AI, Digital Design & Creative Transformation: Lessons from the Trail Blazers

From Value Capture to Value Creation

Recently, I came across an inspiring story about how the Portland Trail Blazers shifted their mindset around AI—moving from simply capturing efficiency to creating entirely new value. David Long, a digital marketing professional (not a developer or data scientist), used AI tools like a custom GPT dubbed “Betty Budget” to slash hours off routine tasks. This is a prime example of using AI not just to make work faster, but to transform business processes entirely. You can read more about his approach here.

The key takeaway? Designers and design leaders should always ask, “How can we use AI not just to do things faster, but to do things we never thought possible?” This isn’t about swapping out the human element; it’s about enabling us to dream bigger and achieve more.

Innovative Digital Product Design in Practice

AI is not only transforming efficiency—it’s paving the way for groundbreaking digital product design solutions. Take the case of “Vibe Code,” an AI tool developed to tackle the secondary ticket market challenge in sports. What traditionally felt like an unsolvable problem has turned into an opportunity to enhance customer experience and boost revenue.

For UX designers, these developments highlight the importance of integrating AI into our workflows. Imagine translating a website into Mandarin in just a couple of hours or automating customer feedback loops to deliver responses within 24-48 hours (as demonstrated by the Trail Blazers’ team). It’s exciting to see how such innovations can be directly applied to digital product and UX/UI design challenges.

I find it incredible how AI opens up new possibilities that were previously seen as too expensive or unworkable.

Creating a Culture of Experimentation and Collaboration

A big part of this transformation isn’t the tools themselves, but the culture that embraces experimental thinking. The Trail Blazers’ Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Christa Stout, has been pivotal in creating a space where ideas flourish. Regular “Lunch and Launch” sessions invite teams to openly share what bugs them about their daily tasks, sparking spontaneous innovation. It’s a reminder that the greatest breakthroughs often start with vulnerability and candid conversation.

For those of us in UX and digital design, the challenge is to build an environment where experimentation is celebrated. Crediting all sources, I recommend checking out the insights shared by Jeremy Utley (Capgemini CXO insights) to learn more about nurturing organisational change.

This blend of technical innovation and collaborative culture sets a brilliant example—one we as design professionals should definitely keep in mind when planning our next steps in AI adoption.