Agents can make one-off apps, but they’re usually toys. I show how we might bring malleability and composability to the kind of deep interfaces that experts live in all day—demonstrated in a writing environment, but applicable to all serious software. Little serious reading software exists, so I propose and demonstrate a new kind of malleable digital reading environment focused on expert use.

But malleable interfaces aren’t enough. Historically, inventing interfaces has required imaginative design skill, deep domain insight, and fluent programming. Few have all three, but programming is the only skill that can produce working software on its own—so interface invention culture is dominated by programmers. I share early reports of how coding agents are changing that, and what it might mean for the people and institutions inventing interfaces today.

let’s talk

Very beautiful hypermedia desktop environment powered by Patchwork. At the same time, I’m a bit disturbed by how involved LLMs have become in the I&S process.

Comprehensive reference for designing AI experiences. 100 patterns, visual examples, and reusable components for AI UX designers and product teams.

Pattern library of AIUX patterns exploring best practices for designing AI Products.

When the chef said, ‘Hey, Meta, start Live AI,’ it started every single Ray-Ban Meta’s Live AI in the building.

I’m not as anti-AI, anti-assistant as everyone here (although lately I too have kicked all that out of my own life) but one thing that I wish would away sooner rather than later is the whole hey Siri, hey Alexa, hey Google, hey Meta thing which is a very bad idea executed poorly.

Today we have thousands of apps to choose from, but it’s difficult to craft our own custom tools that do exactly what we need. Geoffrey Litt’s research explores malleable software: approaching software that feels more like a Lego set that anyone can combine to create their own tools, without programming. This talk will feature demonstrations of malleable software tools developed in contexts from travel planning to collaborative writing. It will also discuss how AI might enable a Cambrian explosion of custom tools created by non-programmers, and what kinds of new software environments will be needed to take advantage of that new power.

Great overview of Geoffrey’s work over the past few years and how LLMs could fit into the future of end-user programming.

Web review of Ervin