Design

Invisible UX is coming 🔥 And it’s going to change how we design products, forever. For decades, UX design has been about guiding users through an experience. We’ve done that with visible interfaces: Menus. Buttons. Cards. Sliders. We’ve obsessed over layouts, states, and transitions. But with AI, a new kind of interface is emerging: One that’s invisible. One that’s driven by intent, not interaction. Think about it: You used to: → Open Spotify → Scroll through genres → Click into “Focus” → Pick a playlist Now you just say: “Play deep focus music.” No menus. No tapping. No UI. Just intent → output. You used to: → Search on Airbnb → Pick dates, guests, filters → Scroll through 50+ listings Now we’re entering a world where you guide with words: “Find me a cabin near Oslo with a sauna, available next weekend.” So the best UX becomes barely visible. Why does this matter? Because traditional UX gives users options. AI-native UX gives users outcomes. Old UX: “Here are 12 ways to get what you want.” New UX: “Just tell me what you want & we’ll handle the rest.” And this goes way beyond voice or chat. It’s about reducing friction. Designing systems that understand intent. Respond instantly. And get out of the way. The UI isn’t disappearing. It’s mainly dissolving into the background. So what should designers do? Rethink your role. Going forward you’ll not just lay out screens. You’ll design interactions without interfaces. That means: → Understanding how people express goals → Guiding model behavior through prompt architecture → Creating invisible guardrails for trust, speed, and clarity You are basically designing for understanding. The future of UX won’t be seen. It will be felt. Welcome to the age of invisible UX. Ready for it?

Vintage Illustration, luxury driving nostalgia. +73% of Gen Z consumers say they find comfort in content and design that reminds them of the past. Is trending hard, especially among lifestyle and fashion brands trying to win over Gen Z. But this isn’t just a vibe shift, it’s a strategic move backed by cultural data, behavioral insights, and evolving consumer expectations. Fashion and lifestyle brands are leveraging these illustration trends across packaging, social media, and product design. This appetite for nostalgia isn’t about looking backward, it’s about finding emotional grounding in an overwhelming digital world. +120% YoY increase in searches for terms like “vintage cartoon art” and “retro aesthetic outfit.” +58% of Gen Z shoppers prefer brands with a “strong aesthetic identity rooted in storytelling and nostalgia.” >>Nostalgia-Driven design is here to stay<< Reports predicts that “neo-nostalgia” will define aesthetic strategies through 2026, particularly as Gen Alpha begins to enter the consumer space and Gen Z’s influence continues to peak. Meanwhile, AI and generative design tools are making vintage-style illustration easier to scale, enabling brands to customize retro visuals for seasonal campaigns or limited drops, all while keeping production costs low. +Digital Burnout: In a screen-saturated age, tactile, analog-style graphics stand out. +Sustainability: Vintage aesthetics pair naturally with thrifting, upcycling culture. +Anti-Overdesign: After hyper-polished brand visuals, there's a desire for hand-drawn, imperfect, real art. >>Illustration styles to review<< +Rococo Fashion Plates +Toile de Jouy Designs +Chinoiserie +Scientific & Botanical Illustration +Neoclassical Engravings In Conclusion: Vintage illustration isn’t just a throwback, it’s a forward-looking strategy for brands that want to connect with Gen Z’s complex mix of irony, emotion, and aesthetic intelligence. It signals soul in a world of sameness, and smart brands are taking note. Find my curated search of luxury Illustrations, and get inspired for success. featured Brands: Bulgary Chanel Dolce & Gabbana Dior Dyptique Gucci Hermes Kohan Loewe Versace #beautybussines #beautyprofessionals #luxurybussines #luxuryprofessionals

