Trust is the new growth strategy

On a recent episode of the Building Great Experiences podcast, I sat down with Adam Iscrupe, Director of Product Design at Boatsetter. We covered A LOT… like what it means to build customer experiences that go beyond screens, what AI means for product design, and why trust might become the most valuable metric in your business.

Check out the full episode & takeaways below. It’s a good one!

Optimize for trust, not clicks

Too many teams still think conversion is the goal. But Adam made a powerful point: real growth comes from trust. Boatsetter isn’t just designing for bookings. They’re designing for moments that build confidence and connection. That means every design choice should reduce friction, answer unspoken questions, and create clarity.

Putting this into action:

  • Audit your onboarding or booking experience. Where might users feel uncertain or skeptical?

  • Add signals of trust throughout your journey. Things like real customer reviews, guarantees, clear policies, and personalized guidance.

  • Treat trust as a design principle, not a feature.

The best interfaces feel invisible

Adam shared a vision of what’s next: experiences that anticipate needs and respond in the background. Think less screen time, more real time. We’re not just designing screens anymore. We’re designing context-aware systems that surface the right thing at the right time, sometimes before a user even asks.

Putting this into action:

  • Identify the most common customer questions. Can AI answer or anticipate them automatically?

  • Map out off-screen moments (like onboarding, delivery, or service events) and design triggers to support them.

  • Start testing AI-enabled journeys with tools like Zapier, ChatGPT, or custom notifications.

The customer journey doesn’t end at the screen

One of the most compelling parts of our conversation was how Boatsetter thinks beyond the digital product. The real moment of truth isn’t clicking “Book”—it’s getting out on the water. That’s where trust is won or lost. And that means your experience design has to follow the customer past the screen.

Putting this into action:

  • Think like a customer. After they click “Buy” or “Submit,” what happens next?

  • Use journey maps and service blueprints to find gaps between digital and real-world moments.

  • Add proactive nudges to support the full experience. This could be text reminders, location-based tips, or check-ins.

AI isn’t a strategy, it’s a tool

We also talked about how AI is impacting design workflows. From prototyping faster to generating personalized experiences, AI is a creative accelerator BUT it’s not a silver bullet. The key is to pair AI tools with human insight and intentional design.

Putting this into action:

  • Start with a problem worth solving. Use the free AI North Star Playbook I co-authored to identify and prioritize use cases.

  • Run a quick 1-week test using an AI tool in your daily process. My team and I are doing this constantly. Some of our favorites right now are Gamma.app, Lovable.dev, Bolt.net, and Fathom.video.

  • Make experimentation a team habit. Host regular innovation jam sessions where your team shares what they’re learning, testing, or creating.

Wrapping up

In the age of AI, designing great experiences isn’t just about pixels and journeys. It’s about trust, timing, and knowing when to step back. AI won’t fix if your product doesn’t help people feel more confident, more supported, or more in control. If you start with trust and build from there, the tools can scale what makes your experience truly great.

Onward & upward 🤘

Drew