UX, AI Hype Cycles, and Rebuilding the Web with Scott Jenson

Scott Jenson joins Brad to chat about how UX designers thrive in ambiguity and why wrestling with confusing, failing experiments, especially around AI, can signal real progress. The conversation covers open source’s multiplier effect, the need for sustainable funding, and Scott’s work with Mastodon. Jenson also describes practical AI value for prototyping and coding, while emphasizing nuance, trust, and asking questions over online pile-ons.

Topics:

• (00:00) - Why Ambiguity Excites
• (06:33) - Designers and the Messy Unknown
• (10:45) - Tech vs Capitalism
• (14:23) - Compromise and Stability
• (18:29) - Fixing Social Media Conversations
• (28:50) - Persistence and Craft Over Time
• (36:29) - Open Source as a Model
• (39:48) - Mastodon and Lowering Costs
• (46:54) - Consulting and Client Trust
• (52:38) - Designers vs Programmers
• (01:08:02) - Open Web vs AI Incentives
• (01:15:51) - Music Picks
• (01:19:22) - Where to Find Scott Jenson

Links:
◉ Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
◉ The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
◉ Finding Nemo (Pixar, 2003)
◉ Jurassic Park (1993)
◉ Die Hard (1988)
◉ Pluribus (Apple TV+)
◉ Take Five – Dave Brubeck (Time Out album)
◉ Fleeting Future by Aksumi
◉ Sax Pax for a Sax by Moondog