The Scarlet
Letter*

Why The Scarlet Letter?

Hester Prynne was marked not to reform her, but to confine her. The scarlet “A” was meant to reduce her to a single failing; she turned it into a symbol of competence, independence, and authority.

That societal impulse hasn’t disappeared. Even now, adaptability is treated with suspicion. Depth across disciplines is misread as a lack of focus.

After 23 years in design, AI has entered my daily practice. The questions feel familiar: Do I truly understand it? Can I learn it, shape it, and use it well? I hear the uncertainty in conversations, and notice it in what goes unsaid across the industry.

On client premises, doubt often becomes a quiet form of governance—contribution is accepted, but belonging remains conditional.

This newsletter starts from a different belief. Identity is not singular. Excellence is not linear, and understanding cannot be neatly compartmentalised. Strategy, execution, leadership, and empathy are not trade-offs; they strengthen one another.

So I choose to wear this mark openly. Here, I will write candidly about what I see, what I learn, and what I design—working alongside a deeply talented team—navigating this shift with clarity, rigour, and intent.

Design must enter the chat

AI caused a change in user interface design and it is now changing how enterprises think about Human-AI collaboration.

Design must enter the chat

Reasons to read

Enterprises are shaping how humans interact with AI and computers. I explore how design-thinking has a pivotal responsibility here.

we are witnessing a quiet regression in human–computer interaction.
many products are collapsing rich, expressive interfaces into a single pattern—
type → wait → review → retype.
This changes how we use computers and what they do for us.
enterprises should see AI as something humans collaborate with—not something we merely instruct and not adapt AI in fragmented, chat-only ways.
instead, there is a need for interaction-rich systems that preserve human control, context, and creativity.

Design must enter the chat

AI caused a change in user interface design and it is now changing how enterprises think about Human-AI collaboration.

Design must enter the chat