Albert Einstein: Imagination is More Important than Knowledge

I have helped design and ship 34 AI-driven projects, and I found nothing is more damaging to applying AI than picking the wrong use case (as we covered here: https://www.uxforai.com/p/how-to-pick-an-ai-use-case).

The second closest horseman of the apocalypse for AI-driven projects is the lack of imagination.

Throughout his storied career, Einstein (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein)  proved that:

Without being able to picture the end state and how the various parts of his theories come together, he would not have been able to think through these challenges. 

Fortunately, too much knowledge about AI is hardly a problem for most designers today. So, what is left? Our imagination.

As we’ve covered many times in this newsletter (https://www.uxforai.com/p/the-rise-of-ai-first-products), many of the tired old UX patterns do not apply to AI. Inventing novel design patterns and trying new mental models and approaches to building and training AI-driven products is where designers can really shine. For example, one excellent application of “design imagination” might be to build a Vision Prototype: https://www.uxforai.com/p/essential-ux-for-ai-techniques-vision-prototype 

AI-driven products are a new breed of products and present unique new challenges, which will need a hefty dose of fearless, original thinking and some knowledge about AI. Those designers who can use their imagination together with core UX principles like lean, rapid prototyping, and RITE testing to break out of tired old design patterns will be a part of creating incredible things.

Which brings us to the original UXer, Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo da Vinci: Let your imagination take flight

Leonardo da Vinci (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci) was a Renaissance man famous for being a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. As Paul Bryan, the organizer of the UX STRAT conference, once told me: “Leonardo da Vinci is the original UXer.” I wholeheartedly agree!

Leonardo didn’t just paint the Mona Lisa.

He sketched constantly. 

Most of his ideas were silly imaginings by our standards and did not work, but he stubbornly continued to put his ideas to paper and ask important and consequential questions, like “How do birds fly? How can humans fly?” Then, he would sketch 10, 20, and 30 ideas down on how that might be possible. He also built and tested models. However, he never built a model if the sketch sufficed to “try out” the idea mentally. Here’s why Leonardo da Vinci is worth imitating:

• He dared greatly. 

• He set aside time to think. 

• He thought in pictures and took the time to document his ideas.

You should, too.    

Just like Leonardo da Vinci did not know how to make humans fly, we don’t know how to work with AI. Yet. Creating the first flying machine took bold ideas and a lot of honing: working out how wing lift worked, how to make and power the propeller, and how to control the flight. It will likely be even more challenging to figure out how to work with AI, but the rewards will be even greater than achieving the power of flight.

As a modern UXer, you should also be ambitious – aim high, dream big, sketch a lot, and discard ideas quickly. Have a notebook and a pencil always nearby in case inspiration strikes. Finally, and this is key – realize when dreaming big, most ideas are just stepping stones – finding ways something does not work, learning, and moving on to better ideas. This brings us to Thomas Edison, the king of patents and faster prototypes.   

Thomas Edison: Prototype Faster and Cheaper. Then, Patent it.

Thomas Edison (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison) was an inventor and entrepreneur who embodied the spirit of American industrial optimism and grit. We can learn a great deal from Edison. When asked how he felt after failing to develop an electric lightbulb, he replied:

Edison also said,

To improve the efficiency and precision of the testing process, he set up an entire lab where different materials were plugged into the current, and the longevity of the bulb was measured. He focused his entire operation on failing fast and learning quickly.

You should, too.

Imagine if he got attached to the palmetto filament, for example (it was one of the materials he tested), and got stuck — he would never have succeeded! Yet, how often do designers today cling to a failed idea despite its proven inadequacy?

But what I find really profound is that Edison did not actually invent the lightbulb. He did something infinitely cooler.

He made cheap.

In 1840, British scientist Warren de la Rue developed an efficient light bulb using a coiled platinum filament, but the high cost of platinum prevented the bulb from becoming a commercial success. (1, 2)

Edison, in contrast, invented a system:

1. Reasonably priced, reasonably long-lived filament.

2. Lightbulb socket.

3. Electric current.

Together, all these three pieces represented a commercial opportunity too rich to resist, and soon, electric light was everywhere. He did not invent the lightbulb or electricity, but he found a way to:

However, to me, the most inspiring thing about Edison was his love of lawyers.

