Insights
Part III: Beyond the interface
A framework for collaborative intelligence
By
Doug Cook
—
5
Aug
2025
Semantic design is the foundation for Human Computing, where meaning becomes computational.
The evolution of the design discipline
We’re entering a new age. Designers are moving beyond crafting experiences to architecting collaborative intelligence. This is the most significant change in our discipline since the transition from print to digital.
Interface design → crafting interactions
Experience design → crafting journeys
Intelligence design → crafting partnerships
The architecture of change
The evolution marks a fundamental shift from human-computer interaction to human computing, a new paradigm for how humans and machines relate.
This paradigm shift moves through three levels: collaborative intelligence, which describes system-level partnerships; semantic design, which enables interaction-level understanding; and relationship design, which forms the human foundation of trust, alignment, and emotional resonance.
In this new framework, semantic design plays a pivotal role: it bridges human intent with machine intelligence, enabling true collaboration. But to realize its full potential, we must navigate the messy transition from today’s tools to tomorrow’s co-intelligent systems.
From scenic to semantic
Today’s interfaces still operate like guided tours: scenic, pre-scripted, and fixed in sequence. You follow signs, press buttons, and hope the system maps cleanly to your goals.
Semantic design flips that model. Instead of building detailed maps, we build intelligent compasses: systems that adapt to intent, interpret goals, and generate personalized paths on demand.
Understanding how each stage builds on the previous one helps us see how systems become more intelligent and collaborative. This evolution happens through three key transitions:
The three transitions
From commands to context
We’re moving from fixed interactions to adaptive interfaces. Instead of users issuing explicit commands through interface controls, systems understand context and infer intent from natural language and behavior. This enables personalized experiences rather than forcing users through predetermined paths.
From fixed to fluid
We’re moving from pages to probabilities. Rather than linear flows with fixed outcomes, we’re designing systems that deliver dynamic, contextual experiences based on individual patterns and needs. The interface becomes less static and more intelligent.
From tools to partnerships
We're moving from reactive tools to collaborative partners. Instead of rules triggered by explicit input, we’re creating systems that learn from behavior and continuously provide more aligned, cooperative experiences. Technology shifts from reacting to co-creating.
Designing for human computing
As semantic interfaces mature, the boundary between human and machine intelligence begins to blur. This requires new design principles:
Relationship design
Design systems that feel like thinking companions rather than tools. This means creating transparency in AI reasoning, maintaining human agency, and ensuring interactions feel authentic and collaborative rather than automated.
Adaptive intelligence
Unlike scenic interfaces with clear affordances, semantic systems must handle uncertainty, multiple interpretations, and evolving intent. Design for graceful misunderstanding and seamless course correction.
Contextual continuity
Relationships span touchpoints, time, and environments. A single partnership may unfold across devices, sessions, and contexts. Design for continuity and coherence across this distributed experience.
Transparent reasoning
When systems understand context and learn from behavior, trust becomes paramount. Make AI reasoning visible and negotiable. The challenge: maintaining human control while leveraging machine intelligence.
Evolving capability
Unlike static interfaces, intelligent systems develop over time. Design systems that grow more capable, aligned, and collaborative over time.
Practical applications
These concepts become clearer when we apply them. Here are three examples showing how the same design challenge evolves:
The path forward
The transition from scenic to semantic design is already underway. Human computing represents the next phase of this evolution.
For designers, this means expanding our role from crafters of interfaces to shapers of intelligent systems. Beyond designing what people see, we’re influencing how systems think, understand, and respond.
The future of design is creating co-intelligence between humans and machines. This is our discipline’s next century. The designers who master these partnerships today will define how humanity thinks tomorrow.
Start here
Look at your current systems through this lens:
• Is your design still forcing humans to think like machines?
• Does your system learn from use, or just respond to it?
• Are you building partnerships, or just better interfaces?
• Does your design shape who people become, or just what they accomplish?
Continue reading the full series on Human Computing
Part 1: From scenic to semantic (The Foundation)
Part 2: Human computing (The Manifesto)
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Doug Cook
Doug is the founder of thirteen23. When he’s not providing strategic creative leadership on our engagements, he can be found practicing the time-honored art of getting out of the way.
