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Invisible Users, Invisible Interfaces: Accelerating Design Iteration with AI Simulation - Alex Liss
Takeaway
Simulated user personas can give designers an inner feedback loop that surfaces friction across a category at scale before any human user study runs.
Summary
- VP of Data & AI at Huge proposes using AI-simulated users ('intelligent twins') built on demographic/psychographic/contextual data to accelerate UX need-finding before human designers iterate.
- Cites Edelman Dec 2024 data: only 32% of US adults trust AI; AI slop ('eat rocks', '$1 cars') is widening the trust gap — fix is invisible-interface design (Don Norman) not chatbot-stuffing.
- Sample project: 72 simulated audit actions across navigation, information architecture, and engagement on basketball/Olympics/EPL sites, with casual vs super-fan personas — uncovers where task completion drops off as fans go deeper.
- Future direction: MCP-based bridges from Figma prototypes to React/Node code; emphasizes need for reproducibility (parameter repo, test-and-control vs human teams) since this is still experimental.
uxai-simulationdesign
Original description
The genAI explosion has flipped classic software design on its head. Instead of building invisible interfaces, experiences so intuitive they feel second nature, we’ve seen a flood of awkward chatbot overlays and bolt-on features that confuse more than they help. But what if AI could be part of the solution? The path back to seamless design lies in using AI not as a feature, but as a tool for design itself. Through invisible users, like Intelligent Twins for AI-driven audience simulations, and computer use agents for visual evaluation, designers can accelerate needfinding and test interface concepts at scale. This session will explain that by simulating how diverse users experience new interactions, teams can anticipate user needs, reduce friction, and build great interfaces faster. Don’t bolt-on genAI features to existing products and tell people its magic – use AI to design software that actually feels like magic.