It’s easy as a PM to only focus on the upside. But you'll notice: more experienced PMs actually spend more time on the downside. The reason is simple: the more time you’ve spent in Product Management, the more times you’ve been burned. The team releases “the” feature that was supposed to change everything for the product - and everything remains the same. When you reach this stage, product management becomes less about figuring out what new feature could deliver great value, and more about de-risking the choices you have made to deliver the needed impact. -- To do this systematically, I recommend considering Marty Cagan's classical 4 Risks. 𝟭. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 Remember Juicero? They built a $400 Wi-Fi-enabled juicer, only to discover that their value proposition wasn’t compelling. Customers could just as easily squeeze the juice packs with their hands. A hard lesson in value risk. Value Risk asks whether customers care enough to open their wallets or devote their time. It’s the soul of your product. If you can’t be match how much they value their money or time, you’re toast. 𝟮. 𝗨𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿’𝘀 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀 Usability Risk isn't about if customers find value; it's about whether they can even get to that value. Can they navigate your product without wanting to throw their device out the window? Google Glass failed not because of value but usability. People didn’t want to wear something perceived as geeky, or that invaded privacy. Google Glass was a usability nightmare that never got its day in the sun. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 Feasibility Risk takes a different angle. It's not about the market or the user; it's about you. Can you and your team actually build what you’ve dreamed up? Theranos promised the moon but couldn't deliver. It claimed its technology could run extensive tests with a single drop of blood. The reality? It was scientifically impossible with their tech. They ignored feasibility risk and paid the price. 𝟰. 𝗩𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗗𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 (Business) Viability Risk is the "grandmaster" of risks. It asks: Does this product make sense within the broader context of your business? Take Kodak for example. They actually invented the digital camera but failed to adapt their business model to this disruptive technology. They held back due to fear it would cannibalize their film business. -- This systematic approach is the best way I have found to help de-risk big launches. How do you like to de-risk?

Tell me about QUANTUM COMPUTING in 2-minutes or less, using language my kid can understand. Challenge accepted. This was a question I got recently in a Q&A. I tried to channel my inner Hemingway. Big ideas, small words and short sentences! So if you fancy learning something new today - here's my take, and some useful resources worth checking out if you want a deeper dive. ⬇️ Imagine a computer that doesn’t just think in ones and zeros, like the ones we use today. A quantum computer uses "qubits" instead of bits. A bit can be a 1 or a 0. But a qubit can be both at the same time — this is called "superposition". It’s like flipping a coin and having it be heads and tails until you look.   Quantum computers also use something called entanglement. When two qubits are entangled, what happens to one instantly affects the other, even if they’re far apart. This lets quantum computers connect ideas in powerful new ways.   Because of superposition and entanglement, a quantum computer can explore many answers at once instead of one by one. That makes it super fast for some problems. It could help discover new medicines, protect data (search “quantum safe”), fight climate change, or even train smarter (ethical) AI.   But quantum computers are very hard to build. Qubits are delicate and can lose their power if they get too hot or too noisy. Scientists all over the world are racing to make them stronger and more stable. Quantum computers have to be kept at extremely low temperatures (-459°F) which is even colder than in outer space!   If they succeed, quantum computers could solve problems so big that today’s fastest supercomputers would take thousands of years to finish. Quantum computers won’t replace classical computers – but they will help us to solve many problems that we’ve never been able to solve before.   Quantum computers are not just faster – they give us a whole new way to understand the world. [263 words / 2 minutes] ⬇️ Want a Deeper Dive? 🥶 WATCH: Quantum computers exaplained by MKBHD [17 mins] https://lnkd.in/eNdRycfu 📒 READ: Wired's Easy Guide to Quantum Computing - Why It Works & How It Could Change The World https://lnkd.in/eiuAHxnQ 📖 FREE book "The Quantum Decade" from IBM Institute for Business Value https://lnkd.in/ejMCnKTX 🗺️ FUTURE: The Next 5 Years? Technology Atlas by IBM https://lnkd.in/ePaWdATp 📝 LEARN: 10 FREE courses (Most courses cost $2,500+ These 10 will get you started) https://lnkd.in/eM3k-Dtt

