AI integration in design

AI tools (e.g., generative design software like Uizard, Adobe Sensei, ChatGPT) are now used in UX/UI design to quickly generate wireframes, layouts, prototypes, and other design assets, significantly speeding up the interface design process.

AI as an assistant, not replacement

Despite these advances, AI cannot replace the human element of design — it lacks creativity, empathy, and contextual understanding, meaning designers’ insight is still critical for truly user-friendly designs.

Focus on higher-level tasks

By automating routine work, AI frees designers to focus on higher-level responsibilities such as strategy, user research, ethics, and accessibility, where human judgment and creativity remain essential.

Shifting UI designer role

With AI generating many design options, UI designers are shifting from creating every element from scratch to curating and refining AI-generated outputs and advising on their usability (essentially acting as “GUI advisors”).

Evolving UX designer role

UX designers are likewise evolving into experience strategists and “AI collaborators,” guiding the overall design vision and ensuring that AI-produced interfaces truly meet user needs (something AI alone cannot guarantee).

Need for upskilling

Interviews with UX/UI professionals indicate that designers must upskill — particularly in user research and strategic thinking — to stay relevant, as those relying only on traditional visual design skills risk being left behind in an AI-driven industry.

Clients’ use of AI

Experts observed that clients are now using generative AI tools to draft interface ideas themselves, then turning to UX/UI designers for expert validation and improvements to ensure proper usability and a positive user experience.

Job viability and change

The study concludes that AI will not eliminate UX or UI jobs but will redefine them: future UI designers may function more as interface usability advisors, while UX designers take on roles as product experience architects or “usability solution providers,” working alongside AI.

Future outlook

Going forward, UX/UI professionals are encouraged to embrace AI as a collaborative tool (ensuring ethical use) and to explore emerging design paradigms beyond traditional GUIs (e.g. novel interface types), so their human-centric skills remain valuable in an evolving, AI-enhanced design landscape.

The research underscores that while AI is rapidly transforming the landscape of UX and UI design, it is not a threat to human designers — but a catalyst for role evolution. UX and UI professionals must adapt by shifting toward strategic, research-driven, and collaborative roles that leverage their uniquely human abilities. By embracing AI as a partner rather than a competitor, designers can stay relevant and deliver experiences that technology alone cannot achieve.

AI Impact on UX/UI Design Jobs was originally published in UXD Talks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Unlocking Uniqueness: The Blueprint for Personalizing My Booking Experience on Urban Company’s Order History Screen”

Personalizing the user experience is a well-established concept in product design. Virtually all apps provide a personalized experience for returning users. For example, Uber displays relevant destinations, YouTube suggests videos based on watched content, and Swiggy/Zomato showcases favourite restaurants, among others. Typically, these personalizations occur in the pre-booking journey or until the user places an order, such as on the home page, cart page, and checkout pages. Once the order is placed, it transitions to the order history page where everything is organized chronologically based on date and time, with additional filtering options.

But have you ever wondered why the order history lacks personalization or why data isn’t presented in a smart, user-centric manner when needed? At Urban Company, we made it a mission to elevate the experience on our My Booking (Order History screen) and provide answers to these intriguing questions.

What is the My Booking (Order history screen)?

The My Booking (Order History screen) is essentially a feature within an app designed to keep track of all past orders or bookings made through that specific app. It acts as a digital ledger, systematically recording all completed, active, or upcoming orders. In essence, it provides users with a consolidated view of their ordering journey within the app.

This screen is a common feature in nearly all transactional apps, including Airbnb, Swiggy, Uber, Gojek, and many others. The nomenclature and placement of this section may vary across different apps; for instance, Airbnb labels it as “Trips,” Swiggy manages order history within the “My Account” section, and Uber refers to it as “Trip,” among other variations. Despite the differences in naming and placement, the functionality remains consistent across these platforms.

What is the purpose of this screen?

In simpler terms, this screen enables users to conveniently access a comprehensive record of all their past, ongoing, or upcoming orders, transactions, or bookings on the platform.

What was wrong with the ‘My booking’ screen at Urban Company (UC)?

Similar to other apps in the industry, Urban Company’s My Booking screen served as a hub where all booked services or transactions were systematically organized based on date and time, following a chronological order.

