habits are impossible.