Adaptive Experience Design

What if an interface could adapt to your world in real time? Imagine your car’s dashboard subtly shifting to shades of green as you drive through a forest, or an app adjusting to your personal accessibility needs without breaking. For the past few months, I've spoken with many of you and I’ve realized we’re all working toward the same ambitious goal: creating interfaces that offer a seamless blend of brand personalization, true adaptability, and accessibility. This is about building an experience that is not only true to a brand's perception but is also tailored to our individual needs as consumers. My exploration so far has revealed three foundational concepts that I feel are important to make this a reality. In the upcoming months, I’ll be sharing our journey as we explore these concepts. Some ideas will work, some will fail. I don’t know where this path will lead, but I want to bring you along in the process. 1.⁠ ⁠Contextual Awareness This is the idea that an element understands its environment. A button, for example, knows what surface it’s sitting on and adapts accordingly. While tools like Figma use variable collections to simulate this, the approach is often fragile because it lacks a scalable underlying logic. This very challenge was a driving force behind developing the graph engine. I’m excited to share that a solution for this is now possible directly in modern browsers with pure CSS, laying a powerful and scalable foundation for the future. 2.⁠ ⁠Content Awareness Imagine an interface that reflects the content it displays. We see a version of this in Spotify’s UI, which adapts to album art to create a more immersive experience. This principle allows the UI to react dynamically, personalizing the experience in real-time based on its content. 3.⁠ ⁠User Awareness This pillar brings it all together by focusing on the user’s specific needs. It means designing systems that can respond to a user with Parkinson’s who may need more forgiving interaction areas, or accommodating the universal reality that as we get older, we need larger fonts. The key is to make these adjustments without breaking the interface or compromising the brand experience. These three pillars form the blueprint for the next generation of user interfaces. By understanding where an element is, what it contains, and who is using it, we can create experiences that feel truly alive. I think there’s more to discover beyond our current methods. Let's explore what it means to build something truly adaptive, together.

The next evolution of design systems isn’t visual. It’s behavioral. We’re moving beyond static component libraries and theme tokens — toward dynamic, intent-aware experience frameworks that adapt to context. Recent Figma updates are accelerating this shift: Variables + Modes — Tokens are no longer just colors or spacing. They’re becoming logic — expressing states like risk=high, density=compact, or mode=investigate. Dev Mode + Code Connect — Design and code now share a single truth, collapsing the gap between “spec” and “ship.” MCP access for AI agents — Agents can now read structured design data, understand context, and even apply changes directly. This opens the door to living systems: - Components that shift tone or density based on risk or urgency. - Layouts that adapt automatically to task context. - Policies that guide what an AI assistant can safely modify. In short: design systems are becoming autonomous frameworks for human-machine collaboration.

If you know me at all, you know I've spent years building AI-powered products and converting legacy systems into adaptive experiences. And I keep seeing the same pattern: talented designers asking me "what even is adaptive UI?" because nobody's explaining it in practical, buildable terms. Your interface is frozen in time. Same buttons, same layout, same experience for everyone. Meanwhile, your users are all completely different. Adaptive UI fixes this. WHAT IS ADAPTIVE UI? (aka, responsive, generative, dynamic or intelligent UI) Your interface watches how people behave, learns their patterns, and redesigns itself in real-time to fit them. Some shoppers know exactly what they want (fast checkout). Others need to research everything (reviews, specs). Some are visual (show me photos). Others are price-sensitive (where's the sale?). Static UI forces everyone through the same experience. Adaptive UI generates a personalized interface based on actual behavior. This isn't just showing different content. The entire interface regenerates around each user's workflow. HOW IT WORKS Two components: The Observer: Watches behavior What do they click? Where do they hesitate? What patterns emerge? The Generator: Creates personalized layouts Rearranges content hierarchy Shows/hides relevant features Adjusts buttons and placement Rewrites microcopy for skill level The loop: Observe → Learn → Predict → Generate → Repeat BEST USE CASES E-commerce: Financial services: SaaS tools: Healthcare: Adaptive UI wins where users are doing something complex, high-stakes, or repeated frequently. HOW YOU BUILD IT You're not coding this yourself. But you ARE designing the system. Step 1: Map behavioral signals Watch sessions. List patterns: clicks size chart 3x = fit anxiety Step 2: Define 3-5 behavioral profiles Not demographics. Behavioral patterns like "Confident Buyer," "Anxious Researcher" Step 3: Design variants in Figma One product page becomes five variants (one per profile) Step 4: Write adaptation rules IF [signal] THEN [interface change] BECAUSE [user need] Step 5: Hand off to engineering They build: event tracking, profile detection, conditional rendering THE REALITY The full build involves cold start problems, filter bubbles, spatial memory, ethical guardrails, mobile constraints, accessibility. But understand this: You're not designing screens anymore. You're designing systems that generate screens. Static interfaces aren't wrong. They're just frozen. And if you're still designing for that mythical "average user," you're designing for someone who doesn't exist. The companies winning in 5 years won't have the prettiest static sites. They'll have interfaces that learn and adapt in real-time. Drop a comment if you're looking to learn more on this subject 💡

