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I help mission-driven organizations achieve their full potential by designing teams…
Articles by Michaela
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Our differences are our superpower.
Our differences are our superpower.
Over the past two months, I've spent time offering career advice to several talented and aspiring designers of color. I…
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Michaela Hackner shared thisExcited to have the opportunity to learn from everyone. If you're local to Bozeman, join us!Michaela Hackner shared thisAIFluency.ai, Montana High Tech Business Alliance, and Kiln are co-hosting a live AI panel in Bozeman on April 8th and I’m moderating. We’re bringing consultants from our platform alongside some great outside talent: Jeremy Toepp — Principal AI Engineer at Sparq, NLP, deep learning, data visualization, former Senior Data Scientist at Northwestern Mutual, built ML systems for the CDC through Booz Allen Hamilton Nels Tate — 10+ years in technical sales, Managing Partner at Hyalite Capital, seven-figure smart technology solutions across AV, AI and fintech. Mark Nitz, COSP — AI ethics, corporate strategy for $500M+ organizations, Harvard Business Review Advisory Council, former adjunct faculty at Rocky Mountain College Michaela Hackner — AI Transformation and Design at Indeed, Georgetown MA, AI acceleration and strategy, organizational design, startup advisor Come ready with questions. It’s going to be a good conversation! Free event, drinks provided by The Kiln, open Q&A after the panel. Wednesday, April 8 5:00 - 7:00 PM The Kiln — Bozeman, MT Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gRQ5dv4B
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Michaela Hackner posted thisVibe-coding has been a hot topic in many of my conversations lately—friends and colleagues are curious about it, wondering whether they'll be left behind if they don't know how to do it. Not every problem requires vibe-coding or [the AI du jour]. Feeling like you need to try something just because it's the latest capability, even when it's not relevant to your work or life, is counterproductive. If you don't need vibe-coding today, you probably won't suddenly need it tomorrow. And if you do need it eventually, whatever you'd learn today will likely be obsolete—things are changing so quickly that the methods, tools, and workflows will all be different by the time you actually need them. Feeling pressured to learn a tool for a problem you don't have is a distraction. I have a friend who's always bringing up new technology advances I'm not aware of, which makes me question how connected I am to everything happening in this space. But keeping up is impossible—and it's not the most important thing. The real value of AI is deeply personal (and human). It's using your critical thinking to identify the biggest opportunities to augment your own superpowers and solve the problems you face every day. Not someone else's problems. Not the problems that sound exciting in a demo. Yours. My goal with AI is to spend more time outside and away from technology—AI affords me this even when the work increases. That's my measure of success. The hard part isn't learning the tools, but knowing what problems to solve and staying anchored when everything feels urgent and shiny. The delivery mechanisms will keep changing—MCPs this week, skills next week, something entirely new the week after. If you're chasing each new format, you'll always be starting over. I think it's smarter to focus on the problems that matter and build in ways that adapt to whatever comes next. For us, that's meant codifying UX knowledge in ways that work regardless of delivery mechanism—solving for scaling UX quality, whether it's consumed through MCPs, skills, plugins, or whatever comes next. We're focused on capturing and making the context extensible (design standards, accessibility guidelines, content principles), not on optimizing its delivery this week. I believe success in AI transformation isn't about using the latest model or trying every new capability. It's about: - Solving real problems that matter to you or the people you serve - Staying focused on human outcomes, not tools - Defining what "good" actually looks like in your context - Not getting distracted by every new announcement The tools will keep changing. The capabilities will keep evolving. What won't change is the need to stay focused on real problems and build thoughtfully for whatever comes next. What keeps you anchored when the shiny objects are everywhere?
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Michaela Hackner posted thisOn this International Women’s Day I’m grateful to the women who’ve taken a chance on me, given me opportunities I thought were well beyond my reach, continue to be my hype squad, and are always a text, email, or a slack away. Thank you for inspiring me with your journeys, lifting me up, and trusting me in ways that allowed me to trust myself. Katherine Tang Newberger, Alicia Lane, Sarah Goelitz, Julia Tang Peters, Julia Robeson, Sharon Murphy, Sara Wachter-Boettcher, Mica Mercé, Margaret Becker, Jessica Drizin, Jenni Graff, Hannah Calhoon, Amy Smith, Christina Lothringer, Susan Le, Kristen Starr, Talia Tupling, Meg Neumann, Aletheia D., Elizabeth Brigham, Susan Rice, Nikki Kopelson, and all the incredible women I get to work with every day.
