FREE MASTERCLASS + RESOURCES
Upstream of the Machine
How Designers Evolve Beyond Execution Before It’s Too Late
How Designers Can Stay Ahead of AI
AI is automating design work. Here's how to stay indispensable.
32% of illustrators lost commissions to AI. Creative roles are shifting — but designers who move upstream aren't just surviving, they're becoming more influential than ever.
In this 37-minute masterclass, Jeff Humble — UX strategy instructor at the Fountain Institute — breaks down what's really happening to creative work in the age of AI, and gives you five practical strategies to position yourself where the machine can't reach you: before the brief, before the roadmap, before the pipeline is set.
What you'll learn
Why "deciding what to build" matters more than "how it looks" — and how to start doing it
Five roles to adopt that move you upstream: service designer, scientist, strategist, urban planner, futurist
A concrete action for each strategy you can try this week — no new title required
How to make the case to your boss — keep it small, time-boxed, and low-risk
The AI learning trap — why focusing only on AI skills could be risky for your career (the Luddite lesson)
The five strategies
Work the infrastructure — like a service designer
Generate evidence — like a scientist
Gather intel — like a strategist
Zoom out — like an urban planner
Make futures real — like a futurist
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:48 Stuck in the Machine
3:21 Downstream of the Machine
5:15 Design's Downstream Problem
6:32 What Upstream Looks Like
7:17 Deciding What to Build
13:12 Five Ways to Move Upstream
13:32 1. Work the Infrastructure
17:43 2. Generate Evidence Like a Scientist
21:33 3. Gather Intel Like a Strategist
24:00 4. Zoom Out Like an Urban Planner
26:33 5. Make Futures Real Like a Futurist
30:13 Recap & The AI Learning Trap
34:18 Making the Case to Your Boss
About Your Instructor
Jeff Humble
Jeff has been teaching UX strategy since 2021, coaching dozens of senior designers through their first strategy projects at companies like Miro, Babbel, and Vinted.
He's helped product designers, leads, and heads of UX move from tactical execution to strategic leadership across startups, agencies, and global organizations.
Jeff's core belief: Strategy isn't just for managers and executives—it's a learnable skill for any designer who wants more influence.
Feedback from Attendees
“Jeff is an extremely clear communicator - he is so easy to understand, especially when there is quite a bit of information compressed into 45 mins to deliver. Superb communicator. And of course content was superb and useful too!” -Jin
“Such a cool insightful presentation.” -Mahtab
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