Building Rockturn

Vision

A Knowledge Engine for the AI Era

After 15 years building and leading design teams through multiple acquisitions, I saw a critical shift coming. AI wasn't just changing design tools—it was challenging the very identity of designers. Design outputs that once required deep expertise could now be generated instantly. This wasn't just another technological change; it was an existential challenge that demanded a response.

From Criticism to Catalyst

The answer came from an unexpected place. I had coined the term "surfist" as criticism, initially. It was a way of describing a designer with an unproductive fixation on surface details, rather than channeling their creative energy into solving deeper, more consequential problems. There’s a famous SNL short that satirizes this common tendency, poking fun at a designer, played by Ryan Gosling, who obsesses over Avatar's use of the Papyrus typeface in its marketing—as if that somehow made the film less profitable. But as I began to understand AI's profound impact on design, the meaning of surfist evolved…

Like ocean waves, AI's effects have visible impact but hidden complexity. We can either exhaust ourselves swimming in these waves or learn to surf them with skill and purpose.

…with that idea, the word "surfist" found true meaning: it more aptly describes someone who looks upon these waves of change with both head and heart. The surfist looks out at the ocean of technology with awe and wonder. Their curiosity is piqued by the dynamic potential of the waves, and they feel their own creative energy stirring in response. Unlike the swimmer who struggles against the ocean’s power, the surfist respects it and seeks to understand it deeply. This respect unlocks a profound curiosity about the mystery of these forces, enabling the creativity to harness them with intellect, skill, and confidence. The metaphor resonated so deeply that it became central to Rockturn's identity. 

The Cycle of Growth

Through deep reflection on what it means to be a surfist, I realized that humility is the foundation for all meaningful growth. Just as a surfer must respect the ocean's power, designers need to approach these waves of change with an open mind. This humility unlocks a powerful cycle:

…the cycle repeats, with curiosity, creativity, and confidence sustaining momentum like a flywheel—a virtuous cycle that turns on humility. Recognizing this revealed that in order to unlock professional growth, we need support on two distinct but equally crucial fronts:

I am certain that neither head nor heart are enough on their own to spark learning and authentic growth. Insight without ambition is theoretical, while ambition without insight is directionless. Rockturn aims to deliver both.

Strategy

The path to supporting designers through this transition would require both philosophical guidance and practical knowledge. But how do you build something substantial enough to truly help designers evolve their mindset while also providing the deep knowledge they need to work more strategically?

Starting with Big Ideas

I began with theory—about 70 foundational frameworks that shape how designers think and solve problems. These were broad concepts like systems theory, aesthetic theory, and behavioral economics. My initial goal was to explore how these big ideas influence design maturity.

But something unexpected happened during my research. Each framework connected to dozens of practical methods and principles—the "building blocks" that make theoretical knowledge useful in real-world design. What started as a focused exploration of big ideas began expanding into something much larger. A pattern emerged…

Unexpected insights on all sorts of things are discovered when peeling back the layers of theory to enable practice.

…every source sparked new concepts worth capturing: books, articles, podcasts, conversations with colleagues. Within weeks, my collection had grown from 70 frameworks to more than 2,000 potential topics. This explosive growth forced me to rethink the project's scope.

Dual Content Strategy

To move forward on those two crucial fronts—head and heart—I would develop Rockturn along parallel paths:

This dual approach would give designers both the emotional tools to face change and the practical knowledge to work more strategically. But building something this comprehensive would normally take years. I needed a different approach.

AI as Strategic Enabler

The ambitious scope of Rockturn only became feasible by strategically using AI as a force multiplier. Instead of attempting to author this massive compendium by hand—a complete non-starter from a time and resources perspective—I could compartmentalize my content strategy with specific, incremental tasks for AI models I could train to execute the work more efficiently:

This wouldn't mean letting AI write unchecked—every piece of content would need careful review and refinement. But by using AI strategically, I could focus my energy on vision and quality control while automating the heavy lifting of content generation.

Process

Creating Rockturn wasn't about automating content creation—it was about leading a sophisticated content operation at scale. I approached AI models like specialized team members, each needing careful training and orchestration to execute different aspects of my vision. The process took months of hands-on work, evolving through multiple phases of refinement.

Initial Content Development

The first challenge was creating consistent, comparable descriptions for over 2,200 potential topics. These were the rudimentary definitions I needed as an initial framing for curating and vetting topics on an apples-to-apples basis. Rather than training a specialized model, I simply maintained an ongoing dialogue with ChatGPT to craft structured two-sentence descriptions for topics as I gathered them over a period of several weeks:

This uniform structure was crucial—it gave me a reliable way to evaluate and compare topics during a painstaking vetting process that would follow.

