Are robot designers coming to replace us?
The robots are coming for our jobs! Or at least it’s easy to think that as artificial intelligence (AI) continues make it its presence felt. Some designers may feel worried about the potential impact on our jobs. Many worry, that AI will:
- Replace human creativity and expertise: AI tools are able to assist in the design process by automatically generating designs, and even funtctional code based on input parameters and trained on years of best-in-class examples. Will human designers even be needed anymore?
- Reduce job opportunities: As AI tools become more advanced and capable, designers may worry that they will be replaced by AI and will lose job opportunities. If your job as a designer primarily consists of wireframing, you may be right to be worried.
- Take away control of the design process: With AI tools assisting in the design process, designers may worry that they will lose control and decision-making power in the design process. We tend to ascribe more knowledge to machines and won’t disagreeing with an AI-designed interface be a losing battle?
But this isn’t the first revolution…(A radically abbreviated history of UX tools)
We’ve been here before. When Squarespace and other no-code website editors came out in 2003, web-designers had fears of being replaced. Squarespace allowed users with little to no design experience to create professional-looking websites. This has made it easier for people to create their own websites, but it has not replaced the need for professional web designers.
We are now facing similar fears in the UX community. But even in UX our tooling has undergone a number of evolutions.
The early days — (ab)using other tools
In the early 2000s, UX designers used a variety of tools for their design work, such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, Axure, Omnigraffle, and Balsamiq. Some designers may have also used more traditional tools like pencil and paper for sketching out their ideas. Each designer has their own preferences, and the specific tools used can vary depending on the project and the individual’s personal style.
Many of these tools, however, were not specifically designed for UX design, which made it difficult to use them for this purpose. Additionally, many of these tools lacked features that were important for UX design, such as the ability to create vector graphics and support for responsive design, or pixel-snapping for UI design. As a result, designers had to work around these limitations, which could be time-consuming and frustrating.
Sketch — Pixel Snapping and Symbols
Sketch was specifically designed for UX design and introduced features such as vector editing, which allowed for more precise and scalable designs. It also introduced the concept of symbols, which allowed designers to easily reuse elements across different designs. This further streamlined the design process and allowed for faster iteration.
Figma — Real-time collaboration
More recently, Figma has entered the market and has quickly become a popular tool for UX design. Figma introduces the concept of real-time collaboration, allowing multiple designers to work on the same design at the same time. This not only improves efficiency, but also allows for more collaboration and feedback within the design process.
The advent of AI
As UX design tools continue to evolve, we are also seeing the integration of AI into these tools, such as UIzard, or Adobe Sensei. These tools are able to assist designers by automatically generating design alternatives based on input parameters. This not only saves time, but also allows for a wider range of design options to be explored.
So will designers be replaced by AI?
The evolution of UX design tools, from Photoshop to Figma, has greatly improved designer workflows and hasn’t replaced us, yet. It’s easy to be dazzled by shiny AI demos, and to have waitlist fomo for all the new things on Producthunt. However, it is important to note that AI is not a replacement for designers.
Change is coming
The integration of AI into UX design tools is expected to bring several changes to the field, including:
- Increased efficiency: AI tools are able to assist designers by automatically generating wireframes based on input parameters, or applying themes automagically, which can save time and improve efficiency.
- Enhanced focus on complex and creative tasks: With AI tools assisting in the design process, designers can focus on more complex and creative tasks, rather than spending time on repetitive and time-consuming tasks. This can enhance the designer’s role and allow them to be more efficient and effective in their work.
- More design options: AI tools are able to generate a wider range of design alternatives, which can allow designers to explore more options and find the best solution for a project. Designers will curate Interfaxes, not draw them.
What AI can’t do
AI will allow us to focus on more complex and creative tasks, rather than spending time on repetitive and time-consuming work. But there are several things that designers offer to UX design that AI cannot replace, including:
- Empathy and understanding of the user: Professional designers have the ability to empathize with the user and understand their needs and motivations, which is crucial in creating effective designs.
- Sense-making and communication skills: Designers have the ability to make sense of complex information and communicate it in a way that is intuitive and user-friendly.
- Unique perspective and expertise: Designers bring a unique perspective and understanding of the user to the design process, which cannot be replicated by AI. They also have the expertise and creativity to create unique and effective designs that cater to the specific needs of a project.
- Persuade and collaborate: Software is not created in a vacuum. Designers play a vital role in understanding business requirements and executing work in partnership with product management and engineering.
Overall, professional designers bring empathy, understanding, and sense-making to the design process, as well as a unique perspective and expertise, which are crucial in creating effective designs. AI can assist in the design process, but it cannot replace the human factors of design.
What now?
The advent of these AI tools is just another jump in the evolution of our tools. But it will change our work and our processes.
I for one look forward to some process enhancements, but also know where my true value lies and I will continue to invest in growing my uniquely human skills.
What hopes and fears do you associate with AI?
Let me know in the comments!
Do you also want to level up as a designer and grow in your uniquely human design skills? Then check out The Fountain Institute by Jeffrey Humble.
