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Summary
Interaction designer and educator, Erin Malone, takes a look back to the days of the emergent graphical user interface in her new book In Through the Side Door, Fifty Years of Women in Interaction Design. While discussing the new personal computer and some of the women involved in defining these new experiences, she recalls the disruption this new tool made to the world of graphic design and publishing with tools like the Macintosh, Adobe Photoshop, Quark Express and Adobe Illustrator. It was a time of existential change to an industry. Not unlike what we are experiencing today with the emergence of AI in all our tools. What lessons might be learned from the past as we look to the future? How might we future-proof ourselves in this new world? Join a lively discussion reflecting on the past to shape our future.
Key Insights
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Women played key foundational roles in interaction design, often unrecognized in formal histories.
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The desktop publishing revolution in the 1980s displaced many traditional print production roles but expanded design accessibility.
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Early computing pioneers like Ivan Sutherland and Douglas Engelbart laid groundwork for modern interactive systems.
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AI is accelerating changes in design faster than past technological shifts such as desktop publishing.
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Routine design tasks, including prototyping, icon creation, and some UX writing, are particularly vulnerable to AI automation.
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Strategic, generative, and human-centered roles in UX and design are less likely to be replaced by AI.
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Design education must evolve by integrating emerging technologies and helping students rebrand skill sets for future markets.
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There is a significant need to address biases in AI systems, especially those affecting women and people of color.
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Collaborative and transparent design practices that reveal the messiness of creation benefit both professionals and communities.
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The insights from history highlight the importance of storytelling to position design careers in a changing technological landscape.
Notable Quotes
"Erin was always a couple of steps ahead on the road of design and UX."
"Desktop publishing replaced hundreds of years of craft over about 25 years."
"If Gutenberg came back, he'd be comfortable in that studio—now that's the studio."
"AI is both a threat and an opportunity; it’s not really new but it's coming for some of our roles."
"The challenge shifts from making to deciding what to make as AI handles trivial building."
"Many AI tools are very racist and biased against women and people of color."
"There will still be at least one visual designer creating the design system—the person who drives originality."
"Understanding human behavior to generate concepts is not something AI can do yet."
"Letting all these research teams go is very shortsighted because understanding people is critical."
"Any new technology always has reactionaries and experimenters, and it’s wonderful to see both come together."
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