WELCOME
Being Designerly 117 has curated content at the intersection of design, creativity and AI. Read about the importance of taste and meaning in design, customer obsession as a key skill, Koto’s bold identity campaign for Microsoft's 50th anniversary, 4 AI superpowers that improve product design, and an interview with Dr. Joshua Miele’s about his inspiring journey and book about being a blind inventor advocating for accessibility and inclusive design. Practice being designerly with activities inspired by Miele’s memoir to foster empathy and critical thinking in design.
FEATURE
Why taste matters now more than ever
The craft of execution is no longer a differentiator. For surface-level visuals, speed and quantity now rule. But this shift reveals something deeper: When production is automated, the designer’s role becomes less about making and more about meaning.
fastcompany.com
CURIOSITY
From Productivity to Purpose: AI’s Surprising New Use Cases in our Personal and Professional Lives
According to Marc Zao-Sanders' research published in Harvard Business Review, the top application of generative AI in 2025 is actually to support mental health and combat loneliness. While the research raises questions about methodology and accuracy, it offers intriguing insights into human interaction with AI.
Vibes from the 2013 movie HER? I'll just leave this other link here... Business Insider co-founder roasted over creepy blog post about AI workers
medium.com
ADVOCACY
The #1 Power Skill Amazon Looks For In Job Interviews
When it comes to job interviews at Amazon, one power skill stands above all others—customer obsession. This singular focus has been the cornerstone of Amazon's phenomenal success, and recruiters consistently identify it as their most valued quality in potential employees.
forbes.com
VISUAL
Koto crafts bold 50th anniversary identity for Microsoft, celebrating its past and future
Global design studio Koto created a dynamic new identity and campaign for Microsoft's 50th anniversary, celebrating five decades of innovation and influence. The campaign, themed "Change Needs Makers," connects Microsoft's past, present, and future through adaptable storytelling structures and bold visuals that blend familiarity with freshness. The design updates the original Windows logo into a 3D motion graphic and uses heritage-inspired typography and colors to evoke optimism and continuous innovation.
creativeboom.com
UX
Four AI Superpowers: Where AI Improves Products
Amidst the AI hype, teams fall into a familiar trap of creating solutions in search of a problem. No one needs a half-baked chatbot that clumsily answers questions better suited for an FAQ. Users want solutions that effectively address user needs, regardless of the technology behind them. When using AI in your product consider its four "superpowers": content creation, summarization, basic data analysis, and perspective taking.
nngroup.com
INCLUSIVE
A Blind Inventor’s Life Of Advocacy And Innovation
Dr. Joshua Miele, a blind inventor and adaptive technology expert, discusses his new book Connecting Dots, A Blind Life, sharing his journey from childhood blindness caused by an acid accident to becoming a leading advocate and creator of accessible technology. He highlights the importance of accessibility, inclusive design, and the active role of disabled individuals in shaping technology.
sciencefriday.com
Being Designerly: Activities inspired by Connecting the Dots
Connecting Dots: A Blind Life is an introspective memoir of Dr. Joshua A. Miele, a blind scientist, inventor, and advocate. The book chronicles Miele’s journey through adversity, adaptation, and innovation, and encourages broader reflection on how society treats disability, capability, and difference.
Here are 3 short (less than 14 minutes - 1% of your day!) activities to bring lessons in the book to life:
Assumption Audit (using designerly skills of Critical Thinking, Curiosity, Advocacy) Pick one screen or flow from your product. Write down 3 assumptions this interface makes about the user’s body, environment, or ability. Note how each might break under different user conditions ( (e.g., “assumes mouse use → fails on voice-only navigation”).
Miele recounts needing to adapt everything—from reading to cooking—because the world was designed for sighted people. His survival and creativity were shaped by assumptions made by others.
Accessibility Echo Walk (using designerly skills of Observation, Curiosity, and Empathy) Walk (in a safe environment, or with someone else) while using only auditory cues (eyes closed or down briefly). Write 5 ways you navigated based on sound.
Miele describes realizing he could detect spatial boundaries using the echo of his skates. This marked a turning point in how he navigated and understood his environment.
Voice-Only Microcopy Reframe (using designerly skills of Communication, Transparency, Empathy) Select 3 text elements on a screen and rewrite them as if heard by a screen reader - imagine they’re heard with no visuals. How would you rephrase for clarity, pacing, or emphasis? How different is it?
Miele’s deep engagement with braille and screen readers shaped how he understood and taught others the importance of narrative clarity in interfaces.
TOOLS
OpenAI Academy
OpenAI Academy is a free resource to use AI for work or just to get smarter. You’ll find workshops, videos, and live events that show you how to use ChatGPT, plan strategies, and even write code with AI’s help.
Microsoft also has it's 50 days AI Skills Fest going on until the end of May. Lots to embrace that designerly skill of lifelong learning
openai.com
