AI cannot be fair or gender-neutral by default. Here’s how to fix this. — Have you ever thought about why so many AI assistants have feminine names? Alexa, Siri and Cortana are all names that many people tend to associate with commands and requests, or simply the word “hey”. Even the world’s first chatbot from the 1960s had a female name: Eliza. Apparently, the…

How a German poet was ahead of his time turning his apartment into a social network in 1747, and the most crucial UX lessons we need to learn from this — TL;DR: Analyzing the fundamental user need that led a German poet in 1747 to transform his apartment into a social network — a visual representation of his social connections, and the UX lessons that can be gleaned from this fascinating historical case study.

How dystopian sci-fi references took over the machine learning narrative and how we can use better metaphors to communicate AI more effectively and more responsibly — TL;DR: Examining the prevalence of dystopian sci-fi references and metaphors in the machine learning discourse, and the lessons for launching human-centered AI products. The imaginary AI friend microwave serial killer Lucas Rizzotto, a popular YouTuber, had always been fascinated by the possibilities of AI. So, when OpenAI released a new natural language model, he couldn’t help but…

How an American psychologist failed to replace QWERTY with a better keyboard design, and what we can learn from this — By Slava Polonski TL;DR: Examining the failure of an American psychologist’s attempts to replace the QWERTY keyboard with a more efficient keyboard design, and the implications and startup lessons to be learned from this effort. The original invention It was the 1930s, and August Dvorak sat in front of his clunky old manual…

The tragedy of the Vasa: Why the crown jewel of the Swedish navy sank on its maiden voyage and what UX professionals can learn from this. — TL;DR: Examining the organizational missteps behind the sinking of the pride of Sweden’s royal armada on its maiden voyage and the UX lessons that can be gleaned from this historical event. The disaster It was a crisp August morning in 1628, and the excitement in Stockholm harbor was palpable. The grand new…

A story about the unexpected parallels between the complex structures of termite mounds, cathedrals and startups — TL;DR: Exploring the similarities in the intricate designs of termite mounds and cathedrals, and what leadership insights we can gain from their comparison. The Epiphany of A Priest As Father Gabriel trudged through the dense jungle, his stomach grumbling with hunger and his feet aching from days of walking, he couldn’t help but feel a…

Apple vs. Azulejos: The unexpected parallels between UX design in technology startups and the Portuguese ceramic tilework — TL;DR: Investigating the design philosophy behind Azulejos, the elaborate ceramic tilework throughout Portuguese towns and the UX design lessons that can be gleaned from this architectural feature. The horror vacui In the world of design, we often hear the term “Horror Vacui” tossed around. But do we really understand its origins and significance…

How to mitigate bias in machine learning algorithms — Have you ever thought about why so many AI assistants have feminine names? Alexa, Siri and Cortana are all names that many people tend to associate with commands and requests, or simply the word “hey”. Even the world’s first chatbot from the 1960s had a female name: Eliza. Apparently, the…

When to book and when to fly? UX case study about explaining flight prices with AI. — Though much of the world is currently in lock-down and air travel is drastically reduced, the questions this post addresses are as relevant now as they will be once the people of the world again feel they can travel safely to be in one another’s company. Imagine the scene: you’re…