ARTS 347: Design FieldTrip reflection and response to John Maeda on AI + Design

This past week, we met with Dean Schuster, who co-founded and works at Truematter here in Columbia, South Carolina. Truematter's core activities include designing, critiquing, and writing for applications, websites, and software. During this field trip with Dean Schuster, he primarily discussed the evolving landscape of design, particularly concerning AI. Dean remarked, “I think you are about to graduate in a realm of new opportunity,” highlighting the shifting dynamics for us emerging graphic designers and writers. He shared his own experiences with his career in graphic design and how he was around when the web emerged, along with many other technological advancements that followed. He emphasized how design and UX design specifically are ever-changing fields and how designers encounter new technology and problems they must adapt to. He mentioned that for our generation, entering the workforce will involve AI. He warned us that with the continued strength of AI design, many other careers will become increasingly competitive, relying on those who can be forward-thinking and innovative to lead the way in the field. Dean showed us some real-world examples from his own company, such as the website for finding available spaces for businesses in shopping malls. He discussed the value of this site and the extensive work put into making it easy for users to navigate and achieve their desired tasks. Truematter uses case studies and records website usage to enhance the user experience. Dean stressed the importance of case studies in understanding how to best assist users, including recording information and even observing users in person to see how they complete tasks. He explained how using programs that record user interactions on the site was valuable to his team, enabling them to make changes to better suit the site for its users. What stood out to me in this discussion was the emphasis Dean placed on UX design strategy, which is often overlooked but plays a crucial role when designing for a diverse range of users. I will apply some of the insights he shared as I continue learning UX design this semester.

This week as well we listened to John Maeda on AI and design, in which he talked about the rapid use of AI in these past few years and how quickly it is jumping into the culture. He talks about how most people are scared of AI because they don't know what it is or how it works, but we need to rethink the relationship between humans and AI. He talks about how AI is the copilot; we as humans are the pilot, and we have trained AI, and we have essentially given it all its knowledge. He talks about how we are in a technology-first era, but that design will be coming soon after with this idea that form follows function. John argues that the human touch remains irreplaceable, especially in understanding user needs and crafting meaningful experiences, and also highlights the potential for collaboration between designers and AI, suggesting that these technologies can enhance creativity rather than be a threat to it. He encourages designers to use AI to streamline their workflow and use it to their advantage instead of being fearful of it by having a future-forward mindset when it comes to AI.