The Dawn of a New Era

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has penetrated almost every industry, and design is no exception. According to a report by McKinsey (2023), about 65% of organizations are regularly using generative AI, including design process support. But we are not just talking about supportive tools - we are witnessing the emergence of an entirely new model: AI-Native Designer.

This concept goes beyond merely using AI as a tool; it represents a new design mindset where AI is not an accessory but a core component in the creative process and decision-making. This transformation is radically reshaping traditional design models.

Design Models Are Being Deployed Faster and Wider

For decades, the design process has been shaped by models like Design Thinking (Stanford d.school) and Double Diamond (UK Design Council), with stages: research, ideation, prototyping, testing, and deployment.

The AI era does not make these models obsolete but is driving their evolution:

1. Deep acceleration: AI shortens the time for analysis, prototyping, and testing, but the intentional iterative nature and empathy remain at the core.

2. Expanded capabilities: AI processes insights from millions of data points and identifies patterns at scale, while the design framework provides methodology.

3. Enhanced abilities: AI is an assistant supporting designers, but it can also 'hallucinate', responding probabilistically or presenting vaguely. Judgment, understanding of cultural context, and strategic decision-making still belong to human expertise.

4. Large-scale personalization: Combining data-driven insights from AI with human-centered design creates experiences that are both profound and consistent - as proven by Spotify, Netflix, and Airbnb.

Don Norman, the father of user experience design, remarked:

Machine learning will usher in the golden age of design" by eliminating mundane tasks, allowing designers to focus on creativity

This is not the end of traditional models, but the next chapter - where AI becomes a powerful tool in the hands of designers who place humans at the center.

The New Role of Designers

In the rapidly evolving AI technology landscape, the role of designers is shifting from executors to strategic partners.

The tasks AI is taking over:

AI can now automate many previously time-consuming tasks:

• Quickly conduct desk research

• Rapidly create design systems

• Generate hundreds of interface variations from an initial wireframe.

• Quickly create icons and illustrations according to established style guidelines

• Rapidly test usability on each interface (of course, designers must verify it)

And countless other repetitive tasks, which are now handled in minutes instead of hours as before

Key areas we need to focus on:

Instead of sitting down to draw every tiny detail, designers are now shifting towards three key areas:

• Deeply engage in product strategy: Designers need to deeply understand business models, analyze user data at scale, and shape product vision aligned with market goals.

• Coordinating AI effectively: The value lies not in knowing how to use tools but in the ability to ask the right questions, establish the right context, and guide AI to produce results that fit the design intent.

• Judgment and refinement: Designers must evaluate AI outputs from an aesthetic perspective, user needs, brand value, and ethical considerations. This is something AI cannot do by itself.

Why integrating with AI is the most effective approach?

Cam Worboys, Head of Product Design at Cash App commented: "When everything can be done and everything begins to look the same, who will win? Those who know what should exist, not just what can exist."

The future belongs to designers with deep insights into their organizations. Not as mere "make it look good" individuals, but as strategic personnel who understand the business context, technical constraints, and overall enterprise goals.

Fully understanding the work environment, project context, real challenges, and business direction is the decisive differentiator between designers and AI. That is how you showcase your irreplaceable value.

AI is Redefining Value Creation

AI is transitioning from a supportive tool to a strategic assistant in the design process. It helps tackle problems from multiple angles, automates processes, creates more design variations, prototypes, and design systems faster - freeing up time for strategic and deep creative thinking.

Platforms like Figma AI, Relume, Stitch by Google, and numerous other separate AI agents for each design stage are requiring designers to understand how to "ask the right questions", shape - control output, and more importantly know when to use and not use AI.

The value of designers is no longer just in execution speed, but in the ability to coordinate between AI capabilities and human understanding to create truly meaningful impacts.
Here are some considerations you might take into account during the current AI surge.

Always Link Every Design Decision to Business Outcomes

Every small detail in design can create a big impact when scaled. During testing, you discover that 5% of users cannot find the "Continue" button. This number may sound small, but if your product has 250,000 users, that means 12,500 people are "stuck" - unable to continue using the service, not making purchases, and might leave permanently.

