# Design has moved from screens to intelligence **URL:** \ **Category:** Proving biz impact\ **Created:** [November 4, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339 "2025-11-04T00:47:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339/1 "2025-11-04T00:47:11Z")
Here’s an interesting Manifesto of sorts from [Suff Syed](https://www.suffsyed.com/) on the transition of design, from the “Surface to the Substrate.” He’s got a four part series. It’s a long read, but he’s made it interesting. - [Designers should look to Demis Hassabis. Not Jony Ive.](https://www.suffsyed.com/futurememo/designers-should-look-to-demis-hassabis-not-jony-ive) - [Designers Have to Move from the Surface to the Substrate](https://www.suffsyed.com/futurememo/designers-have-to-move-from-the-surface-to-the-substrate) - [The Design Leaders Are Lying to You](https://www.suffsyed.com/futurememo/the-design-leaders-are-lying-to-you) - [How Future Designers Will Win in the Age of AI](https://www.suffsyed.com/futurememo/how-future-designers-will-win-in-the-age-of-ai) Here are the big takeaways: - **Design has moved from screens to intelligence**. The real work is shaping how models think and act, not polishing pixels. - **Designers need new materials** : - **Old rules flip.** - **Design leaders are stuck in the old era**. - **The path forward is sovereignty.** Designers can own brand, product, and intelligence outcomes if they learn the substrate and act now. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 3:40am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339/2 "2025-11-04T03:40:09Z")
Decided to outline some of my own experiences with our development: > **[Integrating AI into your product experience is a minefield. Wrong move, and...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryanzmijewski_integrating-ai-into-your-product-experience-activity-7391313950048514049-gAiD)** > > Integrating AI into your product experience is a minefield. > > Wrong move, and the whole thing breaks in subtle and not obvious ways. > > As design shifts from screens to intelligence, we’re facing problems that break the systems, rituals, and frameworks... ![designing-ai-around-user-needs](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/1X/fa4c212cda574f7e595c8bbd4c58db0b1699a6a5.png) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 3:41am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339/3 "2025-11-04T03:41:15Z")
Also, here are a lot of good resources. We’ve shared a lot on AI design lately. Here are featured [Helio](https://www.linkedin.com/company/helio/) posts from top authors: Design needs new patterns to build AI experiences. [Sharang Sharma](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharangsharmadesign/) > **[\#uxresearch #productdiscovery #marketresearch #productdesign | Helio](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7347630565874941952-ZXA3)** > > Design needs new patterns to build AI experiences. > > We like Sharang Sharma’s argument that designers need new UX AI patterns to make them useful, trustworthy, and easy to control. It’s not just about adding a chatbot, rather, it’s about choosing the... Use frameworks to design human-centered AI. [Rob Chappell](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robchappell/) > **[How to design human-centered AI with UX frameworks | Helio posted on the topic...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7332801732311162880-2-E7)** > > Use frameworks to design human-centered AI. > > We like Rob Chappell’s helpful look at how UX designers can create AI experiences centered on people. As AI changes how we design, we need to combine human-centered thinking with a strong understanding of... AI design turns behavior into learning-ready patterns, [Amanda Linden](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-linden-99326/) > **[How to design AI products responsibly and innovatively | Helio posted on the...](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7324086364017229828)** > > AI design turns behavior into learning-ready patterns. > > We love how Amanda Linden explains what makes designing AI products different. It’s not just about making things work. It’s about understanding the tech, thinking through the impact, and giving... User experience design is expanding, [Menno Cramer](https://www.linkedin.com/in/menno-cramer/) > **[UX design evolves to shape AI and agents | Helio posted on the topic | LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7329889995706564609-Bb50)** > > User experience design is expanding. > > We like Menno Cramer’s UX map. It shows how UX is growing from designing websites to shaping AI systems and intelligent agents. As technology changes, so does the role of UX designers. It’s not just about making... New design methods are needed to unlock AI’s potential, [Sarah Tan 🪄](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahtan-twh/) > **[New design methods needed for AI products | Helio posted on the topic | LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7326249746770120704-uxBg)** > > New design methods are needed to unlock AI’s potential. > > We like Sarah Tan 🪄’s argument that traditional design methods aren’t enough for AI. AI products are complex and often unpredictable, so designers need a new approach focusing on transparency,... AI will transform the future of design leadership, [Matthew Stephens](https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewstephens/) > **[How AI can boost design leadership: Matthew Stephens | Helio posted on the...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7181047676300394497-vNGC)** > > AI will transform the future of design leadership. > > We love Matthew Stephens’s thoughtful article on design leadership in the AI era, specifically calling out the importance of using AI as a partner in design work to boost creativity and new ideas.... Design AI to help users get useful results, [Jason DePerro](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdeperro/) > **[Design AI for meaningful outcomes, not just responses | Helio posted on the...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7304871689811570689-PBpT)** > > Design AI to help users get useful results. > > Not just respond. > > We love Jason DePerro’s argument that AI should be designed to assist users in achieving meaningful deliverables, not just provide isolated responses. Instead of treating AI as a simple... Bring UX scenarios to life with AI. [Chris Becker, MFA](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisrbecker/) > **[How AI can enhance UX design | Helio posted on the topic | LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7337850978244710405-C08g)** > > Bring UX scenarios to life with AI. > > We love how Chris Becker, MFA shows how to use AI to spark ideas, build UX scenarios, and design with people in mind. GenAI is powerful, but it works best when combined with classic design skills like sketching,... Design needs new skills as people and AI learn together. [Hal Wuertz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/halwuertz/) > **[Designing for AI: 5 key skills for designers | Helio posted on the topic |...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7340049790489006080-7xvv)** > > Design needs new skills as people and AI learn together. > > We love Hal Wuertz’s argument that AI design isn’t just about making things easy to use, it’s about helping people understand and trust systems that keep changing. Unlike traditional design,... Design AI that’s user-friendly and earns trust, [Ben Shih](https://www.linkedin.com/in/hbshih/) > **[\#uxresearch #productdiscovery #marketresearch #productdesign | Helio](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7289680129696403457-3wjs)** > > Design AI that’s user-friendly and earns trust. > > We love Ben Shih’s argument that we should focus AI design on meeting user needs rather than just showcasing technology. He explains how AI can become more useful and intuitive by addressing the gap... Design is stronger when you know AI agents’ capabilities. [Greg Nudelman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregnudelman/) > **[How AI is shifting from tool to coworker in design | Helio posted on the topic...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/helio_uxresearch-productdiscovery-marketresearch-activity-7366132009603092481-7aCJ)** > > Design is stronger when you know AI agents’ capabilities. > > We like how Greg Nudelman shows us how AI is shifting from a step-by-step tool to a team of agents that work more like coworkers. For designers, this means rethinking interfaces so humans and... ---
**Author:** ![EricZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ericz/32/692_2.png) [@EricZ](https://forum.zurb.com/u/EricZ)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339/4 "2025-11-04T22:18:19Z")
This is a huge conversation, and I appreciate that Suff Syed is challenging design as a profession to get involved beneath the surface. I think there are massive issues with expectations and how to effectively train an agent or model. For myself, I agree that for designers AI is a black box. The gaps between what I think might be going on and clarity of what is actually going on are huge. ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 12:20am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/design-has-moved-from-screens-to-intelligence/339/5 "2025-11-05T00:20:44Z")
Bigggggg big, ideas here. Though, arguably the future! IMO, the AI shift is only going to amplify the need for measurement in design work. Being able to measure these outcomes is going to be more important than ever.