Why can’t we tell AI what we want?
Jun 2025
AI can generate content, images, and code, but everything looks the same. Why is there no personal style? The obvious answer is that the models aren’t creative. They follow patterns in their training data. So when you ask e.g. Lovable for a “professional dashboard,” you’ll get the most typical dashboard it has seen. But here’s what’s interesting: if the model just follows probabilities, then the similarity isn’t really an AI problem. It’s a prompting problem. We’re not giving AI enough information to deviate from the statistical average. Most people don’t know how to express their intent clearly, and current AI interfaces don’t help. When I ask Lovable to generate a dashboard to track my evening runs, I get something that looks like every other dashboard. This isn’t necessarily bad, but what if I had something specific in mind? The problem is, I probably don’t actually know what I had in mind until I see what I don’t want.
Don't apply for a job - create one
Aug 2024
I recently secured an internship as a product designer. The startup that hired me wasn't even looking for this position, but I still got the job. I created it. And here is why you should try this, too. For the last year, I have been really into design. I have done a lot of reading and have participated in some courses - but they were disappointing. I wanted to work on something real. A project. Something that would have an impact. So I thought, why not look for a summer internship? I had a few companies in mind that excited me. After browsing their job boards, I realized there were no product design internships. Then I remembered what one of my mentors said: Too many designers go out there and scream, "I need a job" or "I want to work for you." Don't be passive like that. Most of your opportunities will emerge from actual people and your network, not job pages.
What I Worked On
Jun 2024
Inspired by Paul Graham's essay "What I Worked On," I wrote my own version. Here it is. Before college, all I really wanted was to play basketball and create things. I did graffiti and painted. Though I liked painting, I didn't plan to study it in college. I was going to study business, which sounded more logical: I always considered it the gateway to bringing your creative ideas to life. While the idea felt right, all I knew was that I kept taking finance and marketing classes, and they kept being boring. So, I decided to start things on my own. Fascinated by a transportation and logistics course, I contacted manufacturers in China to import goods. The idea of shipping goods across the world in 30 days was fascinating. I launched several small ventures, including a brand selling stationery made from stone paper. I learned a lot about running a business—much more than in lectures.
Metrics Made Simple
Nov 2022
I recently attended a 2-day product. The very simple truth I took away from the course is that tracking metrics alone is insufficient. Your team must create a culture of working with the metrics. I learned that, ultimately, metrics will only tell you the next decision to make. But let's break this down a little further. What value are we trying to create? Tracking metrics is a great practice, but it won't lead you anywhere. Before you start to look at any data or figure out what you should measure, you must do one thing: Set a clear goal. What is the problem that we're trying to solve? What is the value that we're going to create? Do this upfront. Metrics without a clear goal are useless. So, as with anything, you've got to start with why.
Thoughts On Mentors
Oct 2022
What do you want to learn (in life)? If you’re curious about mentoring, this question is where it starts. (Or at least where it started for me). I always wanted a mentor. Someone who could tell me all the secrets. Everything. It never happened. It was only recently that I realized that this is not what mentoring is about. It’s not about your mentor or what they can lecture you about. It’s much more about yourself. What do you want to learn in life? You probably already have an answer to this. If not, this is the time to think about it! Don’t just start looking for someone to mentor you as I did. You need to understand what you want to learn first and then find like-minded individuals who are already successful at it. In the end, mentoring is just another form of learning. It’s learning from the experiences and stories of others. How to find the right mentor?
What I Learned as a PM
Jun 2022
In my first months as a (Junior) Product Manager (PM), I attended courses, read books, and listened to many great podcasts to learn all the skills it takes to be a great PM. I quickly found myself adapting a lot of these tools and processes that I believed PMs use in their day-to-day. Agile, Scrum, writing user stories, arranging my product backlog. Creating roadmaps and strategies, analyzing data, A/B testing, and product discovery. All these practices can make your life as a PM easier. Strictly following them, however, doesn't make me a great PM. The most significant thing I learned in my first year as a PM is that one of my primary responsibilities is to communicate—both with the team and my stakeholders. There is no overcommunication. Communicate with your stakeholders.
