Platform and system capabilities can provides completely different surface-level experiences and interaction affordances - Most of my work has been web app design, and recently at work, I started exploring designing for a desktop application and hit on something I never realized and appreciated. I began noticing the subtle differences in interaction design between web apps vs. desktop apps. Although many interaction design principles at a high level are the same, but the platform capabilities and user expectations create entirely different surface-level experiences.

Get users to the “aha” moment as fast as possible - In recent work designing for AI agent experiences, I learned users cared less about tutorials, carousels, banners, or explanations we assumed to be cool and effective—they want to see the agent work. Instead of guided tours and feature explanations, I focused on one thing: get them to experience value within 2-3 clicks. Users can't predict what AI can do until they see it. They don't know how to utilize it until they've played with it. Don't teach them about your product—show them why it matters. The fastest path to adoption isn't education. It's hands-on demonstration.

Instead of five discrete little things, you just make the circle bigger... you don’t have to get rid of things to make something simple, you just have to unify them.

Some things are best just as they are and don't need much design at all. Design isn't just about adorning appearances. What we should really focus on first is the fact that the fundamental design of a product is its function.