Author: leila.orynbayeva

AI and coding

If I got one euro every time someone said AI in the last two years, I could probably pay my rent for a year. Jokes aside, AI really did change everything. It gives regular people access to tools that used to require a full team. For designers, this is huge. We can finally bring weird ideas to life without begging a developer to “just help a tiny bit.”

I’ve worked with developers for years and always admired how they manage to build complicated systems from scratch. Now we can do a chunk of that work ourselves. You still need to know basic logic, but the heavy lifting can be handled by AI. So why not experiment a little, build something fun, and keep the creative spark alive?

For the last months I’ve been watching designers and devs use different AI coding tools. I’m inspired, but also a bit lost, because these tools aren’t perfect yet. You have to juggle between them. So I wrote down simple notes based on talks, videos, and tests. Here’s the short version.

1. v0 by Vercel – the most capable, but very generic.

Pros
• Builds complex logic fast.
• Follows instructions well.
• Code and previews load quickly.

Cons
• First drafts look chaotic with strange animations.
• Designs often feel bland when you ask for something subtle.
• Struggles with basic layout alignment.
• Preview wasn’t mirrored like a real camera app.

2. Lovable – the best visuals and overall experience, but misses logic sometimes.

Pros
• Cleanest and most modern UI.
• Shows a plan before coding, which feels reassuring.
• Adds creative touches on its own.
• Sound effects were nice once fixed.

Cons
• Ignored some specific instructions at first.
• Needed reminders to add live filter previews.

3. Bolt.new -friendly interface, but broke completely in the test.

Pros
• Shows every step it’s doing.
• Chat feels natural and clear.

Cons
• Tried to use the phone camera, which caused flashing screens and overheating.
• Couldn’t fix the bug through prompts. Prototype failed.

4. Google AI Studio (Gemini) – the weakest tool in both design and function.

Pros
• Eventually used a clean grid.
• Basic photo strip feature worked after a full restart.

Cons
• Ugly old-school Material Design look.
• First attempt failed with an error.
• Interface feels overwhelming.
• Didn’t generate real filters, only simple color changes.

5. Figma Make Designs (Beta)– the most creative, but still too buggy.

Pros
• Fun and expressive design style.
• Added extra features like frames and cute filters.
• Sounds worked immediately.

Cons
• Images didn’t load at first.
• Camera only worked after “publishing.”
• Buttons were placed randomly.
• No preview of filters until asked

AI still isn’t perfect for coding, but it’s already strong enough to help designers build real prototypes with logic, visuals, and sound. It feels like a new creative playground. I’ll definitely try to vibe-code some mini project in the next months

As an international student, and someone who’s constantly watching friends juggle life across countries, I keep coming back to one question: Why is it so hard to stay connected?

There isn’t just one reason. We’re all busy: classes, work, deadlines, life. It’s normal that it gets harder to keep up. Most families can still talk over dinner and stay in sync.
But what about people who live thousands of kilometers apart?
That’s where it gets complicated. Schedules rarely match, time zones pull people even further apart, and honestly, it’s no surprise that so many long-distance relationships fade after a few months.

Trying to understand this better, I went back to the basics: What actually makes a human connection strong?
Maybe if I answered that, the “how do we keep it?” part would make more sense.

While wandering through YouTube, I found a talk called “The hidden truth about human connection” by Dan Foxx. He basically put into words something most of us already feel deep down but rarely say out loud.

His main message was that we struggle to connect because our ego gets in the way.
We’re stuck in our own perspective instead of actually caring about the other person. Real connection comes when we shift from “What do I get out of this?” to “How can I care for this person?” That’s when relationships deepen.

Listening to him helped me see why connection feels harder today, especially across distance:

1. We treat connection like something we can postpone.
When life gets intense, it’s easy to think, “We’ll catch up later.” But relationships don’t maintain themselves. Without intention, they slowly fade.

2. Technology simulates connection but doesn’t fully deliver it.
Sending reels, emojis, or brief texts feels like staying in touch, but it doesn’t provide the presence or emotional depth we actually crave. Digital contact is convenient… but often shallow.

So how do we preserve connection even from far away?

1.Lead with empathy.
Ask real questions. Listen with care. Make space for someone else’s feelings, not just your own.

2. Be consistent, even in small ways.
Things like a voice message, a short video call, a thoughtful note matter when done with full attention. Presence beats frequency.

3. Choose depth over constant chatter.
One meaningful conversation will strengthen a connection more than a month of random memes and “how was your day?” messages.

