Design: Artificial Intelligence Design

In this month’s edition of Ask UXmatters, our panel of UX experts discusses how UX design for artificial intelligence (AI) applications differs from designing a traditional application. A panelist warns the questioner about the dangers of over-relying on artificial intelligence instead of defining a product that truly meets users’ needs.

Our experts then consider the role of User Experience in the creation of AI applications—especially those that rely on machine learning (ML). Their discussion ranges from the importance of user advocacy, the value of doing user research, how to avoid bias, defining high-quality training data, transparency to users, and gaining user trust by ensuring that the user feels in control of an AI application. This column concludes with a brief discussion of the need for UX design best practices for AI applications. Read More

Does hearing “Do you want fries with that?” change if a robot says it?

Today, companies are trying to answer the question of how artificial intelligence (AI) will transform the face of their user experience. They’d better hurry: 78 percent of businesses plan to implement AI or virtual-reality solutions by next year—or have already implemented them.

Their hope? That this paves the way toward better user experiences.

What will top-tier interactions look like in a few years? Current research in this area might provide some idea: an MIT Technology Review report found that automated systems already resolve between 25 and 50 percent of today’s customer inquiries, and this number will only grow. Read More

As UX professionals, it’s important that we stay abreast of the latest technologies and consider how they might impact UX design. So, over the past year or so, I’ve read more than half a dozen books, as well as numerous articles on various aspects of artificial intelligence (AI)—ranging from highly technical books for developers to more accessible works whose targets are business leaders, product managers, or even the general public. The most valuable of these books: Human + Machine: Reimagining Work in the Age of AI, by Paul R. Daugherty and H. James Wilson. This book is targeted primarily at business leaders and the professionals who influence them. Anyone who works for a corporation that deploys software to achieve its business goals would benefit from reading this book—and today, that’s just about every business. Those in government and education should also read this book. In addition to applying its lessons to their own unique contexts and ensuring that the workforce is ready to contribute maximal value in the age of AI, they can also influence business leaders to choose the right path forward at this critical inflection point. Read More