Indeed, that’s how an Order History page is typically structured, isn’t it?

Before diving into this project, my response would have been a resounding ‘Yes.’ It seemed like the most straightforward method to locate any transaction or booking on a history screen. Following the L.A.T.C.H framework, sorting information based on time makes perfect sense, especially when time is a critical attribute. After all, humans have a natural inclination to remember and reference events chronologically.

Now, let’s take a moment to reflect:

Do you remember the date you last ordered a pizza?
Most likely not; you’d need to scroll through your order history.

Can you recall which booking resulted in your last refund?
Again, it’s uncertain; you might need to apply a filter on your booking page.

What transpired when you cancelled your last service and then rebooked it?
You’ll see two entries on the order history screen: one for the cancelled booking and another for the new one.

And, if you’ve raised any complaints about a booking or service?
Checking the help centre is necessary; the My Booking page remains consistently sorted by date and time chronology.

In each of the instances mentioned, it’s evident that sorting the order history by date and time with additional filters is a sensible design approach. However, the question arises: can it be optimized for an even better user experience? Is it possible to obtain the desired information with minimal scrolls or clicks? Can the screen display only relevant information, ensuring a clean and clutter-free look? Essentially, can this screen operate intelligently rather than functioning as a static repository where everything is indiscriminately dumped?

What approach did we take to give answers to the above questions?

Upon scrutinizing the challenges with our My Booking screen, we embarked on sketching out potential solutions. Interestingly, every proposed solution seemed to circle back to the familiar ground of date and time chronology. This observation underscores the deeply ingrained nature of our minds to process and visualize data within the framework of this established sorting logic.

We decided to take the ‘Deconstructive approach’

This methodology is qualitative in nature, offering researchers and practitioners a detailed lens to analyze problems. Opting for the most fitting solution often requires breaking away from existing solutions and embracing a fresh start.

“The deconstruction approach is used in an art, derived mainly from work begun in the 1960s by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida”

Where to start from?

User-First Approach: In our user analysis, we delved into the motivations behind a user visiting the My Booking screen on our app:

Tracking Active Bookings
Most users land on this screen to monitor the status of their ongoing bookings.

Claiming Warranty
Users often visit to initiate a warranty claim.

Checking Plans or Subscriptions
Some users explore this section to review ongoing plans or subscriptions.

Taking Booking-Related Actions
Users frequently visit to perform actions such as sharing OTP, calling the partner, making payments, and providing ratings and reviews.

Checking Raised Issues
Users want to verify the status of issues they’ve raised in connection with any booking.

Refund Status Check
Another common reason for visiting is to check for any refunds.

Data Validation
To validate these user behaviours, we examined existing data. On average, a user has around two active bookings per month. Notably, 80% of the time, users land on the screen to perform booking-related actions. The remaining 20% of visits are dedicated to tasks like claiming warranty, accepting quotes, checking refund status, and seeking help with related issues.

The solution:

To transform the My Booking (Order History Screen) into a dynamic and intelligent interface, we implemented the following strategies:

Relevant Bookings in the First Fold

Display all ongoing bookings, completed bookings with pending actions (e.g., Claim Warranty), and bookings with active help tickets in the initial view. The first and second folds of the screen maintain a Date & Time chronological order.

Introduction of Multiple Bookings

Introduce the concept of Multiple Bookings to enhance the page’s cleanliness. Bookings related to the same category are grouped. For instance, if a user schedules a video consultation followed by an in-person visit, these bookings are now bundled under a single category. Similarly, services that are cancelled and then rebooked are linked to the root booking.

Upfront Actionable Buttons

Place essential actionable buttons prominently on each booking. This ensures that users don’t need to perform additional clicks to access relevant information or take actions like sharing OTP, making payments, tracking refunds, accepting quotations, etc.

Visual Enhancements

Recognizing that users typically have around 2 active bookings simultaneously, we designed the screen to show one-and-a-half bookings within a single viewport. This approach facilitates users in digesting booking information more effectively.

By implementing these changes, we aim to not just present a ledger of past transactions but to create an intuitive and user-friendly space where relevant information is readily available and actions can be performed seamlessly.

