Vibe along – As the doors slide open, so does the user experience.

Design 4 min read
Vibe along – As the doors slide open, so does the user experience.

Summary

“With great power comes great responsibility.” Not really a line you’d expect me to quote, but Uncle Ben got this right. In a world where AI can build almost anything with just a few clicks. It’s tempting to chase flashiness, the real challenge is keeping the experience true for the people who will be your actual users, customers. Even with amazing things AI can do today, the oversight should always be human.

That’s where the basics still matter. K.I.S.S. — Keep It Simple, Stupid. Regardless if it’s an app, a website, or even a vibe-coded new screen interface, simplicity, context, and real-world testing are as important today as they were pre AI era. The lessons aren’t just digital — they’re physical too, like a well-designed sliding door that’s functional before you even touch it, these observations and executions flow both ways. Let's explore how we can combine AI, UX principles, and thoughtful design approach to build experiences that truly are for the people, not just for the sake of new tech.

With great power comes great responsibility.

The people who know me, know I’m no Marvel fan with the exception of Deadpool and Venom. However, I can for sure acknowledge this amazing line by Uncle Ben (2002 – Benjamin Franklin Parker played by Cliff Robertson), which holds true today as it did many years ago.

I bring this up because it’s awkwardly relevant today? With AI helping build new products or experiences regardless of its viewport, ecosystem, or platform, means we have to be careful not to overshoot the objective for the users or the product you’re building for. We get caught up by the flashiness of it all that we forget who’s going to use it. The AI interfaces do provide solid results, but we definitely need to verify what works with real-world users. In such a case it becomes increasingly essential to fall back to the basics to make sure the real-world objectives are met.

K.I.S.S.

Lips
Image for attention only 😉

The age-old acronym still applies – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

As an author of a product, project, or an experience, it’s your job to make sure what you are building is simple to use. You don’t have to dumb it down, of course, but you need to provide the right tools with context, without which your users will feel disgruntled or downright frustrated, none of which is ideal or preferred.

Unnecessary road blocks break the experience. Unless there’s something worthwhile to add, absolutely avoid it. In most cases, I’ve seen apps, websites, and most of the time games do this where they push the user to buy or get subscriptions via annoyance. Even if the user does get it, it’s rarely because they wanted to but because they just want to get past the nagging and on to their objective. This is a dark pattern, which is hardly advisable.

I’ve always maintained that one of the best cases for amazing UX is in the physical world.

The automatic sliding doors. Providing access to the user while keeping out undesirable elements (dust, heat, stray animals, and such).

A step further, and you could add some form of authentication, which acts as a roadblock but for a good reason.

The automatic sliding doors are usually transparent, which provides context to the user before even the user enters. Given most places it’s installed, the intention of the user is established before even entering the premises; however, a visual feedback does provide valuable information to the user, for example: If they are at the correct entrance, is their destination close to this entrance, is it safe to go back outside or the wind still blowing like crazy!

Going about it in the Vibe world

The basic UX principles apply even to vibe-coded outputs. I recommend go about it like any other MVP. Build on what the product or project cannot do without.

Incrementally build, even if you’re working with other members; this will help you test your concept, hypothesis, and approach.

More importantly, test along the way, set milestones or checkpoints on where and how you’d like to test, and make this part of your sprint. Your sprint should never end without testing. A lot of interfaces feel familiar as they should to achieve similar objectives, and in most cases, it rings true. However, never forget to include the culture, age, gender, location, and disadvantages as part of your decision-making and advocacy for the users process.

I am happy to see that a lot of websites and apps in the MENA region (where I am currently located) now factor these things in along with taking into account how the experience will feel for the People of determination ♿️ .

With that being said, we’re all human, with our intelligence getting an assist. Let’s make sure we use it as an advantage, not a handicap.

If you have questions, drop a line in the comments below or reach out to me personally via Reach Shahzad.