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Michaela Hackner shared thisShannon Leahy is a gem of a human and covering the cost of Margo Stern ‘s fabulous book Good Job if life has thrown you some curve balls lately ❤️.Michaela Hackner shared thisMuffin hopes you’re resting and taking care of yourself and recharging with a soft blankie. Leopard print optional, but highly recommended. Comrades who have been laid off: There are still 10 free copies of Margo Stern’s book, Good Job, out there waiting to cozy up with you and help you navigate those job searches. Use the code LEAHY to claim one. You’ll still need to pay for shipping when you first check out, but Margo will refund the shipping. Please reshare and help spread the word. Sending love.
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Michaela Hackner reposted thisMichaela Hackner reposted thisOur Second AIDesignFieldGuide Article is out 🌺 Going Beyond Prototyping with Nate Parrott https://lnkd.in/eKgp69za Nate is currently a designer at Anthropic and was previously at The Browser Company working on Arc. Something we loved about our conversations with Nate were his focus on experimentation, his constant advice to build for your curiosity, and his personal reflections on the tools of tomorrow, and the value of the human touch. We hope you enjoy the read. https://lnkd.in/eKgp69za // We appreciate all the love excitement for this project. Many reached out sharing recommendations of people who hold valuable experiences worth collecting. Please shoot us a note by clicking on ??? and well try our best to include them :) Until next time Fede, Ryan, Robin
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Michaela Hackner posted thisDesign is changing fast. At Indeed, UXers are leading efforts to codify the context of design, content, and code so LLMs can effectively represent our design language. When we identified gaps in prototyping tooling, we took the initiative to build a better way. We're out in front, shaping how the company designs and builds with AI in a way that still feels uniquely "UX". Jenny Wen, who leads design at Anthropic, describes similar shifts on a recent Lenny podcast: the traditional design loop breaking down, design splitting into execution support and short-range visioning, work moving closer to code. In both cases, designers are solving specific problems within their organizations rather than adopting a universal new design approach. This is where UXers shine—people who understand systems, human behavior, and can identify patterns are well-positioned to understand what's needed and drive these discussions. That's not just true for UX. Subject matter expertise in your field positions you to identify where AI can help solve real problems—if you're willing to participate. Across disciplines, people actively shaping this change are having a fundamentally different experience than those waiting to see what happens. Matt Shumer's piece about how everything is about to change has been a topic of discussion over the past few weeks. It's urgent and alarming. He's right that the pace is accelerating faster than most realize. But there's something critical missing from his message: the future is unwritten, and we have agency to shape it by participating. Jenny Wen noted that early-career designers, without legacy processes or deeply ingrained ways of working, are often more adaptable and open to figuring out new approaches. This isn't solely something new designers can embrace. There's a divide: people who feel AI is happening to them tend to lose hope and motivation, clinging to how things are "meant" to be done. Meanwhile, people letting go of how they used to work, imagining something different, and embracing the ride with intention and curiosity are thriving in their work and emotional state. Participation leads to success, which creates energy, which fuels more participation. A virtuous cycle. What does participation look like? - Being curious and open—going with the flow while determining where you're uniquely positioned to add value - Not being afraid to take up space and lead where you might not have led before - Running experiments with peers, sharing what does and doesn't work - Staying oriented on problems and user needs, acknowledging the path to solutions might look different - Playing in adjacent disciplines - Exploring ways AI solves things important to your work, not forcing it where it doesn't make sense Matt's right that this is urgent. But the answer isn't just preparation—it's active engagement. We're co-authors of what comes next. What are you seeing? How are you participating?
