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Important Links

• Abdelaziz Musa (Host) – LinkedIn

• Steve Johnson (Guest) – LinkedIn

• Furthermore Agency – https://www.furthermore.co.uk

• Go Jauntly (Hana Sutch and Steve Johnson's walking app) – https://www.gojauntly.com

• The Impact Lab – www.theimpactlab.store

• Cush Digital – www.cush.digital

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This Week’s Guest: Steve Johnson

With 20 years experience under his belt working both agency and client-side, Steve is Furthermore's resident UX visionary and strategy lead. Formerly Head of Design and Product Management at Global Radio, Steve has since worked with a wide range of clients such as Harvard, Chelsea FC, The Telegraph, and Heathrow. Steve founded Furthermore, a digital product and service design agency in 2013 and co-founded Go Jauntly, a walking app for everyday outdoor adventures.

Summary

This episode is a deep dive into the tension between creativity and automation — and how to protect what makes your work truly human.

Steve Johnson joins me to talk about how AI has transformed user research, sped up discovery, and helped scale ideas faster — but also how it’s threatening the next generation of designers.

We explore what makes someone a real creative in the age of AI, why “prompt monkeys” are failing to grow, and how bad habits are quietly taking over design teams. Steve explains how to keep teams connected in a hybrid world, why “cleaning your eyes” matters, and why taste may be the last creative skill AI can’t fake.

If you run a creative team, design for a living, or are trying to stay sharp in the middle of all this AI noise — this episode is for you.

Takeaways

• Foundations before prompts: Designers need taste, not just tools.

• Creativity is human-first: AI can’t replicate curiosity, life experience, or emotional instinct.

• Speed ≠ craft: Fast design isn’t always good design.

• Prompt monkeys won’t survive: If you're skipping the hard parts, you're stunting your growth.

• Designers are losing critical rituals: Like naming layers or building mood boards.

• Culture matters more than output: Human connection fuels great design.

• Samey AI = boring work: Rounded corners and dashboards are not innovation.

• Play > productivity: Bento boxes, sandwich metaphors, and weird prompts keep teams alive.

• Clean your eyes: Get out, see beauty, and refill your creative tank.

• AI is a tool, not the vision: Don't outsource your imagination.

Keywords

AI and design, creative leadership, hybrid team culture, foundational skills, prompt engineering, product design, UX process, Notebook LM, team building, design thinking, creativity vs automation, Furthermore agency, Go Jauntly, junior designer development, digital craftsmanship, human marketing
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:03 The Evolution of Design and AI
05:57 AI in User Research and Ideation
09:12 Challenges of AI in Design
13:06 The Human Element in Creativity
16:13 Future of Design in an AI World
21:56 The Introverted Artist and AI's Role
25:22 Fostering Connectivity in Hybrid Work Environments
28:17 Foundational Skills vs. AI Dependence
33:03 Navigating Change in Design Careers
40:23 The Future of Design in an AI-Driven World