Today’s Highlights

• AI: Alibaba’s Qwen now Talks to Your Devices

• Design: Why Bad Design happens to Good Teams

• Science & Tech: Astronomers Find 74 Stars Surrounded by Comet-like Objects

• Founding: Juggling Between Big-Picture Strategies and Nitty-Gritty Tasks

• Product: Emotional Design: How to Create Brain-Friendly UXes?

• Today’s AI image: Just a Sneak-Peak into your Chats

• Quote for the day: To Keep Us Grounded

AI

Alibaba’s Qwen now Talks to Your Devices

Alibaba’s Qwen team has unveiled Qwen2.5-VL, a cutting-edge family of vision-language models designed to handle complex tasks like video analysis, document parsing, and even app control.

The release showcases advanced AI capabilities, marking a significant step forward in multi-modal AI innovation.

Key Features

• Top-Tier Performance: The 72B model outshines GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet in document parsing and video tasks, setting the bar sky-high for multi-modal AI.

• Video Whiz: From dissecting hour-long videos to cracking complex invoices, this AI doesn’t just watch—it delivers.

• App-Savvy AI: With “agentic” skills, it can book flights, edit pics, and install software like a digital Swiss Army knife.

• Scalable Choices: Free 3B and 7B versions for all, but the mighty 72B is VIP-only for big commercial gigs.

• Global Face-Off: Hot on OpenAI’s heels, Qwen2.5-VL fuels the China vs. U.S. AI rivalry, narrowing the gap like never before.

Why is this a big deal?

Qwen2.5-VL isn’t just another AI release—it’s a bold move in the AI arms race.

Its impressive capabilities in video and document analysis, coupled with practical app control, position it as a strong competitor to recent U.S. releases.

With open-access options and a powerhouse flagship model, it signals that the gap between open-source and proprietary AI, as well as global AI leaders, is narrowing faster than ever.

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Also in AI

• DeepSeek unveils a new AI image model: DeepSeek’s Janus-Pro takes on big players like DALL-E 3

• Meta AI gets personal since it now remembers your chats and peeks into your socials activity

• Reid Hoffman’s Manas AI raised $24.6M to revolutionise cancer treatments

• DeepSeek’s R1 app hits 2.6M downloads, then pauses sign-ups after cyberattacks

• xAI’s Grok-3 teased improved reasoning ahead of its full release

• Pika Labs v2.1 brings realistic motion and physics to AI video generation

• Apple’s iOS 18.3 activates Apple Intelligence, but AI summaries remain MIA

Design

Why Bad Design happens to Good Teams

Designing well isn’t just about talent or effort; it’s about navigating a maze of organisational pitfalls, conflicting priorities, and misunderstood goals.

Despite good intentions, bad design happens far too often, and understanding why is the first step to fixing it.

Here’s a TLDR of the key culprits:

1. Organisational Chaos
   If a company can’t get the basics right, expecting good design is like asking a cat to bark.

2. Money Beats Quality
   Who needs elegance when cheap and convenient rake in the cash?

3. Risk-Averse Execs
   Leaders often stick to what they know—spreadsheets and code, not creative leaps.

4. Creativity Gets Bulldozed
   Short-term wins crush the long game of innovative design.

5. Silent UX Leaders
   If no one’s championing design, it’s bound to end up as the forgotten middle child.

6. Too Many Cooks
   Committees don’t create brilliance—they create compromises.

7. Customer Confusion
   When no one agrees on who the customer is, the product ends up being for no one.

8. Feature Bloat
   More isn’t better—especially when features are designed for checklists, not people.

9. Design Isn’t a Goal
   Without clear support, design becomes the sacrificial lamb to budgets and deadlines.

10. Data Gone Wild
    Misusing metrics is like using a spanner to hammer a nail—ineffective and painful.

Bad design isn’t just an aesthetic issue; it affects usability, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, a company’s bottom line.

By understanding these common pitfalls, organisations can address the root causes of bad design and create products that are not only functional but delightful to use.

Read More

Also in Design

• Dropbox’s brand refresh: Dropbox’s new interactive style guide is a masterclass in storytelling and playful design

• Farewell, Read.cv: Shutting down as it joins Perplexity to further its mission of making knowledge accessible

• Netflix-backed AI video model: Go-with-the-Flow, a motion-controllable AI video generator, paves the way for more dynamic animation tools

• “Design is a team sport” – IDEO’s Tim Brown on the future

• The Checkbox Conundrum: A gov.uk redesign tripled user effort with a clunky checkbox pattern

• Design Systems 103: Great documentation bridges the gap between design and development

Science & Tech

Astronomers Find 74 Stars Surrounded by Comet-like Objects

Astronomers have just revealed new images of exocometary belts surrounding 74 nearby stars, offering a glimpse into these icy bodies orbiting distant suns. '

These observations, made possible by advanced telescopes, provide a rare opportunity to study the evolution and structure of these cold, comet-like rings.

What Was Found?

• Exocometary Belts: These are icy bodies orbiting stars, similar to our own Kuiper Belt, but scattered across the universe.