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Michaela Hackner reposted thisMichaela Hackner reposted thisMy biggest takeaways from Jenny Wen (Claude design lead at Anthropic): 1. The traditional design process is breaking down. The classic discover-diverge-converge loop that designers have relied on for years doesn’t work when engineers can spin up seven coding agents and ship a working version before a designer finishes exploring options. 2. Design work is splitting into two distinct modes. The first is supporting execution: consulting with engineers as they build, giving feedback, polishing in code. The second is setting short-range vision, now scoped to three to six months instead of multi-year roadmaps. The vision work is still critical because when everyone can build anything fast, someone needs to point the team in a coherent direction. 3. Build trust through speed, not perfection. Anthropic ships products early, labels them research previews, and then iterates publicly based on real feedback. Jenny argues that what actually degrades a brand isn’t launching something rough; it’s launching something rough and then going silent. If you ship fast, respond to feedback visibly, and keep improving, users will trust you more, not less. 4. The most overlooked hire in design right now is the cracked new grad. Most companies are hiring senior designers with deep experience. Jenny argues that early-career people with blank slates, fast learning curves, and no attachment to legacy processes may be uniquely suited to this moment. They don’t carry baked-in rituals that are now obsolete, and their lack of expectations can actually be an advantage. 5. Chat as an interface isn’t going away. Despite expectations that chatbots were a temporary stop on the way to richer UIs, Jenny sees chat as a permanently valuable interface because it offers infinite flexibility. But she expects a hybrid future where models increasingly generate UI elements on the fly for specific tasks (like the interactive widgets Claude recently shipped) while chat remains the connective tissue between them. 6. Jenny went from design director (12 to 15 reports) back to IC. She questioned whether middle management had a safe future and wanted hands-on time during a period of rapid change. The IC time is giving her hard skills she wouldn’t have gained while managing. 7. AI will likely get better at taste and judgment. Jenny says designers may be holding onto “taste” as a moat too tightly. But someone still has to be accountable for what ships, the same way an engineer is accountable for AI-generated code. 8. Figma is still essential, but for different reasons. Jenny says Figma remains the best tool for rapidly exploring 8 to 10 different design directions on a canvas, something that coding tools handle poorly because they’re too linear and create investment bias toward one direction. For micro-level visual and interaction decisions, spatial exploration still beats sequential iteration. Watch our full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gunZXqq8
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Michaela Hackner posted thisBozeman has a growing community of people doing thoughtful and inspiring work with AI — and I'm grateful to be part of it. If you're in the area and want to connect with others navigating AI transformation, come join us. ✨ Next meetup: March 20 · 2:30–4:00 PM · Kiln We share, we learn, we ask hard questions together. All are welcome. #Bozeman #AITransformation #Montana #FutureOfWork
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Michaela Hackner posted thisThis winter, I took on a weekend job as a part-time ski instructor. A few weeks ago, another instructor shared a GPT tool to help me prepare for my Level 1 exam. I was getting nervous about what to expect and running out of time to practice on the slopes, so I gave it a shot. Here's how it worked: I'd watch videos of people skiing and describe what I saw—their technique, their form, what they were doing well, and what they were struggling with. Then I'd evaluate their performance and suggest ways to improve. The GPT would grade my analysis and coach me on sharpening my observations and feedback. I used it for about an hour a day over a few days. The process helped me understand what I was seeing, what it meant in relation to ski fundamentals and appropriate form, and how to offer feedback accurately and helpfully. What struck me was how parallel this experience was to challenges I'd been working through in my day job: evaluating quality and cross-skilling. Quality evaluation and learning aren't separate activities. They're two sides of the same coin. Two problems I've been noodling on lately are: how do we ensure better AI output as more people use it, and how do we empower people to evaluate outputs even when they're not experts? What if the act of evaluating quality is actually how people develop that understanding and skill? As roles become more fluid, people need to understand adjacent domains to work effectively with AI. The ski coach showed me that quality evaluation might be the mechanism for cross-skilling. I wasn't just memorizing fundamentals. I was learning to see, judge, and articulate with precision. The tool made it fun—essentially a game that helped me build more subject matter expertise through repeated practice. This is what we're missing when we think about AI adoption as just "use this tool to do X faster." The real opportunity is building this into our AI tooling—not only the capability to evaluate LLM outputs but enabling people to develop their judgment and new or adjacent domain expertise as they use AI. And there's a compounding effect: as people's judgment and expertise improve, they become better at orchestrating AI to solve even more complex tasks. I'm still thinking through what this means for how we build tools and design workflows. But I'm convinced that blending quality evaluation with skill development—and making it engaging—is part of the answer to questions about role fluidity, judgment, and what humans bring to AI-augmented work. Oh, and I’m sporting a shiny new Alpine Level 1 pin on my uniform 🙂.
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on thisGrateful to share that I’ve been accepted into the Applied Neuroscience MSc at King's College London. I’ve been thinking more about how the next generation’s minds will develop and adapt as technology continues to shape attention, learning, and behavior. I want to better understand how the brain evolves in these environments, and how we might design technologies that support meaningful human growth rather than disrupt it, including how emerging human–machine interactions may shape learning and cognition over time. Looking forward to growing, learning, and taking the next step in my journey.
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on thisI'm a bit behind on sharing news, so expect to see a few updates from me over the next few days/weeks. Last year, I completed the FT Board Director Programme (level 7 - Master's equivalent!) It was an extremely rewarding diploma, which was challenging and rewarding in equal measure! It gave me the confidence and knowledge needed to start my first Board Role, which I'll share more about soon! Thank you to everyone involved in that program, including Mike Hepburn!
