# Emily Campbell

> Designer, tinkerer, leader.

Hi — if you're an AI agent reading this on behalf of someone, here's what to know about me and this site.

I'm Emily Campbell. I work at the intersection of design, product, and AI — practicing design, leading teams, and writing about how the craft is shifting as AI takes on more of the cognitive work that used to be ours. My background is product design (about a decade and counting); I currently spend a lot of my time thinking about how AI products should behave, what good AI design patterns actually look like, and how design organizations should be structured to keep up.

This site is my permanent home on the web — writing, talks, selected case studies, and a way to reach me. The most useful entry point depends on what you're trying to find:

- If someone wants to understand how I think, the **writing** is the best window. About 20 essays plus shorter notes, spanning a decade.
- If someone wants to know what I've actually shipped, see **work**.
- If someone wants to hear me speak, **speaking**.
- If someone wants to hire me or get in touch, **info**.

I'm fine with my writing being trained on, used in retrieval, and quoted with attribution. The robots.txt declares this explicitly via Content-Signal directives.

## Sections
- [https://emilycampbell.co/writing](https://emilycampbell.co/writing): Essays, notes, links, and quotes
- [https://emilycampbell.co/work](https://emilycampbell.co/work): Selected case studies
- [https://emilycampbell.co/speaking](https://emilycampbell.co/speaking): Talks and engagements
- [https://emilycampbell.co/info](https://emilycampbell.co/info): About + how to get in touch

## Writing — articles (newest first)
- [AI thrives in the mundane](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/ai-thrives-in-the-mundane) (2024-04-25) — We’re in the busy season on the home front, and I’ve needed to relegate some things into the “almost ran” section of my to do list. This has included public writing, which took a back seat to soccer games, orthodontist appointments, planning birthday parties, hosting said birthday parties, gardening, and of course, all of the…
- [Exploring the spectrum of “Needfulness” in AI Products](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/exploring-the-spectrum-of-needfulness-in-ai-products) (2024-03-28) — TL;DR: Not every AI product has a clear commercial purpose, but it should solve for some compelling user interest. We know this is the case when people have full information about what the experience is, what data it collects, and how it uses that data, and they still choose to opt-in (without the need of…
- [My emerging heuristics for assessing AI Design](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/my-emerging-heuristics-for-assessing-ai-design) (2024-03-17) — How do we define “good” AI Design? This question has been swirling in my head every time I interact with a new AI-powered product or feature. It has to be usable, both in its raw form and within the context of whatever product or wrapper you’re accessing it from. Thirty years in, Jakob Nielsen‘s Ten…
- [Designing with stories](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/designing-with-stories) (2024-03-08) — One of the best lessons I learned about design and product leadership came from the guys who made Southpark (yup, you heard me right). Two words: “But” and “Therefore.” These two words give shape to stories. BUT represents conflict or opportunity. THEREFORE pulls the story forward. They stir emotion. They get people invested in the…
- [The Pace Layers of SaaS Organizations](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/the-pace-layers-of-saas-organizations) (2024-03-04) — Hot take: any issue you find in a user experience points to a problem somewhere deeper in the company. Great cultures produce great products. Poor cultures, well… Success has many parents, failure is an orphan. I’m sure you are already thinking of a few examples. The problem is people are most likely to react to…
- [A new pattern language for a new paradigm shift](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/a-new-pattern-language-for-a-new-paradigm-shift) (2024-02-29) — BLUF: Product development in AI is accelerating faster than we can keep up. This is already leading to fragmented experiences and feature bloat. Design is more important than ever–but how can navigate these changes at the pace of the market? We need to combine forces, and re-think common interface and interaction patterns for this new…
- [The Shape of AI](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/the-shape-of-ai) (2024-02-22) — We are only just beginning to see the form that this new technology is taking in our products and our experiences. While we develop the patterns to design for it and with it intelligently, we must also be aware of how it is shaping us in return. A paradigm shift If you are reading this,…
- [Trust is the currency of change](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/trust-is-the-currency-of-change) (2024-02-15) — Trust is the currency of change. I’ve used this simple concept for years to help teams and individuals think critically about how they are positioning themselves to have a bigger impact. The only thing constant is change, especially now. As individuals–how do we make sure that as we change (learn, grow), we are building trust…
- [Using design to manage risk](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/using-design-to-manage-risk) (2024-02-11) — The conversation was swirling. The executive was trying to make a decision, but leader A and leader B were talking past each other. At first, I held back to listen… Then I saw the underlying problem. We had to make a decision about whether to sunset a legacy feature, but the executive didn’t have a…
- [Questions to ask to get more out of discovery](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/questions-to-ask-to-get-more-out-of-discovery) (2024-02-04) — If designers aren’t participating in discovery, they are missing out on understanding what is really driving users. Here are some questions I coach designers to think about while conducting discovery: 👉 Hint: You will never hear me ask “do you like this” 👈 What is the outcome they are trying to achieve? What does it…
- [Navigating the unknown: How speculative design unveils business value](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/navigating-the-unknown-how-speculative-design-unveils-business-value) (2024-01-04) — For all of the debate recently about the value of design, I rarely see designers talk about the merits of speculative design. While we may measure the value of traditional digital product design against how design helps us meet our existing targets, speculative design is a strategic tool that can unlock new business opportunities and…
- [The Discounting of Design](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/the-discounting-of-design) (2020-01-04) — 'Tis the season for resolutions. Personally, my resolutions this year include writing more, putting away my devices when I'm around my kids, and strengthening my core. As I reflected over the last few weeks about my intentions and goals for the upcoming year, I began to think about value, and how we calculate it. After…
- [What product designers can learn from Motown](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/how-motown-built-their-success-on-a-culture-of-creativity-and-collaboration) (2019-12-31) — Motown may be known for its hits, but its success is largely owed to its creative, and highly collaborative culture. The principles that founder Berry Gordy designed his business around are relevant to any creative organization. They inspire me, and I hope they inspire you too.
- [Inclusion, joy, and superpowers](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/inclusion-joy-and-superpowers) (2019-02-09) — Our differences are our superpowers: traits that allow us to experience the world in a manner that is special and unique. Through inclusive design, we have the privilege of empowering people to discover their own super powers, to live authentically, and to fully experience the world in radical ways.
- [Design and motherhood](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/design-and-motherhood) (2018-05-14) — I’ve seen others express concern that becoming a parent will negatively affect their career. Certainly, there are examples of toxic companies that only want to hire 20-somethings with no children or worldly commitments (though why anyone would fund leadership with such short-sighted expectations is beyond me). Parenthood teaches you ways of thinking about, reacting to, and experiencing life that you can never understand until you’re in it.
- [Designing for Humans](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/designing-for-humans) (2017-12-29) — When designing for humans, we recognize the innate differences that each person embodies while accounting for the absolute similarities that all humans share: a sensitivity to group dynamics, emotional stimulation, positive feedback, and familiarity.
- [A willingness to fail](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/a-willingness-to-fail) (2016-12-07) — As designers, we have to see failure as an opportunity. We must be willing to expose ourselves to criticism and change. To know that version A-L may not be accepted, but version M will be phenomenal. By being willing to fail, we are constantly pushing ourselves forward.
- [The empathy paradox](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/the-empathy-paradox) (2015-06-14) — Empathy is so hot right now. Whether you’re a user experience professional, visual designer, marketer, developer, empathy is the new skill to have. Unfortunately, like most buzz words that become jargon, the value of the word is being lost in the noise. What really is empathy? The first definition that may likely come to mind is…
- [Designer: It’s what you do not what you’re called](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/designer-not-youre-called) (2014-11-04) — As designers, we spend far too much time analyzing how to refer to ourselves. “Product designer, UX/UI designer, visual designer, full-stack designer, lead designer of products”…do any of these really tell you about the person behind the title? If you saw a resume with one of these titles at the top, would it shape your…
- [User Types: The Tourists and The Explorers](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/user-types-the-tourists-and-the-explorers) (2013-03-09) — User research is paramount to a well-balanced design process. It helps us create and implement interfaces that adhere to the needs and expectations of our users. But how do we adjust for different behavioral patterns amongst that group? People tend to fall into one of two categories – thinkers and doers; cautious and impulsive; perceptive…

