Something I’ve been thinking about as I hear about people in the creative industry getting laid off. It’s a scary reality, and I’m reevaluating my skill sets – what got me to where I am, and what new ways of working will help me move forward. I want to stay relevant – but more than that, I want to remain excellent at what I do.
I once put together a deck to explain what UI/UX design is and why I love it so much, just for my partner.
But with AI developing so rapidly, I’m starting to feel a shift in the way I design and approach problems. Different phases of the process are being augmented by AI, and my work is starting to feel unstructured – which is ironic, because structure was one of the things I loved most about UI/UX design.
That destabilising feeling has pushed me to be more intentional about upskilling and improving myself, especially as things change so fast. That’s the goal behind this post – to reflect on how AI has changed design, to honestly review my current process as an experience designer, and to imagine what kind of designer I hope to become.
Not all forms of design are the same
In a conversation with my partner, I explained how I thought AI would impact design – and an interesting observation came up: AI would likely affect different design professions in very different ways.
A really clear example is graphic design versus UI/UX design. In graphic design, the journey from brief to output is relatively straightforward – it doesn’t require the same depth of research and problem-solving that UI/UX demands. Because of that, graphic design work can be more easily replicated by AI.
UI/UX design is a different beast. While it’s not the most complex task in the world, building a robust interface that genuinely addresses user needs is significantly harder than producing a single-frame visual output. That complexity is a kind of protection – for now.
That said, there are already clear points along the UI/UX process where AI is doing impressive work.
Will there come a point where AI can connect all the dots and complete the whole process end-to-end? I think we’re heading in that direction faster than most people expect. So the real question is: how do we stay ahead?
The principles behind design thinking remain unchanged
Before talking about what has changed, it’s worth asking: what hasn’t?
The core principles of design thinking are as solid as ever. Empathise with users, define the problem, ideate solutions, prototype, and test. These steps exist because they work – and no amount of AI acceleration changes that.
However, the speed at which each phase happens, and what happens within them, are rapidly evolving.
What is good design?
Have you ever used a product or looked at a visual and felt like something was off – like it was technically fine, but somehow impersonal? That feeling is becoming more common as AI-generated designs flood the internet.
The word everyone keeps coming back to is craft – something seemingly intangible, and still largely elusive to AI. AI can occasionally produce something visually stunning, but it’s inconsistent. Things break on closer inspection.
Figma’s State of The Designer 2026 survey captures it well: in an era where anyone can prompt their way to a prototype, craft – the considered choices behind user interactions, visual systems, language, and product quality – becomes the differentiator.
The skills that matter for humans
AI is not great at making unexpected connections. That ability to join dots across industries, products, and human experiences – that’s a muscle we need to keep training through wide reading, curiosity, and genuine critical thinking.
The designers who are thriving right now are the ones who treat AI as a catalyst, not a crutch. They’re finding more speed, more clarity, and broader creative range – without losing their own voice in the process. That adaptability is a core competency.
Curiosity used to be a nice-to-have. Now it’s survival. The people who will do best are the ones who self-teach, experiment, ask bold questions, and stay hungry. AI will suggest ideas – but only curious humans will push them somewhere new. AI will provide data – but only curious humans will think to question it. AI will duplicate existing solutions – but only curious humans can actually create something that hasn’t existed before.
Beyond tools, domain knowledge matters more than ever. Understanding the industry you’re designing for – its nuances, its users, its constraints – is something AI simply cannot absorb the way a human who has lived and breathed that space can. And paired with that is a skill that’s becoming just as essential: AI fluency. Knowing how to communicate with, guide, and get the best out of these tools is a part of the job.
A new approach to design
A few things from Figma’s State of The Designer 2026 survey really resonated with me. Nearly all designers (91%) say that clear goals and expectations help them do their best work. And 90% agree that collaboration is key to producing good outcomes. As AI broadens who participates in the design process, structure isn’t a limitation – it’s an anchor.
In my own process, AI has come in most heavily during the define and ideate phases. I use it to synthesise research, briefs, and feedback quickly, and then to generate ideas based on that foundation.
The quality of what comes out, though, depends heavily on the quality of what goes in – the prompts, the framing, the context I bring. I currently use Claude for this (it replaced ChatGPT for me), and the difference in output quality when I’m precise about the problem versus vague is night and day.
I want a design process that still gives me creative agency and keeps the human at the centre, while using AI to work more efficiently. Structured, but not rigid. Fast, but not soulless. Here’s what that looks like for me right now – and I expect it to keep progressing:
In conclusion
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably feeling some version of what I’ve been feeling – a mix of uncertainty and quiet excitement about how AI is impacting your work. The creative industry is changing fast, and that’s genuinely scary. But I don’t think the answer is to resist the tools or to hand everything over to them either.
The designers who will matter are the ones who stay curious, protect their craft, and use AI to do more of what only they can do. The goal isn’t to compete with AI – it’s to be so distinctly, thoughtfully human that there’s no comparison to make.
This is me in the process of figuring that out. I’ll keep updating my process as I learn. If you’re on the same journey, I’d love to hear how you’re navigating it too!