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisThe more things change, the more they stay the same. I’ve been vocal about the opportunity for technology to meaningfully streamline capital formation in CRE - it’s exactly why we built Biproxi Capital Network. The rate at which AI is changing the fundraising landscape is wild. In the last 6 months, we’ve done more to surface best-fit capital partners than we have in the last 5 years. It truly is a game changer. But that efficiency is becoming a real double edged sword. With AI, everyone has access to (and is automating) the same information. The same contacts. The same "insights." We’re already seeing the fallout: hundreds of agents running all day everyday, sending thousands of emails to the same finite group of people. We’ve simply created more email to ignore and more calls to be screened. Email blasts 2.0, but ✨ AI ✨ . So, here we are again. Deals are still done between people. It’s the in-person conversations, the shared meals, the one-off texts, and the phone calls that "never happened." It’s the person who stays up late with you turning those last few redlines in real-time—the rapport built over 20 years of doing deals together. AI can’t do that. Relationships matter most. Credibility is still king. The best AI will enhance those relationships, not bypass them. To that end, we're releasing a new (free) beta of our AI-enhanced investor matching in the coming weeks. Let me know if you want to take a first look. (I will demand feedback.)
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on thisIt’s an honor to be included in the CIO Online Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Grateful to be in such good company among peers shaping the future of work and driving real business impact. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside talented teams and leaders who’ve challenged and supported me throughout my career. This recognition is really a reflection of those people who push ideas forward and make meaningful change possible. #CIO100 #CIOHOFCIO 100 Awards 2026 | Recognizing IT Innovation & Enterprise ExcellenceCIO 100 Awards 2026 | Recognizing IT Innovation & Enterprise Excellence
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on thisExcited to share that I passed the New York state exam and am now officially a Licensed Master Social Worker / LMSW in New York. It's meaningful to pause and acknowledge this milestone, because it was a labor of love to transition from the tech world into the mental health field. A long-time passion of mine, now realized as a new career. I'm excited to be exploring positions where I can practice therapy with a focus on supporting individuals in managing anxiety and navigating life transitions. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this journey!
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on this3 days at #Transform2026, and I'm still processing how much happened. If Unleash was conversation and community, Transform was the first time a lot of people saw Your360 AI. And it landed. People walked up to the booth curious and left excited. Someone mentioned us in a session and we had a rush of visitors. There's that moment when you stop explaining why something matters and start watching people feel it. That happened over and over last week. And still, it was about the people. A few shoutouts: → Loly Vadassery for modeling the culture I want to enable for our customers and build for ourselves. I'll be writing more about her session, but even in this time of AI and RTO, she was a reminder that the real reason behind our work remains supporting and developing the people. → Jennifer Turner, Balbina Knight, Kat Steinmetz, Gloria Basem, and Anna Binder for the time they spent one on one. The PeopleTech Partners advisor community doesn't just give advice. They sit with you and work through the hard parts. → Hilary Church for inspiring me on both what it means to host a great event and to look deeply into how to support your peers in the community. → David Head for being a friend and the chance to see the community and our businesses from a different founder's perspective. Two conferences in 10 days. Renata and I are tired and energized in equal measure. Thank you to Transform and PeopleTech Partners and to everyone who stopped by. If we talked this week and you want to keep the conversation going, I'd love that. DM me or grab some time here: https://lnkd.in/gWGQrevb #Transform2026 #FutureOfWork
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Michaela Hackner reacted on thisMichaela Hackner reacted on thisA few days ago I posted about how bad AI content usually is — poorly structured popups, meaningless copy, words that no content person would have approved. A lot of you agreed. Some of you asked where I think we should draw the line between using AI and actually thinking. So here's my answer, I think. I spent the last two months working inside Cursor – an AI coding agent – doing real content work. Not generating slop. Not replacing thinking. I thought it would be cool to ask Cursor to go through my chat history and pull out the 10 most useful things I did so far in 2026. I hope this inspires you to open an IDE and start experimenting :) https://lnkd.in/dQwu4seV# 10 real things I did with Cursor as a Content Designer# 10 real things I did with Cursor as a Content Designer
Experience & Education
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Big Sky Resort
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Honors & Awards
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Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship
Congressional Hunger Center
Awarded a two-year food security fellowship in Cambodia and Kenya with Pact.
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Academic Merit Scholarship
Georgetown University
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Phi Beta Kappa
Pennsylvania State University
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Phi Kappa Phi
Pennsylvania State University
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Highest Achievement in the Division of Undergraduate Studies
Pennsylvania State University
Organizations
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UXPA
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