Good designers didn't get less relevant because of AI. They got more valuable.
💩 The shitty products are just arriving faster now. Weeee!!!
You can build a product in a week that would have taken six months three years ago. The plumber you're building it for will still put it in his pocket after eight seconds.
Four months of design work. Eight seconds. Phone back in his pocket.
AI didn't do that. YOU did. You shipped before anyone had actually watched a real user try it. This has been going on since there were smart phones.
AI removed the time excuse. The cost excuse. The "we need more resources" excuse. Products still suck!
What's left standing between a product that works and one that doesn't? Knowing the person on the other end. Actually knowing them. Not a persona document. Not an NPS score. Not a "This is how our users use our product trust me bro." document written by [insert HiPPO role].
The nurse on hour eleven of her shift, or the plumber with work gloves still on, trying to tap a screen nobody tested with gloves. They didn't file a bug report. They just stopped.
The designer in that room should know. And if they don't speak, ask them! (or replace them). If they did speak up and the room moved on, then the nurse already gave you her feedback. She just did it by putting her phone in her pocket.
Speed was never the bottleneck. It still isn't!