Takeaways
Human connection is essential. It’s one of the things that makes life feel meaningful. Dan Foxx’s talk reminded me that distance isn’t the real enemy, disconnection is. And disconnection happens when we stop showing up with honesty, empathy, and intention. This talk felt like the starting point of a bigger exploration for me. I’ll might go deeper into the topic of human connection in my next posts.

I used ChatGPT to check the spelling and grammar of this text

Designing for complex UI with Vitaly Friedman

A while ago I worked on a CMS system for an online shop. It was a dense platform with many connections between features. Our Lead Designer created the main structure and I took care of the Design System and new components. The work was very analytical. No banners. No decorative visuals. Every color and spacing value followed strict rules. I handled hundreds of input fields, tables, filters and other parts that needed to stay consistent.

When I started thinking about my master’s thesis last year, one idea was a gamified platform for patients and doctors. Healthcare is known for high complexity and heavy cognitive load. Even though I had worked with CMS systems and dashboards, enterprise UX was still new to me. This is why I became interested in the work of Vitaly Friedman. He speaks often about complex interfaces. I watched his talk for the UX Healthcare community called Designing the complex UI. It helped me understand how to plan such projects and how to measure if a design works.

In the talk he explained common problems in healthcare and enterprise systems. They often hold too much data. They contain many layers. They have strict dependencies between features. These systems overwhelm users fast if design is not careful.

His first point was about deciding what matters most inside the product and for it he uses Task Performance Indicators. These metrics show how fast and how successfully users finish important tasks. They help designers move away from guessing.

His second point was about choosing the right user groups. He suggests three user segments. Then he suggests finding 30-40 to participants for testing, cause half of them will likely drop out so a larger pool matters.

Then he talked about creating tasks for each segment. Each user gets ten to twelve short tasks. Every task needs one clear correct answer. Descriptions should stay under thirty words so users understand them without stress.

And when the design is on the production, track these metrics regularly – every 6 to 12 months depending on the speed of the team. This shows if design choices are helping or making things worse. He also suggests bringing the same eighteen participants back when possible. This keeps the comparison fair.

He showed the EU Parliament website as an example of a heavy and well structured system. It supports twenty languages and multiple search engines and several CMS platforms, still it feels simple for the user.

At the end he mentioned sustainable design. It is often viewed as a topic for developers and project managers. Designers still need to stay aware of it. Sustainable UX keeps systems efficient and reduces waste. It is easy to forget about it when we focus only on usability.

This talk helped me understand how large systems work and what to pay attention to when planning my thesis topic.

I used ChatGPT to check the spelling and grammar of this text

Welcome to my first Impulse post 🙂
In this blog series, I will explore different topics connected to my master’s thesis project. At the moment, I’m considering two completely opposite directions for my thesis. One focuses on UX/UI interfaces in complex fields, while the other is rooted in creativity and expressive design. So don’t be surprised if the themes of the upcoming posts vary a lot, this variety is fully intentional and part of my exploration process.

For this first post, I want to talk about the Klanglicht Festival, because it was one of the most memorable events of October and a project that my classmates and I invested a lot of effort into.

What I Learned

Before the summer holidays, my teammates (Sara, Vefa, Alina, and Jessi) had already settled on our concept called “Wasser Rausch.” When the semester began, and Alina finished composing the soundtrack, we immediately started developing the visual elements.

To be honest, the process was challenging for me. Animation is not one of my strongest skills, and translating sound into visuals beyond the obvious choices, like circles and bubbles (our main theme), felt extremely demanding. Still, we managed to overcome that barrier.

1. Inspiration Matters

One of my first steps was searching for inspiration, and I found it in the creative works of Oscar Fischinger ( which were shown by our teachers before the summer), where shapes were simple but still impressive.

The other inspiration I found was in the opening titles of films. Title sequences helped me understand how animation can communicate the rhythm of a story, emotional tone, and even a character’s personality.

2. Teamwork Changes Everything

Dividing the workload turned out to be incredibly effective. I was genuinely lucky to work with such motivated and hardworking girls. One head is good, but five are amazing. None of us were experts in After Effects, yet everyone invested maximum effort into mastering their tasks. We also gave each other creative freedom, which made the final outcome unique.

3. Preparation Saves Time

This may seem obvious, but it’s difficult to follow when juggling multiple projects. At the beginning of the summer, I started learning After Effects just to get familiar with the basics. This early preparation helped a lot and reduced the amount of time I needed for learning during the production phase, although it definitely didn’t eliminate them entirely. Still, having those foundations made the whole process much smoother.