Iterative Classification

The taxonomy system evolved through extensive experimentation. I started with more than ten different ways of classifying topics, using Excel pivot tables to prototype how users might explore connections between concepts. This experimentation was invaluable:

Through this process, I refined the initial 2,200 topics down to about 1,500 core concepts that would form Rockturn's foundation.

Orchestrating AI Models

With the core topics identified, I developed specialized AI models using OpenAI’s custom GPTs and Anthropic’s project models in Claude (Sonnet) for different aspects of content curation, generation, and classification, training each one for a specific task.

Quality Control Through Scale

Each AI model required careful training and rigorous scrutiny, a process which involved:

While developing structured content at this scale was a massive undertaking, the real challenge lay ahead: designing an experience that would make this knowledge truly accessible and engaging. All the carefully crafted content and classifications needed to come together in an interface that would encourage exploration and discovery. This meant designing not just for information retrieval, but for the natural ways people learn and connect ideas.

Design

Topic Page Architecture

If the Surfist philosophy is Rockturn's beating heart—driving passion and purpose—then the topic page (Figure 1) is its analytical mind sparking curiosity and prompting exploration. 

Designing for Discovery

The interface goes beyond simple information retrieval. By converting the AI-generated topic tags into search links, every page creates multiple pathways for exploration. These aren't just related topics—they're conceptual "hooks" that align with how users might naturally think about and search for information.

The goal isn't just to help users find what they're looking for, but to help them discover what they didn't know they needed to learn.

This approach creates a knowledge network that can be explored in multiple ways:

Taxonomy

The five taxonomies that organize Rockturn's knowledge base are more than just classification systems—they're pathfinding tools that help designers see connections and build deeper understanding. 

Each carefully crafted taxonomy offers a different lens for viewing design knowledge, creating a multi-dimensional map that designers can use to chart their growth. Together, these taxonomies serve multiple strategic purposes:

Dimension Taxonomy

Dimensions are the cornerstone of Rockturn's compendium, outlining the nature of design problem-solving at each successive stage of product development.

Rockturn's Dimension taxonomy exemplifies how classification can drive deeper understanding. By viewing design through five distinct facets—Attract, Influence, Enable, Deliver, and Transform—it helps designers see beyond traditional craft boundaries. This framework reveals how design shapes outcomes at every stage of product development, from initial user engagement through long-term innovation.

Domain Taxonomy

• Six Domain Facets…

  Business

  Focuses on broader business operations, strategy, and efficiency. This includes product management, business strategy, financial considerations, and organizational behavior, ensuring that product design aligns with business goals and drives organizational success.

  Design

  Focuses on tools, processes, principles, and metrics related to creating user experiences and interfaces. This domain encompasses everything from visual design to user interaction and usability testing, ensuring that the end product is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

  Engineering

  Covers the integration of development and operational practices necessary for the software lifecycle. This includes software engineering principles, systems architecture, DevOps, and technical implementation, ensuring robust, scalable, and maintainable products.

  Marketing

  Addresses concepts related to brand, marketing strategies, and sales that drive user engagement and growth. This domain involves understanding market dynamics, user acquisition, and retention strategies to ensure that products reach and resonate with their intended audience.

  Psychology

  Studies human cognition, perception, and behavior to influence design decisions. This domain includes cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, and user psychology, providing insights into how users interact with products and how to design for optimal user experiences.

  Research

  Encompasses methodologies and practices for competitive, market, and user research. This domain includes qualitative and quantitative research techniques to gather insights that inform strategic decisions and user-centered design processes.

Level Taxonomy

• Three Level Facets…

  Foundational

  Core concepts that form the essential building blocks of design knowledge, providing the baseline understanding needed to work effectively in digital product design. These are the fundamental principles, methods, and skills that every designer should master, regardless of their specialization or career stage.

  Intermediate

  More complex topics that build upon foundational knowledge, requiring some professional experience to fully grasp and apply effectively. Intermediate level concepts often involve combining multiple principles or adapting standard approaches to handle more nuanced challenges in product design.

  Advanced

  Sophisticated concepts and strategies that demand significant experience and expertise to implement successfully in complex product environments. Advanced techniques often involve systems thinking, strategic decision-making, and the ability to navigate ambiguous problem spaces while balancing multiple stakeholder needs.

Utility Taxonomy

• Six Utility Facets…

  Analytical

  Tools and methods for measuring, evaluating, and optimizing the business impact of design decisions through data-driven insights. Analytical techniques help teams understand user behavior, track performance metrics, and make informed decisions about how to improve products and services.

