Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Home ›› One messaging channel to rule them all? In conversation with RJ Owen, Principal Product Designer, Slack

One messaging channel to rule them all? In conversation with RJ Owen, Principal Product Designer, Slack

by Josh Tyson
1 min read
Share this post on
Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Save

This week on Invisible Machines, Robb and Josh are excited to welcome RJ Owen, the Principal Product Designer at Slack. RJ was previously the principal UX designer for Salesforce, but his journey with technology began as a software engineer and architect. RJ actually transitioned toward design while working for Effective UI, the experience design agency Robb founded close to twenty years ago. In some ways, this episode documents a rare moment with two fabled UX unicorns, as Robb also has design chops to match his technical abilities.

The trio goes deep on decision management in the age of conversational AI, exploring how communication channels like Slack might hold the keys to our future interactions with technology. They also discuss how generative AI’s ability to provide uncannily effective summaries of information poses a massive design challenge. What it might look like when machines are speaking to other machines using human language rather than code? This question and more are posed in another timely episode of Invisible Machines.

Give it a listen here!

post authorJosh Tyson

Josh Tyson
Josh Tyson is the co-author of the first bestselling book about conversational AI, Age of Invisible Machines. He is also the Director of Creative Content at OneReach.ai and co-host of both the Invisible Machines and N9K podcasts. His writing has appeared in numerous publications over the years, including Chicago Reader, Fast Company, FLAUNT, The New York Times, Observer, SLAP, Stop Smiling, Thrasher, and Westword. 

Tweet
Share
Post
Share
Email
Print

Related Articles

How the most intentional designers are working with AI — and why “vibe coding” really needs a better name.

Article by Jim Gulsen
Beyond Vibe Coding: A Designer’s Case for Directed Generation
  • The term “vibe coding” initially described an unstructured approach with minimal accountability, which doesn’t apply to professional design. It risks oversimplifying AI-assisted processes, ignoring the intentionality and expertise involved in high-level design. 
  • In practice, designers engage in “directed generation,” setting clear constraints, selecting references, and refining details. The AI model follows the designer’s guidance rather than taking initiative.
Share:Beyond Vibe Coding: A Designer’s Case for Directed Generation
7 min read

Every time you drafted a design brief, stating the goal, audience, constraints, and context, you were doing precisely what good AI prompting entails. There is a change of recipient. The ability is identical.

Article by Tushar Deshmukh
The Prompt Is the New Brief
  • “Prompt engineering” can sound like a technical skill, but that image is not always accurate. In practice, good prompting is very much like writing a good design brief. Both require setting a goal, defining a target audience, setting constraints, providing context, and establishing evaluation criteria.
  • Designers are already doing these activities in practice. They have skills in writing briefs that they have developed during their careers that directly translate to fluency in AI prompting – they just might not have made the connection.
Share:The Prompt Is the New Brief
17 min read

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

Get Paid to Test AI Products

Earn an average of $100 per test by reviewing AI-first product experiences and sharing your feedback.

    Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

      This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and