Connection to My Thesis

My second thesis idea was deeply inspired by small animated design details that feel almost magical. So my ultimate goal is to create a product where the interaction itself becomes enchanting. To achieve this, I plan to research motion effects, analyze which ones could enhance usability and emotional engagement, and eventually integrate the best ones into my project

I used ChatGPT to check the spelling and grammar of this text

Author: Lisa Fresser / Tina Schart 
Title: User Interface Design of a Smartphone Application for Early Detection and Reduction of Risk Factors for Dementia as Part of an EU Study 
Year of publication: 2022 

Why I chose this master thesis: The idea for my own master thesis is also focused on creating an app for preventive health measures with gamification elements. This thesis intrigued me because it explores a very similar concept, but with a more specific focus on early detection and reduction of dementia risk factors. Additionally, the project was developed in collaboration with other health institutions, which adds to a practical, real-world dimension that I find inspiring and relevant to my own work. 
 

–> How is the artifact documented in the thesis? 

The main outcome of the project, referred to as the artifact, was the concept and design of the LETHE app. The thesis documents the artifact thoroughly by presenting the design process, wireframes, user interface concepts, and interactive prototypes. It also includes detailed explanations of the design decisions, user scenarios, and feedback from workshops, making it easy to understand how the app was developed and why certain design choices were made. 

–> Where and how can it be accessed? 
As it was mentioned in the Master thesis, the app had launched in 2022, and should had be ongoing till 2024. But after some google search I discovered that the project was prolonged and still on the developing mode. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the app in the App-store nor in the Play Market, suggesting that it’s still on the developing stage and the thesis itself is promary source to review the concept and design of the app 
 

–> Do the theoretical arguments and the practical implementation align? 
Yes, the theoretical foundation of the project aligns well with the practical implementation. The design decisions and interface solutions clearly reflect the research on user needs, early detection of dementia risk factors, and UX principles. The artifact demonstrates a consistent connection between theory and practice throughout the development process. 

–> Is the documentation clear and comprehensible? 
Yes, the thesis is well-structured and comprehensible. Each stage of the design process is clearly documented, supported by visual materials such as wireframes and mockups. The logical flow of the thesis allows readers to understand the development process step by step, even if they are not experts in UX or healthcare applications. 

–> Does the quality of the work piece meet the standards expected of a master’s thesis? 
Yes, the work meets the standards expected of a master’s thesis. The artifact shows a high level of competence, and the thesis demonstrates methodological rigor, originality, and attention to detail. 

Overall presentation quality: 10/10 
The thesis is very well-presented, with a clear structure and logical progression. The outcome, the design of the LETHE app, is impressive and professionally documented. 
 
Degree of innovation: 8/10 
The project focuses on detecting and reducing risk factors for dementia. While the idea is not entirely new, it is valuable and well-executed. The potential impact is significant; if the app reaches a larger user base than the initial 160 users mentioned, it could make a meaningful contribution to the healthcare field. 

Independence: 9/10 
The students demonstrated strong independence throughout the project. They showed high organization from diving into history of gamification and how to apply it (Octalysis Framework) to handling ideation and testing workshops with potential users and support of medical workers like Helena Untersteiner from the department of Neurology at the AKH. I believe that collaboration with health and high-academic institutes provided students with the source-information from real patients and as a result led to the best structure of the app rather if it would be handled in normal-environment 

Organization and structure: 10/10 
The thesis is highly organized, following all steps of the design thinking process. Each section is logically connected, making it easy to follow the progression from research to final design. 

Communication: 8/10 
The thesis communicated ideas clearly, though at times the documentation could have been more concise. Some images were repetitive or could have been simplified, but overall, the presentation was effective. 
I like how they mentioned the problems they faced throughout the testing part and how it helped them to concentrate on fulfilling the content part of the app 
 
Scope: 10/10 
The length and depth of the thesis are appropriate given the seriousness and complexity of the topic. The project provides sufficient detail without overwhelming the reader. 
 

Accuracy and attention to detail: 10/10 
The thesis demonstrated a high level of precision and formal accuracy. The language and terminology were consistent throughout. However, from a UX designer’s perspective, I would suggest adding an option to increase the typography size, considering that the target users were primarily people aged 60 and above. 
 

Literature: 8/10 
The thesis cites reliable sources, including Statista and WHO data. However, UX-related research could have been strengthened by referencing more specialized sources, such as the Nielsen Norman Group or Baymard Institute, rather than LinkedIn or Medium posts. 
 

 
Conclusion: 
Overall, I’m impressed by the quality and scale of the project. I saved some gamification articles they used that might help me in the future. And for sure this thesis inspired me to consider reaching out to health organizations for potential collaboration opportunities. 

Note: This text was proofread and grammar-checked with the help of ChatGPT.