Why systems thinking is becoming the most important UX skill

The useful part

Siri now draws on Gemini models through a Google partnership, and their Intelligence Framework gained a selection of new features. They read more like AI engineering updates, but within this announcement lay changes that matter to designers. Today the design community is very much focused on craft and taste, but with these changes it's likely to take a back seat to being able to deliver a high-quality platform embedded experience.

How it works

• Taste is having a moment Over the last year there has been a renewed interest in delivering highly polished and ambitious visuals in app design.
• There is real value in well-crafted experiences, when properly executed high-craft is a powerful skill, and it's really having a moment.
• Organizations want their values to echo through their app experiences and are pushing on visuals to help differentiate themselves and establish a genuinely unique identity.
• At the same time design craft is becoming increasingly cheaper and commoditised through generative AI.
• Polished screen designs, motion animations and foundations of design systems are no longer as time intensive to produce and are abundant even in solo engineered apps.

Details worth keeping

Apple made a clear shift with their AI strategy at WWDC 2026: These headlines didn't immediately feel that remarkable. That is why the conversation has now shifted to 'taste'.