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Workshop: AI as a Design Material - Amsterdam

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About this event

What to expect

Stop treating AI as a magic solution and start designing it as a material. This intensive 3.5-hour workshop in Amsterdam gives designers and product teams the frameworks to identify when AI truly adds value—and when it doesn't.

Led by Brandon Harwood (creator of the AI Interaction Atlas) and Matthijs Zwinderman (AI researcher and design community builder), this hands-on session challenges the common reflex to implement AI without asking critical questions: Does this problem actually need AI? What's the real ROI? How do we leverage AI's specific capabilities rather than bolting chatbots onto existing experiences?

What You'll Learn

This isn't theory—you'll build practical skills for AI product development:

  • Material thinking: Understand AI's specific functions and constraints as a design material, not a universal fix
  • Gap analysis: Distinguish between user problems that benefit from AI versus those better solved through traditional design
  • Value mapping: Identify which AI enablements deliver measurable value to users and business outcomes
  • Capability evaluation: Determine which AI capabilities form the foundation for specific user experiences
  • Shared language: Develop communication frameworks your entire team can use for AI design discussions

The workshop adapts to your actual use cases through modular tools and activities—no fixed script. You'll leave with both conceptual foundations and a working toolkit for designing AI solutions that go beyond basic chatbots.

Who Should Attend

While built with designers in mind, this workshop serves entire product teams:

  • Designers seeking human-centered AI frameworks
  • Product managers determining what to build and why
  • Developers evaluating technical feasibility and implementation
  • Founders deciding where AI fits in business strategy

No prior AI expertise required—just bring real problems you're trying to solve.

About Your Facilitators

Brandon Harwood brings over a decade of experience from IBM Innovation Studio, where he designed human-centered AI systems across industries and advised IBM Research on human-AI co-creativity. His research published at CHI 2023 informs his approach through quietloudlab, where he works with startups and innovation teams to design emerging technology experiences grounded in cognitive psychology and practical product strategy.

Matthijs Zwinderman combines AI research crede

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