What building an AI startup taught me about Human-Centred AI

What happens when AI can build faster than we can design, test and think through the consequences?

After ten months co-founding Solace and building Ananta, I came away with a very different perspective on human-centred AI. From deciding not to enter the grief space without clinical expertise, to confronting the limitations of AI likeness, an ever-expanding MVP and the economics of emerging technology, some of our hardest challenges had very little to do with code.

This is a reflection on what building an AI startup taught me about designing for humans, knowing when to say “not yet”, and why faster technology should give us more time to think, not less.

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Using Gamestorming to make your workshops fun, engaging and effective!

As a user experience designer, I facilitate many types of meetings of all shapes and sizes: some last an hour and some are lengthy workshops that can run for a day or two. And, like most people, I’ve been through far too many deaths by powerpoint meetings or agenda-less gatherings that engulf hours out of busy schedules. As a result, I’m always looking for ways to make my facilitated gatherings more engaging, goal driven and purposeful.

One of the resources that I keep going back to is the Gamestorming website and book. For those who have yet to discover this serviceable, cornucopia for facilitators, let me introduce you to Gamestorming.

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Hack Day Gamestorming with Smart Toys

I admit it. I am fascinated by technical gadgets. I was an early adopter of the iPhone which I had imported to Australia before it was even available to Australians. I’ve been through my fair share of wearables and I love my Apple watch. Our lights at home are controlled by our mobiles and my Withings scale tracks my pulse rate velocity, heart rate and of course my weight.

Unashamedly, I’ve also purchased quite a few tech gadgets for my children’s birthdays, which were really an excuse for me to play as well.  However, my goal of instilling my technical passions into my children hasn’t been entirely successful. I find that these toys only hold their interest for about a week and then they start gathering dust on the shelf. The most recent smart toy being the Ozobot Bit.

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