10 Ways Generative AI is Changing the Game for Product Designers
As a product designer, I’ve always loved the challenge of solving problems in creative, user-focused ways. But let’s be real — there are some parts of the process that can be downright tedious. From staring down blank pages to hunting for just the right stock photo. We all hate these time-sucking repetitive boring tasks.
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For me, That’s where Generative AI comes in. I know many people think AI is taking over designers’ jobs but to be completely honest I belong to the group who think the designer who uses AI will take over Designers’ jobs.
That is why now besides a Figma and a Zeplin license I ask for a monthly AI budget.
Here’s how I’m bringing AI into my design process:
1. Client Onboarding: No more Questionnaire Template.
Getting started on a new project is so much smoother now. Every time I have a new client, Gemini helps me craft tailored questionnaires for clients, ensuring I get the crucial information for a strong understanding of their brand and project vision. With this deeper insight, those kickoff meetings become a breeze.
2. Idea Generation: Breaking the Blank Page Barrier
That “blinking cursor syndrome” can be a real drag. Using AI-powered tools like MidJounrey, Leonardo, or even Galileo, I simply provide a few keywords or a rough concept, and boom! It spins up numerous ideas to get the ball rolling.
And what I love the most are the variations. Instead of spending hours (and in some cases days) getting over that clean Blank Page, I test multiple ideas in minutes. sketch the good ones to keep and ignore the bad ones.
3. Generating Copy: Because Design Isn’t My Only Language
Most designers like me aren’t natural-born copywriters. Especially if English is your second language like me, you struggle to write professional copy. That is where Gemini gives me that extra boost in the writing department. I feed the tool my rough concepts, and it polishes them into a copy that’s tailored for the project — saving me time and brainpower.
4. Design Exploration: Expanding the Creative Universe
Gen AI has busted open the creative doors. Now, I’m not just thinking about a few variations; I can generate dozens in seconds. Not only does this give me more space to explore truly unique and effective design solutions, but it also gives me time to learn new skills.
5. Truly Understanding Users with Multiple Personas
I used to create 3 Personas for each project, that was my sweet spot. of course, Clients could pay for more but for me, 3 was the magic number when it came to User Personas. But now I go way beyond the standard 3-user persona limit. Now, I can create a wide range of highly detailed user personas, ensuring that my design decisions address the full spectrum of my target audience. (and no, I do not charge my clients for those personas.)
6. User-Centric Design: Generating for Every Need
It’s all about empathy. With Gen AI, I can create scenarios and use cases, and then get immediate visuals and mockups tailored to those specific needs. This keeps the user’s perspective at the forefront of my design process.
As a designer focused on FinTech and SaaS, it saves me and my client a lot of time. Imagine the time it takes to design and develop an iteration, then launch and test for a few months to get the result Gen-AI could give you in minutes. (Disclaimer: For this to be effective, you need to have enough experience in your niche because Gen-AI can also be wrong sometimes, and after all, you are the decision maker.)
7. Accessibility by Design
I am not gonna lie, I wanted to do Accessible Design since years ago but it was not always possible due to time and budget constraints, but now I make sure Accessibility is a key factor in my work because Generative AI can keep track of it from the earliest stages of design. It helps me analyze color contrasts and text readability, and even suggest alt text for images, ensuring that my designs are inclusive.
8. Market Research on Autopilot: Trends and Sentiment
Not only staying on top of trends is time-consuming, but sometimes as a designer, you know nothing about your client’s niche. For example, As a male designer User Needs for a Bikini E-Commerce website are a bit out of my scope but Gen AI helps me gather insights at lightning speed. Analyzing customer sentiment, competitor designs, and even market trends. I spend less time digging for data and more time applying it.
9. No More Mockup Explanations
Remember those times you had to walk clients through your wireframes, hoping those boxes and lines would magically translate into their vision?
That used to be the most exhausting part of any project for me, you could see the doubt in your client’s face and you knew it was only because they could not see the vision through those boring lines.
Well… Now, I can ditch endless stock photo searches and quickly generate images that perfectly fit my wireframes.
Not only has the transition from Wireframe to high-fi prototyping become simpler, with fewer Iterations, but I also got hired by my clients to do their Brand Photography as well!
10. Automation of Tedious Tasks: Time for the Big Ideas
Last but not least, Tedius Repetitive tasks. AI is taking over these mundane chores, freeing up my energy to focus on what I do best: innovative, human-centered design.
That is why besides Figma, Zeplin, and Hotjar, now every time I start a new position I ask for a Zapier subscription and a monthly AI budget.
The Future is Human + AI
These tools are incredibly powerful, but I want to make one thing crystal clear: AI is not here to replace designers, but it is a great collaborator.
