Although AI has practically permeated every layer of our work, when it comes to design, not all artists or designers are keen on incorporating AI into their work. However, with several AI design tools available, designers are beginning to experiment with them to improve their workflows in various ways.
Simplifying Tasks and Boosting Creative Output
For simple and repetitive tasks such as creating auto layouts, adjusting component variations, resizing images, and more, AI saves time by automating these actions.
Vaibhav Bhasin, head of design at Upstox, told AIM that designers use auto-layout to define component constraints and manage resizing. Now, AI enables anyone to convert components to auto-layout using one shortcut.
Bhasin further highlighted that design tools are becoming increasingly nuanced. New tools are emerging, like Jitter for motion design and Rive, for generating production-ready UI and graphics.
There are tools like Framer that let you build an entire website. Such tools have given people, who have no knowledge of design, a starting point to create something.
He added that designers do not always have time to go through all the research they have collated. So, in such cases, using Google’s NotebookLM, or any tool like ChatGPT, even with their privacy concerns, is a good way to condense information from the research, which previously took hours.
At Razorpay’s FTX 25 event, Akhil Joy, head of design at Zepto, highlighted that AI has helped do more with the same head count. According to him, AI has enabled designers to create more experiments at the highest quality.
In the same panel discussion, Deepa Bachu, UX director at Google, agreed that AI will remove all the grunt work that goes into the design process.
AI Helps With Designers’ Skill Gaps
According to Joy, his team members at Zepto use AI and other tools in different ways, sparking inspiration. People get inspired by each other’s output, which prompts them to improve their output and outdo the last idea.
When it comes to designing, there are many areas to work with. A single designer may not have the knowledge to do it all. In such situations, AI comes to the rescue.
Bhasin told AIM that AI design tools are democratising the skill set to a certain extent. Citing an example from his own experience as a product designer, he acknowledged that he’s not the best at motion design or illustration. In such cases, one can use tools like DALL·E, Midjourney, and others to develop something without having the technical knowledge for it.
He added that AI is useful for making sense of data from dashboards one may not entirely understand. With the right use of AI, one can make informed decisions even without a particular expertise.
He noted that one must also be very cognizant about where AI is needed, instead of force fitting it into everything.
The Human Mindset Remains Vital Even With AI
Bhasin believes that the mindset of a designer matters more than the hard skills, especially when a company is hiring its first designer.
Also at Razorpay’s FTX 25 event, Priyanka Kodikal, head of design at Dream Sports, explained that designers need to be curious, and have a forward-looking mindset.
Meanwhile, Bachu said that it is important for designers to have empathy to understand when communicating with their target users.
