There’s a clear distinction between fast fashion and couture—one is built for speed, scale and immediacy, while the other is rooted in intention, craftsmanship and detail. As AI rapidly reshapes the way we design, I’ve started to see a similar pattern emerging in UX. The question is no longer just how fast we can create—but what kind of design we’re actually producing.
Recently, I noticed a pattern in myself. Every time I open LinkedIn and see other UX designers’ posts, I would end up feeling less confident and almost intimidated by my own craft. In a fast-paced world driven by technology and innovation, where AI dominates the conversation, it’s easy to wonder, “Will I ever catch up?”
Polished screens generated in seconds, instant “vibe” designs, presentable UI from a single prompt.
HOW??
I decided to find out for myself. I dove into the AI wave to understand where I actually stand in it. And here’s what I realized— I’m not behind. I’ve been using AI all along. What I needed wasn’t to catch up but to put things into perspective and understand how AI actually fits into my workflow as a designer. AI didn’t change what good design is, it helped us explore at faster speed for scale up and immediacy.
My Workflow with AI
Research & Exploration
In a recent UX project, our team was tasked with creating an EdTech platform for employees. The goal was to create something that would help them develop skills based on a personality test. We were given a few reference platforms and from there, we had to build everything from concept, direction, iterations, and ultimately, a working prototype. That’s where AI became invaluable.
Tools like ChatGPT (alongside in-house AI tools) acted as a thinking partner by:
- Generating user personas
- Mapping user flows
- Simplifying complex ideas
- Running comparative analyses across similar platforms
What would take days of research was accelerated into something manageable within a sprint timeline. AI didn’t replace our thinking, it expanded it. It helped us answer questions faster.
Inspiration
When it came time to visualizing the user interface, AI played a different role. Not as the designer—but as a source of style direction. I explored tools like Figma (AI features), MidJourney, WordPress, Canva, and Uizard and other plug-ins available.
One of my favorites to use is actually Canva for inspirational purposes, mostly because it's range of AI generated images. To populate screens is easy, intuitive and Canva gets it. Uizard, on the other hand, is great for quickly laying out screens using ready-made components like cards, icons, and templates.
Given all that, how I use AI depends on the project objectives.
- For presentations or early-stage concepts: AI helps generate multiple “vibe directions” quickly. Vibe design made easy.
- For structured products or projects with a clearer vision: AI is helpful in the mid-high fidelity stages for style guides, color themes, UI elements.
AI is great at showing possibilities, but not at choosing the right one. That’s where design thinking takes over.
Figma for Application
With all the AI hurrah, my realization is that AI doesn’t replace the thinking behind design. From experience, I still do believe that the human component still plays a big role in UX decision making and for overall context. AI amplifies and strengthens concepts but it still needs critical thinking when integrating visual design to the overall information architecture.
I still find satisfaction in being able to use the Figma canvas to draft wireframes and use it as a concept board. There’s better control when working with grids, refining visual hierarchy, alignment and spacing and creating overall consistency across components. It’s kind of like using Canva vs. Illustrator or an AI Room Generator vs. CAD for interiors, from my past experiences, all amazing tools but serve different purposes.
I experienced this firsthand as a UX designer when cleaning up client-provided designs where adjusting spacing, refining typography, and standardizing elements were needed to make everything dev-ready. AI can generate a screen. But a designer makes it usable, scalable, and real.
What I’ve Learned
AI makes some things easier:
- Website visuals
- Quick concept generation
- Presentation-ready screens (vibe design)
But the designer still leads when when it comes to:
- Information architecture
- Complex user flows
- Scalable design systemsDeveloper handoff
Final Thoughts
Linkedin posts could get intimidating and overwhelming, it could leave one to question present skills BUT I’ve also learned to use it as tool to challenge myself. To push and test my abilities.
People have different ways of doing things and using tools that work best for them. What matters is how the tools and AI can work harmoniously in any given scenario to solve a problem.
The real value isn’t the speed sometimes but how well a problem is solved. AI can speed up the process. But clarity, intention, and good design thinking—that still involves human touch.
Maybe the goal isn’t to choose between fast fashion and couture but to understand where each has its place. AI allows us to design faster than ever before, but meaningful design still asks for intention, clarity, and care.
And just maybe, that’s where we, as designers, continue to bring the most value. It's not in how quickly we create, but in how thoughtfully we shape what gets created.