YouTube just added fun animations to their like button. Most Designers are overlooking the big design win. Here's what it teaches about smart interfaces? 👇🏼 Take a look at YouTube's latest update rolling out now. Across the platform, when you hit like on a video, the button doesn't just glow. It transforms with a quick, playful animation. But it's not random. Each one matches the video's genre. ✈️ For a travel clip? A tiny airplane flies off the screen. 🚗 Cars or racing? A spinning tire with smoke. 💡Educational stuff? A bright lightbulb pops up. Why go this far? YouTube knows one-size-fits-all buttons bore users. These 20 genre-specific animations- covering sports like basketball or soccer, pets like cats and dogs, cooking, music, horror, and more- make every like feel personal and rewarding. It's a simple micro-interaction that boosts engagement without cluttering the UI. Part of their October redesign, it keeps things immersive and fun, just for longer videos. One button. Endless contexts. Adding to Delight. Here's what most UI/UX designers get wrong about adaptive design: They think interfaces should stay static to feel "clean." But real user-centered design adapts on the fly: 👉🏼 A like button in a fitness app could pulse like a heartbeat for workout vids. In e-commerce? It might sparkle for product reviews. 👉🏼 Music players use waveforms for songs but grids for playlists- context changes everything. 👉🏼 Gaming UIs glow with energy during action modes. For calm meditation apps? They fade softly to avoid overwhelm. The uncomfortable truth: 👉🏼 Your "simple" design isn't simple if it ignores user context. 👉🏼 What delights in one scenario (like a flashy animation) might annoy in another (say, a serious news feed). 👉🏼 YouTube didn't just add eye candy. They proved micro-interactions build habits. 👉🏼 Good UI isn't about looking pretty- it's about feeling alive for the user. The real question for designers building digital products: Are you creating static screens? Or experiences that respond to the moment? Because one keeps users scrolling. The other keeps them hooked. What's a feature you've experienced recently that surprised you? Follow Rohan Mishra for more such content.

Amazing! This is the present and the future of learning experience creation. I now have a fully working system that automatically personalizes learning based on learner data, data from the business, and learner actions. The cafe scenario based learning experience I created is supposed to mimick logging into a fake Point of Sale System (POS) and launching training alongside the POS. I created a system on the back end that pulls in data on who the cafe lead is, their store, scans multiple stores reviews to pull the matching data on their specific store reviews, generates a scenario tailored just to them with OpenAI, and sends it straight into my scenario template. The learning experience they load on their screen updates almost instantly. This means no more manually creating learning experiences for different audiences. I can now automatically create a dynamic, data driven learning experience that adapts itself the second the learner enters the system. Now that this is working, the next steps are to limit the scenarios to pull only from data in a specific time period. If current data is missing, the system will fall back to other priorities like safety goals or incidents at nearby stores that could happen here. I also need to update the visuals so the images match whatever scenario is generated or remove them when they are not needed. This is the type of system I deeply care about building. It uses learning sciences, automation, and AI to create scalable experiences that support business needs. What possibilities do you see when learning experiences can adjust immediately based on data and actions? #LearningDesign #VibeCoding #LearningSciences #GenerativeAI #AIinLearning #n8n #LearningEcosystems #EdTech #WorkplaceLearning #InstructionalDesign #PersonalizedLearning #FutureOfLearning #eLearning

