AI + Hermes (speed) worship

Tech’s obsession with speed and how it has the potential to strip quality and craft in Design.

Visual Electric AI rendering: Prompt: “Greek God Hermes running through a busy New York City street during sunset with boots that have wings holding a caduceus staff.” Sketch and prompt took ~10 min to produce each version.

In Greek mythology, Hermes (/ˈhɜːrmiːz/; Greek: Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian God considered the herald of the gods. He is also widely considered the protector of human heralds, travelers, thieves, merchants, and orators. Hermes is often considered the god of speed and the fastest of the gods. He is the son of Zeus and Maia and is often depicted wearing winged shoes, a winged hat, and carrying a magic caduceus wand, which allows him to fly quickly and freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine.

If you are not familiar with Greek mythology and you have kids I recommend this podcast: Greeking Out by National Geographic Kids.

What does Hermes have to do with the current state of Design? Well, there seems to be an unrelenting focus on Speed in the tech industry. Whether it be in, laying off designers, implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI), or the unrelenting beat of VCs and MVP culture. The goal seems to be about “speed” itself and not about the ability of Designers to achieve the needs of their users with the best quality products.

(This is an opinion piece and hopefully, it is obvious. If not, this interjection will make that abundantly clear.)

A Hermes Drumming sample of Generative AI (Visual Electric) Prompt: “A standing profile of the Greek god Hermes, wearing a toga, holding golden drumsticks, playing a gilded drum with feathered wings on his sandals”.

Whether you are new to Tech, or a seasoned Product/Designer/Dev who has seen the ups and downs of the Tech space, the role Designers can play is changing and has always been in flux but we are in a particularly high rate of change when considering the speed of AI.

A constant through time has been that designers should focus on quality. Quality in the human-centered design process leads to improved user experiences, better more human-centered products, and improved profit for businesses. Hopefully, you agree with me on…