• Advanced Imaging: ALMA and SMA telescopes captured high-resolution images of these belts, revealing a variety of shapes and sizes.

• Age & Distance: The belts range from 10 million to 1 billion years old and are located far from their stars, where temperatures are freezing.

• Gravitational Dance: These belts are dynamic, with comets interacting and shifting positions, affecting the chemical makeup of the system.

• Surprising Mass: Exocomet belts are more massive than expected, with some even featuring multiple rings and signs of hidden planets shaping their structures.

• Ongoing Research: A follow-up study, ARKS, will dive deeper into these systems, focusing on their gaseous components and internal dynamics.

Why is this a big deal?

This is a breakthrough in exoplanetary science, allowing us to study cometary belts in greater detail than ever before.

These belts could hold clues to how our own solar system formed, particularly in understanding how Earth might have received its water.

Plus, with more data on these belts' evolution, we’re getting closer to unraveling the mysteries of planetary system formation across the galaxy.

Read More

Also in Science & Tech

• DeepSeek FAQ: DeepSeek's R1 model stirred the tech world

• Ozempic’s surprising benefits: Beyond weight loss, GLP-1 drugs may reduce risks of Alzheimer’s and addiction

• Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch: The rocket’s success signals Blue Origin’s evolution

• Study reveals how giant clams evolved symbiotic algae relationships

• CDC halts WHO collaborations following executive order

Founding

Juggling Between Big-Picture Strategies and Nitty-Gritty Tasks

Balancing "high" and "low" work is the secret sauce for executives aiming to thrive.

• High Work: Big-picture thinking—strategising for the future, asking “why,” taking calculated risks, and initiating projects with long-term payoffs.

• Low Work: Ground-level execution—tracking key metrics, jumping in to assist teams, and ensuring top-notch project delivery.

The true power lies in seamlessly switching between these modes, tackling both immediate goals and transformative strategies.

Why Most Leaders Fall Short

• The “Low-Only” Leader: Obsessed with short-term execution, they excel at ticking boxes but avoid bold bets that could reshape the business.

• The “High-Only” Visionary: Big on ideas but low on action, they impress in meetings but fail to drive results, making them expendable.

• The High-Low Dynamo: Indispensable. These leaders deliver on today’s targets while planting seeds for tomorrow’s growth.

Practising High-Low Work

• Audit Your Focus: Ask yourself:

  • What challenges, if solved, could transform multiple teams?

  • What projects could exceed targets by 50% or more?

  • What initiatives might pay off in 12 months, even if not immediately visible?

• Develop High Thinking Habits:

  • Dedicate 30 minutes weekly to assess team, company, and industry-level challenges.

  • Discuss long-term strategies with peers or mentors quarterly.

  • Listen to CEO earnings calls or industry updates to align with broader trends.

  • Leverage AI to simulate CEO-level thinking for long-term decision-making.

The Hardest, Most Rewarding Skill

Mastering high-low work is a marathon, not a sprint.

It’s tempting to stick with “low” tasks that offer instant gratification, but true leadership demands patience, intention, and courage.

Start practising now, and in a year, you’ll find yourself instinctively blending both modes.

Read more

Also in Founding

• Founder Equity: Who Gets What and When?

• AI's Market Fit Meltdown: The New Normal?

• The Secret Sauce to Growth? Clarity.

• Clay's $1B Playbook: GTM Masterclass

Product

Emotional Design: How to Create Brain-Friendly UXes?

Emotional design. It’s why a sleek app feels intuitive or a vibrant interface sparks joy.

The beauty is in making your brain feel the design rather than just observing it.

Visuals: A Rich Source of Emotion

Visuals are more than eye candy; they’re emotional triggers:

• Colours: Blues and greens calm, while reds and oranges energise or alarm.

• Symmetry: Balanced designs satisfy the brain’s craving for order.

• Animations: Smooth transitions can turn irritation into calm resolution.

Think of a payment error screen. A jarring red alert might frustrate users, but a clear resolution message with a friendly animation can ease their annoyance.

The Three Levels of Emotional Design

As defined by Don Norman, emotional design operates on three levels:

1. Visceral: Instant appeal—think bright colours or fun animations that grab attention.

2. Behavioural: Functionality that makes tasks effortless and enjoyable.

3. Reflective: Deeper connections tied to identity and personal goals, fostering loyalty.

Duolingo exemplifies this by combining eye-catching visuals, seamless usability, and a sense of accomplishment tied to personal growth.

The Future of Emotional Design

As AI and biometrics evolve, interfaces will adapt in real time to users’ emotions.

Imagine an app slowing its pace when it senses you’re overwhelmed or a VR experience that adjusts its environment to match your mood.

However, balancing personalisation with ethical considerations will be critical.

Emotional design turns the mundane into memorable by tapping into how our brains process visuals and emotions.

After all, technology feels best when it understands you.

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Today’s AI Image

Just a Sneak-Peak into your Chats

Quote of the Day

To Keep Us Grounded

"You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?"

Steven Wright

What we’re working on

🧞Your wish is my command