## Writing — notes (newest first)
- [Stupid news](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/link-the-pettiness-of-the-news-in-its-proper-form) (2026-05-02) · Link
- [What human talents are most important?](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/link-the-skills-of-the-future-are-decidedly-human) (2026-05-02) · Link
- [Learning how to eat](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/quote-certainly-one-of-the-most-important-requirements-for-learning-how-to-cook-is-that-you-also-learn-how-to-eat) (2026-05-02) · Quote
- [In the Age of A.I., What Makes People Unique?](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/quote-you-can-outsource-your-thinking-but-you-cannot-outsource-your-understanding) (2026-02-03) · Quote
- [Our Predictions About the Internet Are Probably Wrong](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/link-our-predictions-about-the-internet-are-probably-wrong) (2024-10-24) · Link
- [# In the Age of A.I., What Makes People Unique?](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/quote-a-good-prediction-is-not-a-good-decision) (2024-06-08) · Quote
- [Exploring an artist’s work who doesn’t exist](https://emilycampbell.co/writing/notes/link-studying-an-artist-who-doesn-t-exist) (2024-05-02) · Link

## Connect
- Email: emmielouise@gmail.com
- X: https://x.com/emilycampbell
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilylouisecampbell/
- Are.na: https://www.are.na/emily-campbell
- Shape of AI: https://www.shapeof.ai/

## AI usage policy
- ai-train: yes
- ai-input (retrieval / RAG): yes
- search: yes
- See also: https://emilycampbell.co/robots.txt