Workshop: AI as a Design Material - Amsterdam

From the creator of the AI Interaction Atlas, this workshop is designed to help you think differently about how we make AI systems work well for actual humans, and build the foundational skills for identifying and communicating why & how we might use AI within a larger solution.

AI is a powerful technology that seems to be the answer to every problem, but in reality only provides value when designed right. Wanting AI and knowing where it belongs are two very different things. Too often, teams are compelled to implement AI (often by their stakeholders) without ever asking the important questions: does the problem truly call for AI? What's the ROI? Where specifically is AI needed? How might we best take advantage of the capabilities AI can perform? What happens to the people we design AI solutions for?

You can design AI systems that genuinely improve people's work and lives, but it requires a new framing that understands the materiality of AI within the contexts we build.

In this three-hour workshop you'll learn how to:

• Treat AI as a design material, with specific functions and values, rather than a magic fix to slap on top of an existing experience.
• Identify gaps in your users context worth designing AI solutions for vs. gaps that don't need AI at all.
• Determine what AI enablements provide real value for your users and business.
• Evaluate which specific AI capabilities create the foundation for a given user experience.
• Build a shared language your team can use to clearly communicate around AI design and development.

This workshop gives you a conceptual foundation and a working toolkit for designing innovative and useful AI solutions (beyond building chatbots). You'll pull from modular tools and activities based on the actual needs of your team and users. The workshop is not a fixed script, but adapts to your use case.

Who is this workshop for?

This workshop was built with designers in mind, and the lessons span across product teams. If you're a product manager trying to figure out what to build, a developer evaluating what's feasible, or a founder wondering where AI fits in your business, you'll leave with clarity you didn't walk in with.

About the Facilitators:

Brandon Harwood is an independent designer and researcher, founder at quietloudlab, and the creator of the AI Interaction Atlas. He has over a decade of experience at IBM Innovation Studio, designing human-centered AI systems for clients across industry sectors and advising IBM Research on human-AI co-creativity, with research published at CHI 2023 informing his approach to designing AI products that empowers human creativity rather than replace it. Through quietloudlab, he works with startups and innovation teams to design emerging technology experiences grounded in cognitive psychology, practical product strategy, and the everyday human experience.

Matthijs Zwinderman's background covers AI research (Carnegie Mellon), enterprise service design, and product strategy with Dutch startups, scaleups, and enterprises. He's been building and running design communities in the Netherlands for years, including LeanUX The Hague, using his practical and pragmatic ground-level knowledge to shape every session.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Matthijs Zwinderman + Brandon Harwood