Riya Thosar

Spoke at the SaaSD meet-up today on the state of UX in AI SaaS landscape, discussing challenges around democratization of AI capabilities, retrofitting AI concepts, and functional challenges from the UXD perspective. Showcased some smart AI features developed at SurveySparrow too! Received an intriguing question on the relevance of product design in a future where personalized AI-served content might converge on various devices. Is defining a specialized product experience still crucial in this scenario? My take is that designers must adapt to shaping preferred 'experiences' with AI, focusing on meaningful engagement loops over traditional UI. Interfaces may become less vital as we evolve to cater to new user needs. #AI #UXDesign #ProductDesign #SaaS #UserExperience

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Products like Recraft are like the Perplexity for creating images with #GenAI. They are leaning into the benefits of going beyond a conversational prompt-based interface ONLY and integrating traditional, familiar GUI-based workflows with prompts to provide outcomes that creative people seek. In this example, they've notably improved the experience of creating multiple #images in a consistent style using #AI. In addition, they seem to be among the few (only one?) offering SVG export, making them a great option for #illustration. https://lnkd.in/eiGPqbKU

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The system designer in me asked a crazy question- “Can I design my happiness systemically?" - A question that led me to a world of profound realization. In December 2023, I embarked on my first Vipassana retreat - 10 days of noble silence, devoid of dopamine triggers. While nothing seemed to happen during those days, everything changed afterward, leaving me with an unprecedented sense of peace. 2024 became the litmus test for my Vipassana experience, presenting the most intense challenges of my life. Remarkably, I navigated this tumultuous period with zero stress and great peace. Life happened, but I remained untouched - a new version of myself emerging, one I'm still in awe of. Previously, I was self-critical, overtly ambitious, obsessed with productivity, and neglectful of my body and mind. Rest was a foreign concept. But the past six months saw a dramatic shift. I abandoned my relentless drive and scarcity mindset, embracing kindness, abundance, compassion, and love. The transformation was hard and heart-wrenching, yet I've never been happier. Mind you, the pleasure quotient in this period was almost zero. Reflecting on this change, I realized: 1. I gained self-trust and respect, living life with clear priorities. 2. I created a habit stack, focusing on deeply meaningful practices. 3. I distinguished between process goals and outcome goals, emphasizing the former while learning from the latter. 4. I reminded myself: "Days are long, decades are short." 5. I persevered through choppy outcomes, resisting the allure of "shiny objects" and compulsive habits. 6. I consciously cultivated habits that earned my respect. The result? My "Tripti index" (contentment) has consistently remained above 4 for six months - unprecedented in my life. Yes, you can systemically cultivate happiness. The key? Focus on serotonin, not dopamine. Hone your "respect quotient." Be reasonable and kind to yourself. Like a lotus, you'll blossom even in muddy waters. A few awesomeness can be shown with data(weight loss, growth of wealth etc) and a few (learning, transformation inside etc) remain as anecdote/anecdata for now. P.S: That is my weight loss in the past few months despite life being what it is. If I can be a Phoneix bird, so can you. #lifedesign #neuro #transformation

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Embracing AI in Design School: Advice for a Dad Last week, during a talk on AI and Product Management, a concerned dad asked me what advice he should give to his daughter who is studying design in college. Her program discourages using large language models (LLMs) and views AI tools negatively. Here was my advice: 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐥 Technology often offers us new ways to be creative, from the camera and 3D animation to video installations and various graphic tools I've learned over the years. AI provides a new avenue for creativity and expression. Encourage your daughter to explore the capabilities of these tools and how to use them to achieve her vision. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧 Understanding proportion, color, scale, texture, and other design principles will always be relevant. No matter where technology goes, learning how to conceive a work, explain her process, and take criticism constructively will serve her well. 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐈 Encourage your daughter to think critically about issues like consent, compensation, and ownership of creative work. Have her learn about bias, privacy, security, and AI ethics. This thoughtful engagement will ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically in her creative process. When faced with tension between opportunity and risk, the instinct might be to resolve it quickly. Instead, encourage her to embrace and navigate this tension thoughtfully. I sincerely hope she has a long and rewarding career. #designeducation #artificialintelligence #designthinking #creativity #technology #responsibleAI #productdesign #futureofwork #education

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🤔 “What exactly is it that I do again?” As a newer design manager and leader, it’s been a process for me to let go of the immediate validation design deliverables can bring and refocus on enabling a system for other designers to deliver effectively. 🤹‍♂️ Where I used to provide my value: → Brand exploration and mood boards → Building nuanced interactive prototypes → Polishing my visual mockups at high-fidelity 💎 Where I’ve started to feel my value more recently: → Synthesizing the design team goals for the new year → Building out systems to enable designers to collaborate → Getting design team members unblocked on a weekly basis It may be obvious, but I had success when I let go of "designing client products" and reset my vision so that I'm "designing the system that supports my team". When I did that, it was less about learning all new stills and more about leveraging my existing design skills and training. Transitioning to design management can be a challenge, but there are resources out there to help. Lately I’ve been going deep listening to Finding Our Way from Jesse James Garrett and Peter Merholz nodding my head constantly 🙏 https://lnkd.in/gNhgwwQk

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My thoughts on exploring an alternative to design thinking. Hemanth Ramesh Thank you for introducing me to JTBD and it took me so long to understand and start adopting it (through a hybrid model though).

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As a design leader, you work for your team—not the other way around. Learn how to keep your #UXteam happy, creative, and always on schedule. https://lnkd.in/eksZbUXM #DesignLeadership #TeamManagement #UXDesign #Productivity

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I'm thrilled to share that my latest product and design discovery article is live on Mind the Product! As a consultant, I've observed that the term 'Discovery' can have varying interpretations across different teams. It's not uncommon to encounter a team deeply immersed in a solution yet lacking a shared understanding of the customer opportunity they're addressing. At Lab Zero, we meet clients where they are and advocate for discovery while maintaining flexibility. We often employ lightweight methodologies to foster a shared understanding, even when work is already underway. Teresa Torres' book “Continuous Discovery Habits” is a guide to developing the mindset and practices that enable teams to discover and deliver value to their customers throughout the product development process. Her explanation of the 'Opportunity Solution Tree' helped me articulate a process for asking questions and bridging gaps when joining a new team. The first part of this two-part series looks at reversing the 'Opportunity Solution Tree' to establish a connection between the ongoing solution, customer opportunities, and business outcomes. The second part (coming soon!) will explore strategies for identifying gaps in your team's understanding of customer needs and the necessary measures to mitigate risks before launch. This series will help consultants, new team members, or a struggling team connect with that all-important why and launch valuable experiences for their customers and their orgs. Have you tried something like this with your team? Feedback is appreciated! If you haven't explored Mind The Product's extensive content library, I highly recommend it! In addition to articles about discovery and understanding customer needs, the community has shared insightful perspectives on product leadership, business, and teams. It's a great place to see perspectives on processes and theories informed by real-world use.  #ProductDiscovery #Design #Discovery #ContinuousDiscovery #Onboarding #Risk #CustomerOpportunity #Value #BusinessOutcomes

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