Duane King

Product Design fears change. Not incremental change. I mean real innovation — doing things differently, even if it ruffles feathers. For years, designers have built rigid systems, optimized for edge cases, and followed strict accessibility guidelines. That’s important. But in doing so, we've also created a safety net. A formula. A sameness. Look across SaaS products: dashboards blur together, interfaces are interchangeable. Integrations improve utility, but where’s the actual product innovation? Take Apple’s liquid glass interface. Many designers criticised it for accessibility concerns, valid ones. But with modern OS-level accessibility tools, is there also room to explore more expressive, emotional, even unexpected design? We’ve flattened everything. Colours, hierarchies, typography — in pursuit of standards. But maybe it’s time we give users more than usability. Maybe we give them wonder, too. As AI continues to homogenise design outputs, the real opportunity lies in pushing against the grain. Let’s make room for difference. — — — — — — Edited with AI

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An art gallery I work with in Northern California is dealing with a "Systems Vacuum." They're not alone. It's probably the most common problem I come across as a Experience Designer and Strategy Consultant. What is a “Systems Vacuum?” It’s when the necessary systems to help a business or project thrive do not exist. This can (and does) happen anywhere and everywhere - from the coffee shop to the consulting agency, in international logistics, medical, manufacturing, and insurance. I've seen it on product teams many times. How do you know if you're experiencing a systems vacuum? Some common symptoms are; - The team are desperately trying to create their own work-arounds. - Nothing feels like it’s getting done. Work is going in circles. - There’s usually a little bit of squabbling going down. Disagreements are not productive and they increasingly look more and more like arguments. Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it? Well, the reason I started Collaborative Genius is because systems vacuums don't have to continue forever. We can't just throw a band-aid over it and call it "fixed." But we can understand it to transform it. We just need a little G.E.N.I.U.S. (collaboratively) Step 1: [G]ather with the people: Everything in our world stems from human relationships, knowledge, and experience. Listen... I mean EVERYTHING. Step 2: [E]valuate the data: After you’ve listened, watched, and (if you’re lucky) participated, find the patterns and mind the gaps. Step 3: [N]otice lifecycles: When do relationships start and end? What are the systems, spaces, practices, and people that support it? Map it out. Step 4: [I]dentify the support systems: Engage a tactile framework to prioritize action that can have the highest quality of impact. Step 5: [U]se a road map: Even if it’s rudimentary, even if it has to be changed, this is so helpful to just taking the first step and staying on track. Step 6: [S]tick with it: Change doesn’t happen just because you have a great plan. Consistent action is key. Every week I spend with the art gallery will bring us insights and learnings. I am excited to share them with you!

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The Future of High-Velocity Design Engineers are moving faster than ever. AI can spin up seven different prototypes before we’ve even finished a "Research Plan." If we stay stuck in 3-month linear loops, we become the bottleneck. I recently had a talk with my team on how we’re evolving. Our goal is to eliminate the translation layer between our design intent and the live code. This means: Redistributing our time: Less time pushing pixels, more time "jamming" in the live build. Vibe Coding: Using AI (Claude/Cursor) to build functional realities, not just "clickable" prototypes. Trust through Speed: Shipping Research Previews early to learn from real-world data. I created a quick presentation echoing this shift. Feel free to use it, I hope it help you start the conversation. Design leaders, I would love to hear how you're redefining "craft" in your teams as the gap between design and dev evaporates. Let's discuss. 👇 Thanks Jenny Wen for sharing with us your insights 👊

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It’s time to get back to basics… When your head is down in a design business for more than two decades, it’s easy to become complacent and stick to what’s worked. Referrals, word of mouth, and previous clients coming back for more has always kept the work flowing and the bills paid. However... It’s time to make a shift from simply reacting to whatever offers are coming in to going out and finding only the work we want to do. This year, the plan is to… _ redefine our positioning to be laser focused on our ideal client _ craft a new portfolio including only the work we want to take on _ reframe what we say yes to and start saying no more often We do not progress without the intention to do so… The less we change the more things stay the same.

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Had a blast reflecting on Figma's recent milestones and exploring the future of design on Fast Company's By Design podcast. We dug into big questions: * What role does design play in a world where anyone can turn an idea into a product—especially with tools like Figma Make? * What might the future of interfaces look like? * And how are we, as toolmakers, evolving Figma to help usher in this new era? Huge thanks to Mark Wilson and Liz Stinson for the thoughtful conversation—and for continuing to champion the power of design.

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Forget pixel-perfect execution; the future of design leadership lies in crafting the *logic* that creates pixels. This isn't just a catchy phrase; it's the core of the monumental shift Generative UI brings to our design landscape. As Creative Directors, we're not just witnessing the rise of AI; we're poised to become the architects of entirely new digital realities. 🎨 Generative UI is empowering us to move beyond manual layout creation and into the realm of dynamic system design. Our focus shifts from meticulously placing every element to defining the intelligent *rules* and *principles* that allow interfaces to personalize, adapt, and evolve in real-time for every single user. ✨ This is where the true human-AI collaboration shines. We become masters of "prompt engineering," curating the design tokens, component libraries, motion rules, and brand DNA that guide the AI's boundless generation. This liberates us from repetitive tasks, freeing our cognitive energy for strategic thinking, deep user empathy, and the pursuit of emotional resonance. Imagine hyper-personalized user experiences delivered at scale, where interfaces genuinely anticipate individual needs, reordering elements and suggesting features on the fly. Yet, crucially, this deep personalization is governed by *our* strategic intent, ensuring brand consistency and a cohesive user journey. Generative UI isn't about automating designers away; it's about *amplifying* our impact. It's a creative partner that accelerates iteration, generates diverse mockups to spark new ideas, and transforms our workflow into a dynamic dance between human vision and AI's capacity. Let's embrace this exciting evolution. Our role is becoming more strategic, more creative, and more profoundly impactful than ever before. How do you envision Generative UI empowering your team and reshaping the human element in design? Share your insights! 👇

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Terminal Fluency: As AI becomes more central to Designer workflows, I’ve been seeing more questions about whether the terminal is still worth learning. I think it is, terminal is core skill that compounds and unlocks next-level control over agents. Make terminal your second brain with this tmux + vim cheatsheet (or just get started) and keep your hands on the keyboard. https://lnkd.in/eV5bAFhF

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