🍱 How To Organize Your Design System At Scale (https://lnkd.in/e9343uqv), a fantastic case study on how to set up a design system with 900 shared components and 25 designers — with product-specific domain components and shared ownership between the design system guild and product designers. Written by Jérôme Benoit ↓ Key takeaways: ✅ 1 design system, 8 design libraries, 1 library serves 1 goal. ✅ Each library has owners, editors (edit/publish), users (view-only). ✅ All designers have access to all resources from all files. ✅ Product team has domains, each domain has feature teams. ✅ Foundations + Core components are owned by design system team. ✅ Domain components are product-specific, owned by product designers. ✅ Each feature team has its own frame (not a page!) on a Domain page. ✅ Domain components are structured [Instance name] 💠 [Core name]. ✅ The work by product teams can move up to the Core level, too. In many products, different feature teams often have very different needs, and that’s why secondary design systems emerge. With this set-up, all teams are still working within 1 single design system, pulling and pushing components between levels and having search across all design work in all domains at once — without an organizational overhead! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 Useful resources: How To Organize 1250+ Design Screens in Figma (+ File examples), by Lorenzo Palacios Venin https://lnkd.in/e7X4fKcj Booking.com: Multi-Platform Design System (+ Figma), by Nicole Saidy https://lnkd.in/edueYQPG Frog: Building A Global Design System, by Anthony Nguyen https://lnkd.in/etkiTxfB Doctolib Figma Files Organization Tips, by Jérôme Benoit https://lnkd.in/eK7bhQeS Multi-Brand Design System, by Pavel Kiselev https://lnkd.in/eShgnPnW Design System Structure for Teams, Projects and Files, by Luis Ouriach https://lnkd.in/eFZUjUCU How to Organize Your Figma Files For Design System, by Jules Mahé https://lnkd.in/eeHG2VzU Organizing Design System For Scalability, by Allie Paschal https://lnkd.in/eeAtakGs Design That Scales (Book), by Dan Mall https://lnkd.in/eeFrqFfP And kudos to the wonderful design team at Doctolib and all the wonderful designers above for sharing their insights for everyone to learn from!👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 #ux #design #designsystems

Embracing a Spacious Lifestyle within Compact Spaces: The Evolution of Small Apartments and Modular Furniture. Would you live there? The modern living landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation as small apartments and modular furniture redefine the way we inhabit our spaces. The concept of "living large in a small footprint" has become more than just a catchphrase; it has become a tangible reality reshaping our living experiences. Small apartments, once seen as a compromise, are now celebrated for their efficiency and practicality. As urban centers grow denser, these compact living spaces have evolved to maximize functionality without sacrificing comfort. The ingenious use of design elements, multifunctional furniture, and smart storage solutions enables residents to enjoy a comfortable and enriching lifestyle even within limited square footage. Enter modular furniture, a game-changer that perfectly complements the ethos of small-space living. Modular pieces are designed to adapt, transform, and serve multiple purposes, allowing residents to tailor their environments to their needs. From transforming sofas that become beds to dining tables that expand and contract, modular furniture empowers us to customize our surroundings while optimizing space utilization. This trend is profoundly impacting how we live. It encourages a shift towards intentional living, prompting us to carefully curate our possessions and prioritize what truly matters. The focus is on quality over quantity, leading to more thoughtful consumption patterns and sustainable living choices. Moreover, small apartments and modular furniture are fostering a sense of versatility. The boundaries between spaces are blurring as rooms multitask and evolve with our activities. A dining area can seamlessly transform into a workspace, and a living room can transition into a guest bedroom, all at the push of a button or the rearrangement of a few pieces. Innovations in design and technology are driving this evolution, making small apartments not just viable options but preferred choices for a diverse range of people, from young professionals seeking urban convenience to empty nesters downsizing their living arrangements. The convergence of small apartments and modular furniture is reshaping our understanding of space and how we utilize it. This transformation isn't just about making the most of less; it's about fostering a more deliberate, adaptable, and mindful way of living, where every square foot is an opportunity to express our personality and create a meaningful environment. #innovation via @ ori_living #technology

