#9 The thing that slowed me down as a designer - and that might be slowing you down too

On AI and Design Thinking

I’ve discussed with a ux student recently who was feeling quite distressed about going into a field that is being, in their point of view, “overtaken by AI“. They told me: “I don’t know if and what future the designers’ roles will have”

While I understand that AI is what everyone is talking about these days and that the “robots will take our jobs” narrative is everywhere (because clickbait) and can feel scary, I think that the student’s reasoning is flawed from the start for two main reasons which I would like to talk about today.

1) A UX designer’s job is not about tasks, it’s about goals 

Photo by Sebastien Bonneval on Unsplash

Those who are not designers might see design as something like:

Boss: I need a new website for our business

Designer: *creates the website* 

This is an over-exaggeration of course but the gist is that the designer focuses on HOW to complete the task, but the WHAT is full pertinence of the stakeholder/manager.

However, truly impactful design work is about reaching the desired goal rather than completing a task.

If we take the previous example, this is how the conversation might go:

Boss: I need a new website for our business

Designer: Why do you personally feel like the business needs a new website? Have sales slowed down? Have visitors declined? Etc.

The aim here is to question the nature of the task itself, not to undermine the stakeholder but to get to the core of the issue so that the designer can suggest the best course of action in that particular situation. This is because oftentimes stakeholders and customers will come to us with a solution, so we need to understand the underlying problem to help them in the best way we can (more on this topic in my older post). By not applying the Design Thinking mindset in your daily practice, you are therefore missing on helping generate true impact for the business. 

Of course, this is all easier said than done. When I first started with my first solo UX designer job, I was denied interviews with users or even the setting up of basic analytics. I wasn’t involved in many decisions regarding the product I was helping to build - and all that was (also) due to poor UX maturity in that particular enterprise. As a result, after a while, I ended up only executing tasks instead of using my Design Thinking skills properly until I switched jobs and was able to reflect on my design process. So, if you find yourself with all of the weight on your shoulders as a solo designer in a company with a low UX maturity level, don’t beat yourself up.

But going back to the AI matter: AI is a tool that can complete a task given by humans (though at the moment not always perfectly, which is why human supervision is essential), but it can’t question whether the task is worth doing in the first place. It can suggest a strategy if directly asked, but it’s up to us designers to do a deep dive into the nature of the business, the user’s needs, as well as the current state of the product to suggest what is the best thing to do in a given moment. AI does NOT have the full picture better than you do.

 2) AI cannot fully substitute a UX/Product designer 

AI can help get the busy work done faster.

It can be a powerful aid in getting unstuck when facing a blank page or canvas. 

It can suggest activities or point out basic UX mistakes. 

But these are all single activities in a much broader job.

Plus, AI

• Is biased, for example when it comes to gender

• Has sometimes dubious or non-existent sources to back up its claims 

• Doesn’t know quality - unless we train it to recognize it 

So if you are a designer with a good knowledge of strategy, UX principles as well as UI patterns, and graphic design principles, the chances are AI can help you speed up your work, rather than steal it.

Photo by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash

If in the future you see employers or clients choosing AI tools over UX designers, it will be because they don’t see the value in UX itself. They are the same ones that nowadays would rather build something themselves or with the least and cheapest labor possible - and trust me, they do it quite badly! 

If any of this resonates with you, in 2024 try to strengthen your design thinking mindset and learn how to make AI your ally. It will help you go a long way, I’m sure of it.

~ Maria