AI Alphabet
AI literacy is not a new discipline bolted onto the company. It is the same discipline the company has always practiced, aimed at a new material.
Context
Robert Propst designed the Action Office because he thought offices were bad at helping people think. Florence Knoll planned space before she picked furniture. Alexander Girard trusted color to do work that words could not. None of them were writing a prompt engineering guide. All of them were solving the same problem: how do you get a tool to actually help a human do better work, instead of just being new.
That is the argument of the Alphabet. AI literacy is not a vendor language exercise. It is design heritage aimed at a new material.
What I built
A 26-entry reference site, one letter per page, each pairing a design figure or concept with an AI practice takeaway. Built to be browsed, not read front to back. Heritage anchors drawn from archival knowledge, including Amy Auscherman’s research.
Key figures in the set include Robert Propst on systems thinking, Florence Knoll on planning before building, Alexander Girard on nonverbal signal, Harry Bertoia on material experimentation as rigor, and Charles and Ray Eames on solving human problems with craft rather than spectacle.
How it worked
Each entry is a design object first and a lesson second. The opening triptych sets tone for the whole site and went through a full rewrite. “Try” boxes embed interactive prompts per entry so visitors can practice the takeaway instead of only reading it.
This portfolio page is the curated story. The live site holds all 26 letters.
Outcome
A published artifact that shows AI enablement rooted in company philosophy, not translated vendor speak. It is distinctive on purpose. Almost nobody else’s AI enablement portfolio looks like this.
What I’d do next
Finish refining the opening triptych. Raise engagement on the “Try” boxes so visitors use the interactive prompts at the rate the content deserves. Ship a clearer before/after on the rewrite when visuals are ready.