Publishing a book is both thrilling and terrifying. In a world of hot takes and ephemeral pixels, etching ideas into a physical object commits you to the long view. What matters? What will last? What is the difference between practice and fad?
Sentient Design: Crafting Intelligent Interfaces with AI was released on Tuesday (!!) with an audacious goal: to establish a lasting practice for creating AI-powered experiences. We think we succeeded, and a slew of advance readers think so, too. (Don Norman: “Excellent, essential.” John Maeda: “What an epic book!” Kirkus: “Get it.”)
Sentient Design is the practice of creating intelligent interfaces, things like dashboards that design themselves, apps that manifest on demand, or agents that just get it done. The book is the first to map the whole territory: the experience patterns, practical methodology, and imaginative perspective for creating experiences that just weren’t possible before.
This week, we also shared how and why Veronika Kindred and I wrote the book. In a nutshell, we did it because we needed it. We’re sharing it because we think you might need it, too. Sentient Design is our answer to what’s next for design (and designers): embracing AI as a design material for extraordinary new experiences, not just a tool to wring savings and grind out efficiencies.
We hope the book makes a difference for you, and we’d love to hear what you think. Please check out the book, share it with your colleagues, and post a review on Amazon.
LFG, friends!
—Josh Clark and the Big Medium team