uxcon Vienna: AI changes the process, but also the user

Interview with Moritz Schwarzl, UI Designer at AURENA Tech

Moritz, at uxcon, a lot of professionals from different domains and countries come together. How would you describe the mood and attitude towards AI in general?

“Opinions amongst the speakers and visitors were very mixed. There were many sceptical voices, but also some who were more positive, although hardly anyone seemed truly enthusiastic. What stood out were the talks with representatives from Anthropic and Google: Not surprisingly, they wanted to promote a positive mindset and gave the impression that we should treat AI more like a force of nature. Their focus was on how we need to adapt, or how we can win over the sceptics. I found there was alarmingly little self-criticism in these talks.”

What are your key takeaways in terms of AI-caused changes for the field of product design and UX?

“In one talk, it was predicted – based on trends to date – that a seamless and personalised user experience will soon become even more important, as people’s average tolerance for frustration and ability to concentrate could decline significantly. Another speaker highlighted the importance of the insights gained during the user research process, which can be lost when processes are rushed due to the use of AI tools and reduced human interaction. These thoughts are definitely something I want to keep in mind when contributing to our major relaunch of the AURENA auction platform.”

Thank you for sharing your insights, and all the best for the platform relaunch!