What is generative UI?
Generative User Interfaces (GenUI) have the potential to revolutionise the way we think about design. These interfaces, powered by Artificial Intelligence, aim to create dynamic, real-time solutions tailored to individual user preferences and needs. Unlike static, pre-designed layouts, generative UI could adapt on the fly, delivering a truly personalised user experience. This marks a potential shift by fundamentally changing how interfaces are created and personalised, emphasising user context and interaction like never before.
Understanding generative UI
Personalisation of user interfaces has long been a top priority for many product teams, particularly in highly complex interfaces catering to a mix of advanced, expert, and novice users. Personalisation efforts traditionally rely on predefined user profiles, permissions, or customisation options. Generative UI, however, has the potential to change this landscape entirely by elevating personalisation to a new level, enabling truly bespoke interfaces. Instead of simply tailoring specific elements of an interface, it could adapt in real time to each user's behaviours, preferences, and goals, regardless of their skill level or context.
This means that instead of designing static layouts or limited pathways, designers would create adaptable frameworks where the AI dynamically tailors the interface to individual users based on their immediate behaviours, goals, and context.
The key differences include:
From static to dynamic: Traditional design delivers fixed layouts and workflows, while generative UI could create variable interfaces that evolve as the user interacts.
Focus on high-level design: Instead of crafting every detail of a user journey, designers could focus on mapping broader behaviours and mental models, allowing AI to handle the granular adjustments.
Truly individualised experiences: Personalisation shifts from predefined profiles to bespoke experiences that adjust to user needs, preferences, and skill levels in real time.
This shift represents a more fluid and user-responsive approach to interface design, moving beyond static and generalised solutions to dynamic, deeply personalised experiences.
The difference between AI tools and generative UI
Generative UI is distinct from AI-assisted design tools. While the latter accelerates workflows for designers—helping create prototypes or automating repetitive tasks—GenUI focuses on transforming the user experience directly. The AI would take overarching goals and parameters defined by designers and dynamically adapt the interface to meet users’ needs, delivering seamless and contextually relevant interactions.
How GenUI could reshape user journeys
Generative UI would redefine how user journeys are mapped and executed. Today, designers carefully craft user journeys step by step, tailoring paths for different personas or user types. However, as generative UI becomes more integral, these journeys could evolve.
Designers may shift focus to high-level behaviours and users’ mental spaces, creating adaptable frameworks for user journeys. This approach would allow AI to handle detailed and moment-to-moment adaptations based on user actions and needs. For instance, instead of designing for every click or interaction, designers might create a flexible map that aligns with users’ mental models and behaviours, leaving the details to the AI personalisation.
Challenges and responsibilities
While generative UI has significant potential, it also presents challenges that must be addressed. Maintaining brand identity, ensuring accessibility, and safeguarding privacy will be critical. Designers will also need to address ethical implications, ensuring AI-generated decisions are fair, inclusive, and transparent.
Generative UI represents an exciting vision for the future of user experience and user interface design, offering the potential for unparalleled personalisation and adaptability. However, it remains an emerging concept that is still evolving. The challenge lies in translating this potential into practical solutions while addressing usability, ethics, and inclusivity issues.
At Fruto, we’re committed to staying at the forefront of these developments, exploring the possibilities of AI-assisted interfaces to create smarter, more adaptive solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.
Fruto’s role in AI-driven design
At Fruto, we have extensive experience working with AI-assisted technologies, particularly in healthcare — such as medical imaging — and education. Our expertise spans projects like designing interfaces for The Alan Turing Institute’s Ethical AI platform, conducting a UX review for an AI healthcare startup, and creating a medical imaging UI for a radiology tech startup. In our blog on medical imaging software design, we explore how user-centred design can enhance AI-driven systems in healthcare, ensuring they address ethical and practical challenges effectively.
If you’d like to learn how Fruto can help with your AI-assisted software or platform, get in touch!
