Embracing our fear of AI, part 2
How going back to design thinking basics can help design leaders guide their teams through these uncertain times
In part 1 of this blog series, we started with a simple tip for embracing a designer’s fear of AI: engaging in the discourse about AI by asking informed questions. This simple design thinking tactic is helpful both for learning about new tech and for overcoming the idea that only experts in that tech can drive the conversations forward.
So let’s say you or your team have started asking questions and engaging in conversation about AI. Then what? The vast amount of information and emerging tools related to AI can feel incredibly overwhelming. It’s one thing to be mentally ready to ask about something new. It’s another to figure out how to start engaging with that thing.
This is where design leaders can lean on not one but two frameworks: the design thinking practice and agile development methodology. Both frameworks thrive on the idea of time-boxing and that’s what this next tip is all about.
Tip 2: Run time-boxed experiments
When someone on your team is struggling to learn something new, one of the best things you can do as a leader is to provide some healthy guardrails or creative constraints. One of those constraints is time. The lack of a time constraint can lead to procrastination and that sense of overwhelm.
Time-boxing is pretty simple. You decide on a task (in my case, I’m looking to experiment with tools like uizard.io that use AI to generate UI screens) and an amount of time within which you’ll work on that task. Ideally, you have some sort of definition of ‘done’ that you can celebrate or at least make note of at the end of that time slot.
Time-boxing gives you a needed sense of control in an ever-changing world. It lets you decide what to do and when to do it.
By using time-boxing techniques to explore and interact with new AI tools, you can more easily chip away at that fear of the unknown. Gradually exposing yourself to AI in a controlled and structured way will also help you feel like you’re learning about AI on your own terms.
Where to get started
Here are four easy ways to create a mini time-boxed experiment:
- Identify and get access to an AI tool or technology that piques your interest (at the moment, ChatGPT is one of the most popular and easiest places to start)
- Find a time slot in your calendar or, if you’re ready right now, simply set a timer for 30 minutes to an hour
- Run your experiment by trying out different prompts you’d use in your daily life or at work (e.g. “Rewrite this line of copy”, “Plan an itinerary for a 5-day trip to Italy”, or any of these suggestions)
- Take notes of any thoughts or insights that pop up during your session
If you can’t get access to a tool you’ve been eyeing, you can also use a time-boxed session to read online tutorials or engage in open forums (where you can try asking your informed questions).
The key here is to start small, be consistent, and gradually expand your comfort zone. And that’s it! So go forth and get that time-boxed experimenting going 💪🤖.
Follow me to get notified about Embracing our fear of AI, part 3. In the meantime, share your own thoughts, questions, and tips in the comments!
