Designing for Complex Challenges with AI and UX — Ryan Brink, S6 Ep. 6

In this episode, we are joined by Ryan Brink, Senior Product Designer at Michigan Software Labs. With a background that spans business, sports, and marketing, Ryan’s journey into UX is anything but traditional. His experience coaching soccer shaped his collaborative, people-first design mindset, while his early work in marketing and analytics honed his ability to combine creativity with data. Today, Ryan designs enterprise platforms, compliance tools, and AI-powered workflows—all with a focus on clarity, collaboration, and user-centered thinking.

Discussion Points

~ How did your journey into UX design begin? 2:15 

~Since sports are data-heavy, do you see a connection between that and digital design dashboards? 6:36

~ Do you think people from non-design backgrounds challenge or enrich your perspective in UX? 8:40

~ Rapid Fire Round 10:16

~ What unique challenges do you face when designing for enterprise software and compliance-heavy products? 15:25

~ How are you leveraging AI in your design process, and what opportunities or risks does it bring? 20:31

~ What inspired your book, Phony Confessions of a Designer, and how does humor play a role in your approach to design? 24:54

~ What advice do you have for young designers starting their careers today? 26:57

Show notes 

~ UX is all about creating alignment; it’s not about who has the best idea, but about what’s best for the end user.

~ Coaching soccer taught me leadership and teamwork—skills I bring into every design project.

~ Metrics bridge the gap between creativity and strategy; they tell us what’s working and where we need to improve.

~ AI can’t replace the UX process. If you put in garbage, garbage will come out.

~ Creativity was the missing piece in my career. Once I found design, tinkering with problems stopped feeling like work.

~ Enterprise UX isn’t just about usability; it’s about navigating red tape, earning stakeholder buy-in, and still keeping the user at the center.

~ Humor helps us stay honest about our flaws as designers; sometimes laughing at our “confessions” makes us better at what we do.

Ryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-brink/
Ryan’s Website: https://brinkryan.com/ 

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