eixo.design

The illusion of
understanding

Creating meaning in the age of AI.

Natalia Arsand

Think of a bicycle.

What if I asked you to draw it?

We understand less than we think.

The illusion of explanatory depth

Feeling we understand how something works
better than we actually do.

A woman thinking, with an empty thought bubble

The same woman holding a pencil over blank paper

Blue bicycle with the chain connecting the pedals to the rear wheel

A bicycle drawn from memory, with the chain on the front wheel and a frame that could not hold

01 / 03

Making sense

How we create meaning.

How we create meaning

Sensory
information

Perception

Goals & tasks

Context

Prior experience

Effort

Attention

Interaction

Interpretation

Understanding

MemoryLong-term learning

References

Awh, E., Belopolsky, A.V. and Theeuwes, J. (2012) ‘Top-down versus bottom-up attentional control: A failed theoretical dichotomy’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 437–443. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2012.06.010 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

McCloskey, M. (2014) ‘The Human Mind and Usability’, NNGroup Usability Week Training, New York City, August.

Budiu, R. (2013) ‘Interaction cost’, Nielsen Norman Group, 31 August, reviewed 14 October 2024. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/interaction-cost-definition/ (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Whitenton, K. (2013) ‘Minimize cognitive load to maximize usability’, Nielsen Norman Group, 22 December. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/minimize-cognitive-load/ (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Dirt path cutting across a lawn next to a pavement

Similar outcomes.
Less effort.

Law of least effort

02 / 03

The illusion

Why understanding can feel deeper than it is.

Artificial Intelligence

And the promise of taking effort
out of our hands, and out of our minds.

Result + understanding

References

This path is a visual metaphor for participation, not a fixed neurological sequence.

Klein, G., Moon, B. and Hoffman, R.R. (2006) ‘Making sense of sensemaking 1: Alternative perspectives’, IEEE Intelligent Systems, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 70–73. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/MIS.2006.75 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Risko, E.F. and Gilbert, S.J. (2016) ‘Cognitive offloading’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 676–688. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Lee, H.-P. et al. (2025) ‘The impact of generative AI on critical thinking: Self-reported reductions in cognitive effort and confidence effects from a survey of knowledge workers’, Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713778 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

What experience did I miss?

References

Siu, A. and Fok, R. (2025) ‘Augmenting expert cognition in the age of generative AI: Insights from document-centric knowledge work’, CHI 2025 Workshop on Tools for Thought. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.24334 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Lee, H.-P., Sarkar, A., Tankelevitch, L., Drosos, I., Rintel, S., Banks, R. and Wilson, N. (2025) ‘The impact of generative AI on critical thinking: Self-reported reductions in cognitive effort and confidence effects from a survey of knowledge workers’, Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1145/3706598.3713778 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Shen, J.H. and Tamkin, A. (2026) ‘How AI impacts skill formation’, arXiv, preprint, version 2. Available at: https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.20245 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Klein, G., Moon, B. and Hoffman, R.R. (2006) ‘Making sense of sensemaking 1: Alternative perspectives’, IEEE Intelligent Systems, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 70–73. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1109/MIS.2006.75 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Risko, E.F. and Gilbert, S.J. (2016) ‘Cognitive offloading’, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, vol. 20, no. 9, pp. 676–688. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

Evaluating our understanding

Knowledge

I know

I don’t know

Awareness

I’m aware

I’m unaware

Known knowns

What can I explain?

Two wheels, pedals, handlebars, a chain.

Known unknowns

Where am I unsure?

How does the chain connect?

Unknown knowns

What do I know without noticing?

Shapes I sketch without thinking.

Unknown unknowns

What haven’t I thought to question?

Working parts I haven’t thought of.

We don’t always notice what we don’t know.

03 / 03

Practice

What to understand, own and delegate.

It started with curiosity.

eixo.design/paranal

If this became a product…

What do I need to understand next?

Drawing made
my gaps visible.

AI reduced the effort.
Gaps can remain.

Do I understand enough
for what I intend to do?

Takeaways

01
Intention
What am I trying
to achieve or learn?
02
Participation
What do I need to
understand and own?
What can I delegate?
03
Evaluation
How will I know
whether it worked?

Natalia Arsand · Eixo

Let’s work through
what’s next.

1:1 mentorship for designers
and product leaders

Bring the challenge
you’re working through.

eixo.design/mentorship

The illusion ofunderstanding

Think of a bicycle.

What if I asked you to draw it?

We understand less than we think.

Hi, I’mNatalia.

Making sense

The illusion

Practice

Making sense

How we create meaning

The illusion

Artificial Intelligence

Result + understanding

What experience did I miss?

Evaluating our understanding

Practice

It started with curiosity.

What do I need to understand next?

Takeaways

Intention

Participation

Evaluation

Let’s work throughwhat’s next.

The illusion of
understanding

Hi, I’m
Natalia.

Let’s work through
what’s next.