  Cautionary

  Concepts, practices, and patterns that can lead to poor outcomes if not carefully considered or properly implemented in design work. Cautionary topics highlight potential pitfalls, ethical concerns, and unintended consequences that designers should actively work to avoid.

  Strategic

  Methods and frameworks that connect design decisions to measurable business outcomes, helping teams plan and execute solutions that drive long-term success. Strategic concepts focus on aligning design with organizational goals, market opportunities, and customer needs through systematic approaches to problem-solving.

  Tactical

  Practical techniques and proven methods that designers use daily to create high-quality solutions and improve user experiences. Tactical hands-on skills and standards help teams execute effectively, maintain consistency, and deliver polished design work that meets or exceeds expectations.

  Technical

  The tools, platforms, and technologies that enable teams to create, prototype, test, and implement design solutions effectively. Technical topics involve both fundamental technologies that form the foundation of digital product design and emerging tools that expand what’s possible in modern design work.

  Theoretical

  Core principles from psychology, sociology, and other disciplines that explain how people think, behave, and interact with design. Theoretical concepts help designers understand the “why” behind successful design patterns and inform more thoughtful, human-centered solutions.

Recency Taxonomy

• Five Recency Facets…

  AI & Machine Learning (After 2015)

  Concepts that emerged with the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics in design and product development. These topics reflect how automation and AI are reshaping design processes, tools, and possibilities.

  Mobile & Social Media (2005-2015)

  Topics that gained prominence during the mobile revolution and the rise of social platforms, fundamentally changing how people interact with digital products. These concepts capture the shift toward responsive design, app-first thinking, and the integration of social features into product experiences.

  Internet Expansion (1990-2005)

  Principles and methods that evolved during the global expansion of the internet and the emergence of web design as a discipline. These topics represent the foundation of digital design, including core concepts about usability, accessibility, and user experience that still shape design thinking today.

  Early Computing (1950-1990)

  Concepts from the early days of digital technology, when the fundamental principles of human-computer interaction were first being explored. These topics include essential theories about how people interact with machines and early frameworks that continue to influence modern design.

  Pre-Computing (Before 1950)

  Traditional design principles from psychology, art, mathematics, and other fields that predate digital technology but remain relevant to modern product design. These foundational theories about human perception, behavior, and aesthetics provide timeless insights that inform effective design regardless of medium or technology.

Turning Theory into Practice

While these taxonomies create a robust framework for organizing and discovering knowledge, transforming this vision into a working platform required careful attention to implementation details. Every classification, connection, and navigation path needed to be not just theoretically sound, but practically useful. The challenge ahead was ensuring that this carefully constructed knowledge architecture would translate into an intuitive, engaging user experience.

Delivery

Bringing Rockturn to life meant translating months of content development and taxonomic architecture into a working platform. I chose WordPress for its extensibility and content management capabilities, but making it serve as a knowledge engine required careful implementation.

From Excel to Platform

The Excel prototype that had served as my testing ground for content relationships now needed to become a dynamic web experience. This involved:

Quality Control at Scale

With over 1,500 topics, each with multiple taxonomic classifications and AI-generated content, quality assurance had to be iterative, continuous, and rigorous. My approach was systematic:

Building Discovery Paths

The final challenge was ensuring that all the interconnections between topics worked as intended. 

A topic page on Rockturn is not just a container for organizing content—it's a pathfinding tool for exploring knowledge.

Every taxonomy classification, related topic link, and search suggestion needed to create meaningful paths for exploration. This meant testing:

Through careful implementation and rigorous testing, Rockturn evolved from an ambitious vision into a working knowledge engine. But the true test would lie in how well it served its purpose: helping designers navigate the changing landscape of their profession with both confidence and competence. The platform's impact would be measured not just in its comprehensive content, but in how effectively it helped designers transform from craftspeople focused on outputs to strategic leaders driving outcomes.

Leading Through Action

Rockturn represents more than just a knowledge platform—it's a proof of concept for the Surfist mindset. By using AI as a force multiplier to create something that would have been impossible through traditional means, I demonstrated the very approach I'm advocating for designers.

By using AI as a collaborator rather than a replacement, we can achieve things that neither humans nor machines could do alone.

Beyond Content Creation

The project shows how designers can approach AI strategically:

A Platform for Growth

In six months, Rockturn grew from concept to comprehensive resource:

As AI continues to reshape the design landscape, Rockturn stands ready to evolve alongside it. The platform's dual focus on mindset and knowledge provides a foundation for continuous growth, helping designers transform from creators of artifacts to shapers of outcomes.

Like a surfer reading the ocean, tomorrow's designers need to understand the forces shaping their field. Rockturn helps them develop both the knowledge to see these patterns and the confidence to ride them—turning technological disruption into opportunity for growth.