You need to think at the scale your business operates. Ask yourself:

• If users drop off midway, what does the company lose? (Advertising costs? Losing customers to competitors? Decreased conversion rates?)

• Why is the company investing in this project? (What benefits does it bring to the business and users? What are the development costs? What metrics defines success?)

• Why is this issue more important than others? (Why prioritize this issue? How does it impact business operations? Is this a root cause problem to address to prevent similar issues in the future?)

In summary: Don't just think "this design is prettier" or "this experience is better". Think "this design helps the company increase <xx>% conversion, equivalent to <xx> billion in quarterly revenue". That is the language that executives understand and appreciate.

Proactively Connect with Teams from the Start

When you first join a company or project, leverage the advantage of being new: you have the right to ask questions without being perceived as lacking expertise. In the first 90 days, the phrase "I’m new, I want to understand better" is the key to opening the door for deep conversations.

When you encounter obstacles or lack answers to business-related questions, don’t wait for formal meetings. Be proactive in setting up brief 15-minute conversations with:

• Technical leads to understand constraints and technological capabilities

• Product Owners to grasp priorities and product development roadmap thinking

• Sales and Customer Service teams to hear real issues and pain points

• Business Owners to understand cost structure and economic expectations from the project

Use AI with a Systemic Mindset Instead of Individual Outputs

As AI can produce a multitude of design options in a very short time, the role of a designer is no longer just about creating individual screens or assets. We need to focus on designing systems that guide AI to produce relevant outputs from the start — including rules about brand, UX principles, technical constraints, and quality standards.

Every design decision now not only affects one product but can influence hundreds or thousands of subsequent outputs. Instead of asking "Is this design usable right away?", an AI-Native Designer would ask "If I prompt AI with this logic to create different versions for future iterations, will the result still be beneficial for users and for the business?"

Learn to Present Designs with Data and Results

Stop presenting ideas with vague phrases like "this improves user experience."

Marina Krutchinsky from UX Mentor Diaries notes: "Saying your work is 'user-centered' is like saying your surgeon washed their hands before surgery. That is the minimum expectation, not a selling point."

Once you understand the business context behind your design decisions, start speaking in those terms. Focus on explaining why the problem occurred, not just what needs fixing.

Instead of: "This onboarding flow will be more intuitive."

Say: “Currently 68% of users drop off because they have to fill in too much information. If we simplify and auto-fill part of the data from user input, we can reduce the drop-off rate by about 25%.”

The journey to becoming a strategic partner doesn’t happen overnight. But by starting with these three steps - mapping decisions to business impact, building cross-functional relationships, and learning the language of impact - you will gradually shift from executor to shaper of product strategy.

Conclusion

At this point, design is no longer a race to see who can do it faster or who can create something prettier. The real value lies in your understanding of how the product operates within the overall business picture, and using design to directly impact that outcome. When you understand users, metrics, costs, and the pressures of each department within the company, you are no longer a "screen maker" — you become someone who helps the business make the right decisions.

When you operate as an integrated designer, you become invaluable because you:

• Prevent costly mistakes before they are built by understanding business constraints

• Identify opportunities others have missed by deeply understanding user behavior and business metrics

• Bridge the communication gap between technical teams and business

• Make decisions faster because you fully understand the context

Most importantly, you become irreplaceable by AI because your value does not lie in the products you create — but in the strategic thinking that informed those decisions.

The question isn’t whether you can create something beautiful.

But whether your business partners trust you when things go wrong.

References

1. McKinsey & Company. (2023). The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI's breakout year. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year

2. Navigating the Future of Design: Don Norman on UX, AI, and Design Leadership

3. Krutchinsky, M. (2025). You sound like you're selling cupcakes, not solving business problems. UX Mentor Diaries. https://uxmentor.substack.com/p/you-sound-like-youre-selling-cupcakes​

4. Worboys, C. (2025). What can be made, what should be made. Hatch Conference Keynote. https://www.hatchconference.com/speakers/cam-worboys + https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyOMQJUxQ28​​

5. State of AI in Design. (2025). State of AI in Design Report 2025. https://www.stateofaidesign.com/report​