The Feed & The Thread

We examine whether the industry’s rush to merge design and engineering via AI is trading necessary friction for speed, risking the loss of our ability to question if a feature should exist at all. Jeff Gothelf argues...

We ask whether our mental models still match reality as tools split, shrink, or ignore job titles, examining how Deel and Rippling force different workflow logics and how iA Inc. redefines dual-screen ergonomics. We...

We explore the uncomfortable gap between AI’s speed and our lack of trust, asking why 99% of practitioners use these tools yet remain lukewarm about their reliability. From Maria Rosala’s findings on inconsistent output...

We question whether a $142k median salary actually buys a better life when inflation and location gaps quietly erode your buying power, a reality Jeff Sauro and Jim Lewis break down in their 2026 data. As we debate if...

We explore the dangerous conflation of AI-assisted creation with actual product judgment, arguing that the ability to build is no longer the bottleneck—knowing if it’s good is. Drawing on Dan Maccarone’s critique of...

We explore the uncomfortable gap between AI’s ability to simulate average users and its failure to capture the "bad days" that drive innovation, a limitation highlighted by MeasuringU’s finding that digital twins...

We ask why designers are still essential when AI can generate code in seconds, arguing that the answer lies in judgment rather than execution. Fabricio Teixeira and Nick Babich highlight how taste and decision rights...

We’re asking whether the line between designing and building is actually dissolving, or if we’re just shifting the burden of coordination onto product managers who were never hired for it. Nil Thyrion argues that design...

We explore why repetition feels so comfortable, from Luke Wroblewski’s argument that intelligence is built on simple, repeated blocks to Dora Czerna’s warning that professional competence can trap us in stagnant...

We ask whether treating AI as a shortcut for user research trades necessary depth for speed, noting that while synthetic users match broad conclusions, they miss the natural variation that reveals edge cases. Rachel...

We’re asking why our organizations are failing at AI adoption despite having the tools, arguing that the real friction lies in a cultural gap where staff see higher expectations rather than better working conditions...

We’re asking whether intelligence is a destination we build or a capability we weave into existing work, a question Dan Maccarone answers by arguing that standalone AI apps are a trap that fails to create lasting habit...

We ask what remains of human judgment when machines handle the heavy lifting, a tension that forces us to move from passive reporting to strategic recommendation. We examine Dan Saffer’s six interaction models and Jim...

We’re asking whether the tools that make us faster are quietly eroding the deep expertise that defines our craft, as Slava Polonski warns of "AI skill atrophy" and Jessica DeMartini argues we must retain human judgment...

We’re drowning in AI tools but starving for strategy, so we ask whether we’re using these tools to ship faster or to understand deeper. Jeff Gothelf proposes a lightweight canvas to cut through the feature-stuffing...