📚 Why I Enrolled in Stanford’s UI/UX Design for AI Products Course and What It Has to Do With Creativity, Ethics, and Everyday Inspiration 📚

There’s a lot of buzz about AI lately—and for good reason. But behind the headlines, the real story is this: AI isn’t about replacing humans. It’s about designing better experiences for humans.

That’s why I recently enrolled in Stanford Online’s course, UI/UX Design for AI Products. It’s a program developed for design professionals who want to deepen their expertise in AI, ethics, and human-centered design. And for me, it felt like a natural next step.

As a Bay Area-based product designer with 20+ years of experience designing digital tools for companies like Adobe, Oracle, and JPMorgan Chase, I’ve seen firsthand how quickly the landscape is shifting. But what hasn’t changed is my core belief:

Humanity should always come before technology.

This course is a deep dive into designing AI-powered products that are ethical, usable, and inspired by real people’s needs. It covers:

• How to collaborate effectively with AI engineers and data scientists

• Best practices for designing with machine learning

• UX strategies for explainability, trust, and transparency

• Ethical and human-centered approaches to emerging technologies

And most importantly, it’s teaching me how to design AI in ways that elevate—rather than replace—human creativity.

Why This Matters

I enrolled in this course because I believe AI should support and spark creativity, not dull it.

As the creator of Inspiration Affirmations—a reflection-based book and card deck that helps people tap into clarity, creativity, and confidence—I care deeply about how we nurture the human spirit. And I believe design plays a huge role in that.

Even as I explore machine learning and AI-driven experiences, I come back to the same questions:
🌀 Does this help someone feel more supported, more capable, more inspired?
🌀 Is this technology being used responsibly, ethically, and transparently?
🌀 Are we empowering the user, not just optimizing for efficiency?

These aren’t just UX questions. They’re life questions. And they’re more important than ever.

What I Hope to Gain (and Share)

Through this course, I’m sharpening my product design skills to be future-ready—and always put humanity-first. I’m learning how to:

• Speak the language of AI with confidence

• Design meaningful, responsible AI-powered features

• Help teams build tools that uplift people, not just automate tasks

Whether you’re a fellow designer, a curious creator, or someone just trying to keep up with today’s digital pace, I want you to know:

AI isn’t something to fear. It’s something to engage with—thoughtfully, ethically, and creatively.

Inspiration in the Age of AI

Even with all this technical learning, I still pull from my Inspiration Affirmations deck almost every day.

Why? Because staying inspired isn’t about waiting for a lightning bolt. It’s about staying grounded in what matters. And that matters more than ever when designing systems that affect real people’s lives.

💛 If you’re curious how reflection and inspiration can help you stay centered—no matter your field—I’d love for you to explore the tools I’ve created:

📖 Inspiration Affirmations eBook – Essays, art, and reflective prompts for each of the 33 affirmations
🃏 Digital Card Deck – Portable prompts to help you reframe your day and unlock creative energy
🧺 Digital Bundle - Get the full Inspiration Affirmations experience with the ebook + card deck.
🎯 1:1 Coaching Sessions – Explore your goals, roadblocks, and creative path with support
🪩 Coaching Bundle - Pause, reflect, and rediscover your spark with a 1:1 coaching session plus the ebook and cards.
🤝 Group Coaching – Perfect for design teams, workshops, or community events

The Bottom Line

This course is just one more way I’m working to merge design, humanity, and future-forward thinking. Because I believe you can be technically sharp and soulfully grounded. You can embrace emerging tech and stay rooted in what makes us beautifully human.

✨ If you’re building something, dreaming something, or just trying to stay inspired while the world changes around you—know this:

You are not behind. You are just beginning.

Let’s keep growing. Let’s keep designing. Let’s stay inspired—together.

With warmth,
Ashley