Key Takeaways

In today’s fast-paced world, time is a precious commodity when it comes to app usage. The most optimal experience is one where your needs, wants, or desires are met swiftly. While fulfilling wishes might be beyond the capabilities of an app (unless it’s Aladdin’s lamp), addressing user needs and wants promptly is achievable. Hence, the design should prioritize a user-first system that is intelligent enough to deliver pertinent information to the user in the shortest time possible. It’s essential to strike a balance, recognizing that an excess of principles and industry standards can stifle creativity.

“Unlocking Uniqueness: The Blueprint for Personalizing My Booking Experience on Urban Company’s… was originally published in UXD Talks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Inspired by The Little Book of Design Research Ethics — IDEO

In this article, I’ll talk about the three main principles of Design Research Ethics. Plus, I’ll share some real-life examples to help product designers understand how to apply ethical considerations in their work. Let’s dive into the basics and explore how ethics can be an integral part of good design practices.

What are Design Research Ethics?

Design research ethics refer to the principles and guidelines that govern the conduct of researchers to ensure that their work is carried out in a responsible, respectful, and fair manner.

Researchers must obtain voluntary and informed consent from participants. This means participants should be fully aware of the nature of the research, its purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits before agreeing to take part.

Here are some key aspects of design research ethics:

1. Respect

As a researcher, we must acknowledge and respect the boundaries of participants, placing a priority on ensuring their comfort.

Do you see our participants as partners, not just subjects? Are you thinking about cultural expectations and being considerate? Is your approach thoughtful and kind?

Dealing with different time zones means finding a time that works for everyone. Once, the user was busy, so I adjusted the timing to fit their schedule instead of mine. It’s about making things convenient for the user.

2. Responsibility

It’s crucial for us to take action to protect both the current and future interests of individuals.

Are you confident that our research isn’t harmful to participants? Do they understand the consequences of sharing with you, and have they given informed consent? Are you safeguarding information that could compromise a participant in any way?

During one-on-one interactions with users to gather insights, it is crucial to recognize our core responsibility of conveying their concerns and issues to the respective teams. This ensures that the user’s voice is not only heard but also acted upon, fostering a user-centric approach within the entire design process. By actively passing on user feedback, we contribute to an environment where their needs are considered and addressed, ultimately enhancing the overall user experience

3. Honesty

It is imperative for us to communicate truthfully and promptly.

Are you making a conscious effort not to mislead participants or create false impressions? When and how should you communicate our identity, objectives, and the intended outcome of their participation?

Being honest with users not only contributes to transparency but also enriches the conversation with additional insights. This sincerity builds trust, creating a foundation for more meaningful interactions in future engagements. Users appreciate straightforwardness, and this honesty establishes a positive rapport, fostering a relationship based on trust and credibility.

In conclusion, integrating respect, responsibility, and honesty into user research practices not only upholds ethical standards but also nurtures a relationship of trust and collaboration with participants. This approach is vital for designing with integrity and making a positive impact on both users and the design community.

Case Study on User Research Ethics was originally published in Aakash Technology Innovation Lab on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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One day at my office, my fellow designer was looking for inspiration for App update notifications. Suddenly we came across this Whatsapp app update notification.

After that, we started role-playing, with Whatsapp acting as a bot, and how it would have interacted with the user accordingly.

Broken bones ;) Whatsapp needs to be updated!

No girls night! Whatsapp needs to be updated :{

Ops sorry! But Whatsapp needs to be updated

Conclusion:

Empathize with your users and their situation before designing the micro-copy. Don’t make it sound robotic, make it human.

UX Memes — “Whatsapp needs to be updated” was originally published in UXD Talks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“We don’t identify a problem as a problem until we face it ourself or become a prime witness of an incident”

In any product company, product release party is a time for celebration for everyone involved. The same thing was happening in my company — VYOM (a subsidiary of Rivigo). We had launched our apps on Google Play store and had planned our release party at Sector 29, Gurgaon on a Friday night. A friend of mine couldn’t find a parking spot for his car due to a heavy rush of vehicles and after a couple of hours of hunting, he parked his vehicle outside the parking lot.

When he returned to his car around 2 AM, he found it’s window broken and his laptop bag missing from the back seat of his car.

