Summary
In this session, I will explore the groundbreaking approach taken by the Austin Public Library's Innovation Lab in integrating AI with GitHub for UX enhancement. Our primary challenge was to streamline and enrich the documentation process, adhering to the complex guidelines of the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) while ensuring the content was accessible and user-friendly. Leveraging AI, we developed a system that not only automates the creation of diverse documentation formats like Markdown, but also ensures alignment with USWDS standards. This innovative method significantly improved the efficiency of our documentation process, making it more coherent and navigable. A key highlight is our recent revamp of the Breadcrumbs navigation strategy, demonstrating AI's role in enhancing user experience and interface design. The session showcases how AI can transform UX practices, offering practical insights for UX professionals looking to leverage AI in their work. Takeaways Insight into the innovative use of AI for streamlining documentation processes, adhering to USWDS guidelines in a public library setting Practical examples of how AI can transform UX practices, with a focus on creating efficient, user-friendly, and standards-compliant documentation Demonstration of the AI-assisted update of the Breadcrumbs navigation strategy, demonstrating tangible improvements in UX design and user navigation Strategies for leveraging AI to enhance collaboration among UX designers, developers, and content creators, fostering a more integrated and effective workflow Tips for utilizing tools like GitHub Pages for rapid deployment and continuous integration, highlighting the role of AI in accelerating project development
Key Insights
-
•
Austin cemetery data dates back to 1866, presenting a century-spanning stewardship challenge.
-
•
Ethical data stewardship involves not just transferring data but preserving archival context and knowledge.
-
•
The US Web Design System principles of openness, transparency, reuse, and modularity guide their approach.
-
•
AI, particularly ChatGPT, is used to assist writing and debugging Python scripts for data transformation.
-
•
Markdown is an effective lightweight format for clear documentation stored on GitHub, aiding future collaborations.
-
•
Updating historical terms in datasets (e.g., lunatic asylum to Austin State Hospital) is vital for modern sensibility and accuracy.
-
•
Leveraging AI to generate nuanced documentation aligned with design principles enhances usability and comprehension.
-
•
Python scrapers combined with AI enable extraction and formatting of public data into reusable CSV format.
-
•
Creating a custom GPT tailored with city privacy guidelines supports compliance and open collaboration.
-
•
Encouraging community involvement and mentoring lowers technical barriers for newcomers engaging with data projects.
Notable Quotes
"We wanna make sure that we don't just hand it over as a black box, but also provide contextual information."
"We are trying to do it ethically with this body of data that we have with the Austin cemeteries."
"I'm not a Python developer. I've used Python, but I'm getting a lot of assistance from ChatGPT to help me write that."
"Markdown is a very concise and useful format, and it's used all over the place on GitHub."
"I copied and pasted that from GitHub back into ChatGPT, and now it's writing markdown formatted documentation for me."
"You can tune AI writing so it's not just compliance, but really using principles for the right reasons because they're actually helpful."
"I learned from Molly that the lunatic asylum is now called the Austin State Hospital, and I've encoded that in a Python script."
"Python is great for writing scrapers, and these large language models are great for writing Python."
"Public data has a life of its own; it’s sometimes one thing and sometimes another depending on context and display."
"Find a mentor. That could be a real person, AI, or a community project like Open Austin."
Dig deeper—ask the Rosenbot:
More Videos
"Closing the distance means more than connecting with customers—it means connecting better across your own team."
Monty HammontreeThe Future of UX Research (Videoconference)
December 3, 2020
"Will you become an advocate for the world’s most vulnerable voices muffled in complex systems?"
Liz EbengoThe Burden on Children: The Cost of Insufficient Post-Conflict Services and Pathways Forward
December 4, 2024
"Content first design should happen after sketching but pretty early to help shape the wireframes and concepts."
Billy CarlsonTips to Utilize Wireframes to Tell an Effective Product Story
June 6, 2023
"Design operations is designing how we design, and inclusive design is design ops we need to be intentional about."
Saara Kamppari-MillerInclusive Design is DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"Your career is the only design project you will ever own, so own it consciously and actively."
Ian SwinsonDesigning and Driving UX Careers
June 8, 2016
"Canceling office hours optimizes for focus and accountability rather than shortcuts and unclear responsibilities."
Jonathon ColmanHow to Maximize the Impact of Content Design
January 8, 2024
"A wave is really just a sprint but defined by the outcome we want to achieve, not just a time frame."
Maria SkaadenContinuous Design: One eye on the horizon and the other on the next wave
November 8, 2018
"I learned from Molly that the lunatic asylum is now called the Austin State Hospital, and I've encoded that in a Python script."
Bryce Benton[Demo] AI-powered UX enhancement: Aligning GitHub documentation with USWDS at Austin Public Library
June 4, 2024
"You have to apply multiple perspectives to the data so you don’t oversimplify or misinterpret the patterns."
Marc FonteijnFirst Insights from the 2025 Service Design Salary(+) Report
December 4, 2024
