Tom Kurzeka

Portland

Oregon

000

PST

0 → 1 product designer thinking deeply about AI and the future of interfaces

Full spectrum digital experience design

I'm currently working on design vision, frameworks for generative AI tools, and advocating for AI fluency across the design org at Scribd.

I operate at various strategic levels. Over the course of the past year I've leveraged design to influence Scribd's strategic vision as well as interfaced with users directly, leveraging insights from user studies to design iterative A/B tests that help us take incremental steps towards our north star.


Visual design and technical implementation

I believe that truly innovative interfaces require both conceptual rigor and exceptional craft, the kind of attention to detail that makes complex interactions feel effortless and trustworthy.

I've refined my visual design skills through work on various brands and personal projects. I've invested in developing front-end skills to bring my ideas to life. Over the past year I've spent significantly more time prototyping in code and designing and refining prompts for large language models. This technical fluency allows me to think beyond traditional interface conventions towards the future of AI-native products.


Research and strategic thinking

I'm an adept research planner and moderator, comfortable with everything from guerrilla testing to formal usability studies. But beyond tactical execution, I think of research as strategic storytelling—identifying the right questions, creating frameworks for understanding complex user behaviors, and translating insights into actionable design principles.

My approach to user research has evolved alongside my growing understanding of AI systems. I've been particularly interested in how users develop mental models of AI capabilities and limitations, and how interface design can support more sophisticated, nuanced interactions with intelligent systems.


Philosophical foundations & paradigm shifts

My formal training in philosophy gives me a unique lens for understanding our current technological moment. In my earlier days I obtained a degree in the history and philosophy of science, writing my thesis on Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions.

We might be living through just the kind of paradigm shift that Kuhn described: a period where our basic assumptions about intelligence, creativity, and human-computer interaction are being rewritten. I'm uniquely positioned and enthusiastic about navigating this transformation thoughtfully and strategically.


Creative writing as a strategic asset

My background in creative writing is a foundational strength that informs how I approach every project. Years of studying narrative structure, character development, and the subtle mechanics of how language shapes understanding have taught me to think systematically about story, voice, and emotional resonance.

This writing background has proven invaluable in my recent explorations with LLMs, where, for the time being, the primary medium is still the written word.