Meaning before motion.

Before you design, code, or name your AI thing, define what it means.

Meaning isn’t found in features.

It’s built through three layers:

1. Intent

What human tension is this solving? Not the task but the feeling behind it.

If you can’t write that in one sentence, you’re not ready to build.

2. Experience

How should it feel to use? Calm? Empowering?

Design that emotion first before the interface.

3. Expression

How does it show up visually, verbally, spatially?

The way you say it is the strategy.

Perplexity built meaning around trust. It wasn’t made to talk, it was made to show its work. Every answer cites sources, inviting users to see how the system thinks instead of asking them to just believe it. That single decision shaped everything that followed: the product’s interface, its tone, and its restraint. In a space chasing personality, Perplexity chose transparency. That’s what conviction looks like in code.

If the experience doesn’t align with the intent, the meaning collapses.

That’s why most “AI things” end up as slop. Functional, but forgettable.

Reflections to work through:

Can you name the emotion your product should leave behind?

What would this feel like if it were a person?

Does your design express the same truth your strategy promises?

If you’re building something new, start with what it should mean, not what it should do.

Ready to build meaning before motion?

Let’s talk

Ian Adams, Founder the little red sofa

Before founding the little red sofa, I led strategy and creative for brands like Jeep, HSBC, and Unilever at top global agencies and in-house teams across 8 countries. Now I work with founders to turn brand clarity into sustainable growth.