In this episode of SAP Design Talks, Liam Spradlin, senior UX designer at Google working on the Material Design team, shares how he defines good design as something that works because it understands people, context, and the environments where experiences happen. From the origins of Material Design to the future of adaptive interfaces, Liam explains how design helps make unfamiliar technologies feel understandable, using metaphor, materiality, and human intuition to shape better digital experiences.
Liam also reflects on how AI is reshaping parts of his creative process. For him, AI is not a replacement for design judgment or human creativity. Instead, it can make certain steps richer, especially when building prototypes that help communicate ideas more clearly to stakeholders. He makes a grounded case for understanding what AI is good at today, while continuing to strengthen the taste, craft, and point of view that make design meaningful.
Finally, Liam offers practical advice for designers navigating a fast-changing creative landscape: do not stop, go a level deeper. He encourages designers to explore their own aesthetic instincts, make things quickly, learn by experimenting, and draw inspiration from other creative fields. If you work in design, product, or technology, this conversation is a thoughtful reminder that design remains deeply human: something people create for other people.
Learn more and explore the full SAP Design Talks series.
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