By: Kelvin Yu
Walk into any local flower shop, neighborhood bakery, or family-run service store, and you’ll probably see the same thing: a business that knows its customers by name, but is still trying to make sense of digital tools that were never built with them in mind.
That gap—between what small businesses need and what technology currently offers—has increasingly grown wider with the rise of AI.
“People talk about AI like it’s this magic button that solves everything,” says Kellie Sun, former Design Lead at BloomNation, where she helped digitize operations for local shops across the U.S.“ But for a lot of small-business owners, AI can feel like one more confusing thing they’re supposed to learn.”
She remembers watching business owners switch between multiple tabs, trying to figure out online orders, or staring at dashboards that made perfect sense to engineers but seemed none to them.
“They’re not unwilling,” she says. “They just don’t have the time to decode complicated tools. They’re running the store, taking care of customers, managing inventory… technology has to demonstrate its value in their day.”
AI Is Powerful, But Only When People Can Actually Use It
The irony is that AI could potentially help small businesses more than almost anyone else. It can automate marketing, forecast demand, suggest pricing, and interpret customer behavior in ways that are innovative and efficient. But Sun says all that potential might not matter if the tools feel intimidating.
“AI gives small businesses access to data that used to belong only to large corporations,” she explains. “But access alone isn’t enough. If the experience isn’t designed well, the data just sits there, unused.”
She believes the real work isn’t in adding more features, but in minimizing friction.
“It’s not about building smarter AI. It’s about building AI that feels human,” she says.
Design Is Becoming the Bridge Between AI and Everyday Business Owners
Sun now works at TikTok’s Global Monetization Technology division, where she focuses on data systems used by advertisers and growing businesses. She says she’s seeing a shift in the industry: people are gradually realizing that good design is not decoration—it’s what makes AI usable.
“If you give someone a complicated tool, it doesn’t matter how powerful it is,” Sun says. “A good experience is one that lowers the learning curve to the point where people don’t feel like they’re ‘using AI’—they’re just getting things done.”
And for small businesses, who often don’t have time or staff to spare, design can greatly influence whether AI ends up helping them or becoming another burden. With the right approach, AI can serve as a helpful assistant rather than an obstacle, ultimately fostering greater efficiency.
The Future of Small Businesses Depends on Whether AI Becomes Approachable
“AI shouldn’t make small-business owners change how they work,” Sun says. “It should fit naturally into what they’re already doing.” This is key, as any new technology must integrate seamlessly into established workflows without requiring major changes in how a business operates.
She’s optimistic, noting that with the right design, AI has the potential to level the playing field and help independent businesses remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy. If properly designed, AI can even give small businesses the tools they need to scale without the complexities that traditionally come with adopting new technology.
“We’re at a moment where AI can either widen the digital divide,” she says, “or close it almost entirely. It depends on how we design it.”
For America’s small shops, the difference may not only determine how they grow, but possibly whether they can continue to be the heart of their communities.