The UX role is evolving. And most designers aren't keeping up. Interfaces are becoming conversations, not just interactions. Screens are becoming agents, and static designs are becoming adaptive experiences. If you're still designing the same way you did five years ago, you're already behind. I've been running a design firm since 2005, and I've seen more change in the past year than in the past 15 years. To evolve your skills, you need to understand how: →AI shapes behavior →Data drives decisions →How systems learn from users Here are the 7 emerging skills every UX designer needs to master to keep pace: 1️⃣ 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Designing how language shapes AI behavior, not just visual layouts. 2️⃣ 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻-𝗜𝗻-𝗧𝗵𝗲-𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 Creating systems where users teach AI through feedback and refinement. 3️⃣ 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 & 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗨𝗫 Building calm, transparent, and trustworthy AI experiences. 4️⃣ 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗫 Understanding how data flows through systems and shapes user experiences. 5️⃣ 𝗥𝗔𝗚 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Designing for AI systems that retrieve and use knowledge dynamically. 6️⃣ 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗨𝗫 & 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Creating experiences that adapt to individuals in real-time. 7️⃣ 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 Orchestrating agents and multi-step workflows, not just single screens. The UX role isn't disappearing. It's expanding, but you have to keep pace. If you can get grounded with some of these skills, you'll be ahead of the curve. ♻️ Share if this resonates ➕ Follow Jason Moccia for more insights on AI and UX.

How AI will change design systems 🔥👇 I shared my thinking in a talk at the Into Design System Conference yesterday. Here's a snapshot: Design systems are evolving into intelligent experience systems. Now, it’s about intent, context, and adaptability. ↪️ Foundations Start with what you already have: → Design tokens → Themes → Components This is your base system. ⚙️ Interaction Blueprints Add agentic flows. We design for: → Adaptive layouts → Flows that shift with user behavior → Document agentic patterns that respond intelligently UX becomes responsive to psychology, not just screen size. ↪️ Context Engine Now we add intelligence: → Intent detection → Personalization → Platform, locale, brand adaptation It understands who the user is and what they need. ↪️ Multimodality We need experience across: → Touch, visual, audio, voice, gesture → Haptic, text, ambient, motion One intent, expressed in the best way for the context. 📚 Logic & Governance (the brain behind it all) Everything connects here. → Internal docs → Design principles → Decision rules → Knowledge and context This is how the system stays aligned with your standards (at scale). When multimodal interfaces meet agentic intelligence, they can:  ✅ Understand intent, context  ✅ Adapt response modality in real-time  ✅ Proactively assist users  ✅ Seamlessly switch modalities  ✅ Logic & Governance ensures it all follows your rules  ✅ Detect changes Design systems must evolve. We need context-aware, governed, adaptive systems that become a central part of how we build products. 🙌 More to follow. 😊 What do you think? #designsystem #AI #productdesign #designstrategy #ux

Everyone’s experimenting with AI tools. But very few are actually designing for AI systems. When you’re designing with AI inside the product itself, the UX challenge shifts from creating static flows to designing dynamic systems that learn, generate, and adapt over time. In this video, I break down a practical example: how mapping data to potential generative components enables hyper-personalization, without breaking consistency or trust. 💾 Save this if you’re: Building products with embedded AI Defining experience logic for personalization Working with data, design systems, or adaptive UIs 👇 Let’s talk about how design can become the interface between data and intelligence. #UXDesign #AIinDesign #DesignSystems #GenerativeUX #HyperPersonalization

The next evolution of the internet will not be defined by new interfaces but by new intelligence behind them. I call it Adaptive UX. Every site, product, and experience will adapt to you. Your intent. Your goals. Your level of expertise. How you take in information and make decisions. AI is the catalyst. It becomes far more powerful when users share context, which lets systems understand not only what you want but how you think. At Canvs we pushed this idea early with some of the biggest enterprises in the world. During paternity leave I built a prototype that took a user’s business context, such as “we are trying to figure out how to do X and answer these strategic questions,” and automatically synthesized the feedback data we processed. It then coded a working dashboard on the fly that answered those questions in the company’s own look and feel. It genuinely felt like magic. Example output below. The purpose of Adaptive UX is time to value. It removes the friction of learning how a product or company thinks about the world and lets the product adapt to how you think about it. The next wave of AI will not be judged by how human it sounds. It will be judged by how well it adapts to us. cc Rob Gabel 🇺🇸 Stephen Petersilge Paul Bakaus