Hospitals are healing patients faster with 30-year-old Australian technology. Most healthcare facilities still operate in the dark. SolarTube skylights channel natural sunlight through reflective tubes directly into patient rooms and treatment areas. No electricity needed. Just free healing light all day. The healthcare transformation numbers: ↳ Faster patient recovery rates documented ↳ 15% staff productivity increase ↳ Reduced eye strain for medical professionals ↳ Lower patient anxiety during procedures Think about that. Tigoni Medical Center in Kenya installed SolarTubes in their COVID-19 facility. Healthcare workers reported less fatigue, increased alertness during long shifts. Patients showed dramatically improved morale and energy levels. At Rogaska Medical Center, natural daylight flooded clinics without unwanted heat. Staff comfort improved. Patient outcomes followed. Italian dental offices meeting occupational daylight standards found something unexpected: patients felt less anxious. Procedures became more comfortable. Natural light calmed nerves that fluorescent bulbs couldn't. Traditional Healthcare Lighting: ↳ Fluorescent tubes causing eye strain ↳ High electricity costs ↳ Artificial environments ↳ Staff fatigue increases SolarTube Healthcare Reality: ↳ Natural light reduces stress hormones ↳ Serotonin production increases ↳ Circadian rhythms regulate properly ↳ Recovery accelerates naturally But here's what stopped me cold: We're medicating depression while keeping people in artificial light. Jim Rillie invented this solution in the 1980s. Launched Solatube International in 1991. Now 2 million units worldwide bring natural light indoors. Healthcare facilities that adopt it see measurable improvements. Staff wellness increases. Patient satisfaction scores rise. Recovery times shorten. The Multiplication Effect: 1 hospital = hundreds healing faster 100 facilities = thousands of staff energised 1,000 installations = healthcare transformed At scale = medicine working with nature VCC in the UK experienced enhanced well-being building-wide. Staff and patients reported feeling calmer, healthier, happier. Simply from abundant daylight. We're not just installing skylights. We're installing wellness. One beam of natural light at a time. Follow me, Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld for innovations that heal environments and people. ♻️ Share if you believe healthcare should harness nature's healing power.

🚫 I know this post won’t be popular. But it needs to be said. You’ve probably seen dynamic Hormozi-style captions. Those fast-moving, flashy, high-energy subtitles influencers swear by. They’re everywhere. And yes, they drive views. But what gets attention isn’t always what serves the audience. Here’s the problem. They're not accessible. Let's break it down: - Non-standard colors make text hard to read and cause eye strain. - One or two words at a time are too fast for many viewers. - Motion effects like seesawing cause nausea and distraction. - Karaoke-style pacing forces viewers to follow a rhythm they didn’t choose. - Emphasized words in different colors dilute the message. - ALL hurt readability. Isn’t the message the most important thing? Let the video and its content be the star. If creators want pizzazz, they can add flashy text outside the captions. That’s why I advocate for closed captions. The kind that lets viewers control their captioning preferences. Captioning best practices are simple: * Plain sans-serif font. * Off-white text on off-black background. * Sentence case. * No motion. I know it’s hard to convince creators to change. Influencers are showing them the money. But accessibility isn’t optional. It’s essential. I’ve seen how inaccessible captions can shut people out of the conversation. That's not okay. I’ve worked with creators and audiences who rely on captions. This isn’t theoretical. It’s real. I made a short video to show the difference. Watch it and tell me: Are we prioritizing style over substance? What do you think? Can accessibility and engagement coexist? Reach out if you want help making your content more inclusive. I consult with creators, marketers, and teams who care about accessibility and impact. 🔔 Tap profile bell (You may need to do it again. LinkedIn reset it.) 👉 Follow #MerylMots for past posts #UX #Communication Video description: Identical side-by-side talking head videos of Meryl. Left has boring captions. Right has different dynamic caption styles.