Specifically patent lawyers.

With 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries, Edison is regarded as the most prolific inventor in American history. (3) I can personally attest that this spirit of invention was still alive and well at GE during my time there (GE was originally founded by Thomas Edison.) In one memorable meeting during my time at GE, I proposed a UX for AI Patent for a project I was working on, and a very prominent engineering leader tried to shoot it down, because how dare I, a mere UX person propose something that was new — clearly only engineers deserved patents! Now, this patent attorney (who shall remain my hero for the rest of my days) came to my defense and said something that really stuck with me:

Oh my God, but did that feel amazing — Instant Karma!

While I have so far come up well short of the 1,093 patents that Edison has filed, patent attorneys have always been my closest allies, mentors, and advisors in the invention process. If you want to be an inventor (and I highly recommend this as part of your own UX career), find out who the patent lawyers are at your organization and make friends with them. Do not dismiss your ideas so lightly just because you are “a mere UXer” — your ideas might be worthy! Put in the work: read patents and understand what makes a good abstract. Practice reading and writing claims, and of course, understand what makes good patent figures and volunteer to help create them.

Succeeding with AI will require both original ideas and system-level breakthroughs, which Edison has amply demonstrated. Rather than thinking of one-off expensive smart robots, we need fresh ideas to achieve a magnitude-level improvement in access that will be as easy to use as screwing in a lightbulb and flipping a switch. We need system-level thinking about how to democratize AI and make it accessible to everyone. We need design folks who will think not just about excellence (platinum bulb filament) but about profitability and accessibility (carbonized bamboo bulb filament).

AI will require Systems Thinking, where tools are just a means to an end, which brings us to Antoni van Leeuwenhoek. 

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek: Tools are but a Means to an End

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonie_van_Leeuwenhoek) is often called the "inventor of the microscope" because he was one of the first microscopists. A son of a lanse-maker and an inventor of uncommon ingenuity, he built the first functional microscope that used a set of different lenses working together to focus the image. That alone should have been enough to be remembered, but his microscope was but a stepping stone.

He is better known for the discoveries he made with his microscope.

Here are just a few things he discovered when he looked into his new invention:

• Bacteria 

• Red blood cells 

• Sperm cells 

• Microscopic protists 

• Microscopic nematodes and rotifers 

• Microscopic foraminifera 

• Evidence that microbes cause decay 

• Evidence that maggots and fleas hatch from eggs

• And much, much more.

Leeuwenhoek's most crucial contribution was nothing less than establishing microbiology as a scientific discipline. Unlike Edison, who followed the money, Leeuwenhoek followed his passion (he could afford it, which helped, but it was also the fashion of his day). He could have become rich beyond belief by selling his microscopes, but he was more interested in microbiology.

For Leeuwenhoek, the microscope was but a tool, a means to an end. 

Too many of today’s UX Designers equate their work with Figma wireframes and mockups. This is “tool thinking” – using the tool as an excuse to limit their thinking and inventiveness. They think if they are not in Figma, they are not designing.

Tools are important (as it was the creation of a functional microscope that unlocked the hidden world of microbes, after all!), but Figma is just a means to an end. 

We need to think bigger.

Speaking of inventing the microscope, it certainly did not hurt that Leeuwenhoek's father was a lens-maker. I can just bet that little Antoni had lots of reject lenses lying around to play with… Which bring us to…

The end of Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2 on Tuesday.

Cheers,
Greg

References

1. Ings, Simon (July 26, 2019), "The real history of electricity is more gripping than The Current War", New Scientist. Archived July 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine.

2. Who Invented the Light Bulb? Archived June 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine LiveScience, August 17, 2017

3. Boyer, Paul S., ed. (2001). The Oxford Companion to United States History. Oxford University Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-19-989109-2. OCLC 57680178.