Life Of Dev

Christian Kuhn

Episode Summary

Celebrating our 40th episode, we sit down with Christian Kuhn, a UX and Human-Centered AI Principal Consultant with over 20 years of international experience. We discussed why text prompts feel like a step backward to the command-line era and how teams can design AI systems that users actually understand, trust, and control. Christian shares his thoughts on Behavior Design, fighting "AI Fatigue," the critical need for digital ethics, and his impressions of the Greek tech community following his workshop at WeTest.ux Athens.

Episode Notes

Welcome to the 40th episode of Life of Dev! 
To celebrate this milestone, we are joined by Christian Kuhn, Head of UX and Human-Centered AI (HAX) at Optimizer in Porto, Portugal. Christian specializes in combining UX Research, Behavior Design, and AI to create sustainable, trustworthy digital experiences.

In a tech landscape dominated by hype, artificial empathy, and endless prompting, Christian brings us back to what truly matters: understanding human psychology and designing for real human needs. Whether you are a designer feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to learn dozens of new AI tools, or an engineer building predictive features, this episode is a masterclass in building ethical, future-proof products.

In this episode, we discuss:

• From Print to AI: Christian’s 20-year journey through digital evolutions and why timeless behavioral science is the ultimate foundation for UX.
• The Command-Line Regression: Why prompt boxes are a flawed interface for average users, and how we can move past them toward intuitive AI experiences.
• Human-Centered AI (HAX): How to apply Microsoft's 6 HAX principles to build system trust, transparency, and user control.
• AI Fatigue & Design Burnout: Why designers don't need to master 50 AI tools a week to stay relevant—and why core UX principles matter now more than ever.
• The Missing Piece in Tech: Why ethics must take center stage in AI development and product design.
• WeTest.ux Athens: Christian’s experience leading a full-day workshop in Greece, the synergy between UXers and Testers, and the passion of the local community.
• The Future of UI: Why wearables, spatial computing, and context-aware sensors will dominate the next decade.

About our Guest: 

Christian has over 20 years of international UX experience and currently leads the UX Center of Competence at Optimizer in Porto, Portugal. He drives the development of award-winning, user-centered product solutions through UX research and Behavior informed design. He contributes to Singularity University, Nomura Research Institute Japan, and many more. He is a published author on UX Design, AI Product Design and Behavior Design topics. He is teaching UX Leadership, Behavior Design and Human-Centered AI Experiences (HAX) at TheStarter.io. PortoUX Activist. Jury Member of the UX Nordic Award 2026 

Connect with Christian:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/uxck/

Things we discussed:

• Optimizer: https://optimizer.pt/
• TheStarter.io: https://www.thestarter.io/human-centered-ai-experiences-hax
• https://medium.com/@christian.kuhn/the-great-ai-product-interface-regression-why-weve-returned-to-the-command-line-and-how-to-fix-it-2ce33e858382  
• The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman 
• Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
• https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/haxtoolkit/
• WeTest Athens: https://www.wetest-athens.gr/