Many aspects of being a designer hinge on The Principle of Familiarity™. We want things to be convenient, accessible and stress-free for our users and audience.

On the other hand, Frank Zappa once said: "without deviation there is no progress." In my opinion, a change from the norm introduces opportunity for exploration, discovery and fun. Furthermore, in the era of ChatGPT it feels like things are rapidly changing for designers and pretty soon our field will be looking very differently. How do we know when to break rules and adapt, and when to channel the familiar?

I will start this session with a short presentation drawing on some design principles and examples, which we will be follow by discussion.