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The Feed & The Thread - February 17, 2026 · The Feed & The Thread

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  Today we're diving into the hidden costs of AI prototypes
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  that often can't survive beyond their initial stages, and we'll
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  also explore how product design is evolving, touching on what it
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  means to wear the PM hat in a team facing challenges.
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  Welcome to The Feed and The Thread, brought to you by
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  Chicago Camps. Our next UX Camp event is coming up on February
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  twenty first. Tickets are very affordable & free options
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  available. Don't miss out! Hey! Did you know that we also
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  launched The Feed & The Thread in the App Store? Get your
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  updates in the app, with summaries and links to articles
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  and conversations. See you there!
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  A few things worth your attention. Let's dive in! In a
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  new piece titled "The hidden cost of AI prototypes that are
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  made to die," Allie Paschal at UX Design.cc argues that while
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  AI can quickly produce visually polished prototypes, these often
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  cannot be extended beyond initial ideation phases. This
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  highlights the importance of choosing tools based on their
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  ability to support prototype extensibility and sustainability
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  throughout product development stages. Over at TPGi (The
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  Paciello Group), Ricky Onsman's latest "Weekly Reading List
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  February 16 2026" explores advancements in digital
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  accessibility, including new features in ZoomText 2026 and
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  JAWS 2026. The piece emphasizes the importance of integrating
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  accessibility into design systems and frameworks like
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  WordPress themes, noting that while plugins can be powerful,
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  they also introduce risks. Also worth noting – new pieces
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  recently from Codrops and Jeff Gothelf. Be sure to check them
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  out in your feeds!
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  Okay, what's the community buzzing about? So over in the
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  UX Design subreddit, folks are having another lively debate on
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  how product design is changing fast. It’s tough when the work
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  starts to feel like everything but design, right? One commenter
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  noted, "Yeah the devs at my work are being pushed hard towards
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  Claude, I’ve found Lovable alright for prototypes that
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  don’t follow any current design system and ones I’d have to redo
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  myself anyway 😂." Can't argue with that. Some folks are
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  feeling overwhelmed, and there's a thread about how to "wear the
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  PM hat" when your team is in disarray. It’s like trying to
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  juggle while walking on a tightrope – not fun at all. But
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  hey, it's tough out here, and we're all figuring it out
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  together. Meanwhile, over in UX Research, practitioners are
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  pivoting left and right. From moving from Big Tech UXR roles
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  into startups, to dealing with the stress of needing help or
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  potentially losing their jobs. One commenter put it well: "No
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  one here wants to talk about this, we'd better bury our heads
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  in the sand and go with our day as usual, capisce?" It’s a
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  sentiment many can relate to. That's what folks are buzzing
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  about today! Lots to chew on if you're feeling the same way.
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  Chicago Camps is hosting UX Camp Winter on Saturday, February
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  21st. There will be plenty of great presentations, all online,
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  so you can join from anywhere in the world! Tickets are free,
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  thanks to the generosity of the community! If it's within your
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  budget, you can purchase a general admission ticket for
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  only thirteen dollars and fifty cents. Get tickets now at
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  Chicago Camps dot org. This is a great value!
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  Today, we talked about the hidden costs of AI prototypes
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  that often can't be extended beyond initial stages. And in
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  the community, folks are navigating the fast-changing
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  landscape of product design with tools like Claude and Lovable
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  for quick prototyping. Thanks for tuning in — we'll catch you
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  next time.
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  That's The Feed and The Thread for today. Keep designing with
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  intention!