He had to go to the police station in the middle of the night and file an FIR about his missing bag. And the succeeding 3 weeks were hell for him with multiple visits to the police station, until his bag was found.

Blaming the wrong thing

Based on human behaviour, we can conclude that:

He should not have parked his car outside the parking lot.

He should not have taken his car to a crowded place.

Right?

These statements can be termed as Learned helplessness (as mentioned in the widely revered book — The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman) The phenomenon might help explain the self-blame. It refers to the situation in which people tend to blame their own misfortunes on the environment. It seems equally natural to blame other people’s misfortunes on their personalities.

Research on a mass level

As of March 03, 2015, there are 7 states that have more than 10,000,000 registered motor vehicles viz. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and the total number of registered motor vehicles in India being 210,023,289.

Vehicle theft reports

• In Pune, Mumbai, Thane, and Nasik, around 20,000 cases of vehicle thefts are registered every year.
• In a Hindustan Times article, Delhi Police reported that 4 vehicles are stolen every hour and motor vehicle thefts for the year of 2017 was found to be 39,080.
• In Karnataka, vehicle theft is one of the top crimes due to which Banglore government has launched an App where a user can file a complaint and download a ‘vehicle not traceable’ report which helps them speed up their insurance claims settlement.

Recommendation and problems identified based on user interviews

• Confirmation of parking space beforehand
• In case of insufficient parking space — park vehicle near a safe place
• Underground or Multi-storey parking lots
• Automated parking
• Reviews of parking lots available online
• Roadside parking be banned to avoid traffic
• Usually roadside parking happens because the nearest parking lots are far from the market

The scope of the solution

• Real-time updates on parking availability
• Pre-booking facility
• Secure parking
• Rating and user feedback
• Change in roadside parking behaviour

Proposed solution

The book “BOLD” by Peter H. Diamandis & Steven Kotler talks about the 6Ds for exponential growth and my design solution revolves around 3 of the 6Ds, which are-

Disruption - Any innovation that creates a new market and disrupts an existing one.

• Right now we park our vehicles in parking lots which are usually paid, permitted and supervised. Or else we park on roadsides ie. in-front of someone’s house or shop without permission. This solution will disrupt the existing parking system. On one hand, it will enable users to keep their locality traffic free and on the other hand, it will help visitors get confirmed parking spots near their place of visit i.e market, hospital, mall etc.

Dematerialization- It is about the vanishing of goods and services themselves.

• Solution doesn’t require goods and services like automated multi-storey or underground parking lots, instead it only requires a full-fledged server and application where communication regarding parking availability can happen.

Democratization- It happens when those hard costs drop so low they become available and affordable to just about everyone.

• The proposed design solution is for everyone and by everyone. Anyone can post the availability of a parking space (private/public) online on his digital device at any point in time. Therefore, the problem of parking for all of us can be solved by all of us.

Challenges

• Security concerns in case of private parking
• Society parking is restricted to visitors
• Parking package division might restrict users to extend the parking time
• Parking lot provider should be verified in order to avoid mischievous activity

Design

UX Laws — Principles

• Jacob’s law — Considering Jacob’s law of UX design which says “users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.” Keeping that in mind the user interface is inspired by cab services applications.
• Hick’s Law — I have divided the time slots into 5 packages based on the major events performed by users. It will help in minimising the decision making time by eliminating the equation of calculation of how much time user should book parking space.

Usability

Upfront options to Add parking and Book parking.

Color

Turquoise is a color that balances blue, green and yellow, but it also can be linked to emotional balance. Looking at this color gives a feeling of serenity and stability.

Real life mimicry

Time slot selection is based on real-life events performed by the user when they are outside and require parking viz. Office, Movie, shopping etc.

Discoverability & Signifiers

As Don Norman explained in the book “The Design of Everyday Things” that overall display of the device is itself discoverable, therefore designer should add ‘Signifiers’ on the display to initiate any action. Hence I have marked Signifiers with Turquoise or Dark grey tone so that user can easily identify them.

In conclusion

The proposed solution is simple, cost-effective and can provide a better result in a shorter span of time. It can solve the parking problem on major scale especially in metro cities and help in reducing the traffic problem that occurs due to roadside parking.

DIWY — The parking solution was originally published in UXD Talks on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.