Peel and Reveal. From the vibrant hues of an apple to the intricate patterns on a mango, the skin of fruits tells a story of growth and ripening. Ever noticed the unique patterns and blemishes on a piece of fruit? From the speckled skin of a banana to the dimpled surface of an orange, nature's artwork is full of imperfections that add character and charm. Imagine if your packaging could capture that essence, mimicking the fruit's natural markings and aging process? That's exactly what designers are exploring with the innovative concept of packaging that mirrors fruit skins, complete with embossed brown spots. By mirroring these natural markings in packaging design, brands are celebrating the beauty of imperfection, challenging the notion of flawless aesthetics and embracing the authenticity of the natural world. And it's not just about aesthetics. In a society where a flawless appearance often reigns supreme, embracing the quirks and irregularities of fruit skin sends a powerful message—reminds us that beauty comes in all forms, including the unique patterns and variations found in the natural world. Secondly, it enhances the sensory experience. By incorporating texture into packaging design, brands can engage multiple senses, creating a more immersive and memorable interaction with their products. Moreover, it fosters a deeper connection to the source. When packaging mirrors the appearance of fresh produce, it reinforces the idea of authenticity and transparency. Consumers can visually connect the product to its origins, fostering trust and confidence in the brand's commitment to quality and sustainability. Consider Loukas Chondros' packaging for Bananostafido. Inspired by banana peels, it mimics their markings and aging process with embossed spots. Designed for easy opening, it even features a perforated area that mimics the act of peeling a banana. The inner surface of the box resembles the pale yellow of a banana peel, again a nod to the fruit. These small details, transform a simple act like opening a box into a delightful moment of discovery—it's packaging that invites you to engage with it, creating a connection between you and the product inside. From farm to table, the journey of the fruit is reflected in every detail of the packaging, creating a narrative that resonates with consumers. In stores inundated with mass-produced goods and cookie-cutter packaging, designs inspired by nature offer a breath of fresh air. They remind us of the beauty that surrounds us, celebrate the charm of imperfection, and invite us to slow down and appreciate the little things in life. So, the next time you grab that piece of fruit, take a moment to really look and feel its skin—and consider how that same sense of wonder can be captured in the packaging that surrounds it. Think this packaging is spot-on? #packagingdesign #design #productdesign #graphicdesign 📷Loukas Chondros

The Financial Times!!! So exciting to see something I wrote appear on pink paper! My op-ed on AI and copyright ownership has just been published in today’s Financial Times. It’s such a testament to the profile of William Fry in this area and the work of my colleagues that our thought leadership on AI is being published internationally in such a prestigious medium. The piece is titled Who owns the copyright for AI work? and it addresses one of the most pressing and under-examined questions in intellectual property today: what happens to copyright when creative works are generated without a human author? In the piece, I set out how different jurisdictions are taking sharply divergent approaches. The US has drawn a firm line, insisting that copyright requires human authorship. China has taken the opposite approach, recognising AI outputs as protectable works where human input shapes prompts and refinement. Meanwhile, Ireland and the UK sit in a middle ground, with provisions for computer-generated works that may prove unstable as courts and governments revisit their relevance. I argue that this global divergence creates real-world problems for businesses, from software and media to corporate transactions, because the same AI-generated output might be protected in Beijing but freely usable in Boston. I also examine what this means in practice. Companies cannot simply assume that copyright will protect AI-generated material. Contracts and IP strategies will need to change. For example, if AI-generated code is not protected by copyright, firms may need to rely more on trade secrets and confidentiality agreements. This is especially critical as disputes over ownership begin to move from theoretical debate into litigation. The Financial Times is a paper I have long admired for its ability to capture these global debates with clarity and authority, so I am delighted that my analysis on AI and copyright is featured there. It is an issue that will only become more urgent as generative AI systems reshape how we create, compose, and code, and I am thrilled William Fry is contributing to the conversation at this level. Big bucket list tick for me personally! With thanks to Elaine Moore. Go out and read it/buy it/subscribe to it today! :)