The peer pressure around AI in design is real.

If you’ve been paying attention to the design industry or the news you know that AI is inevitable and it’s here to stay. As a designer that cares about craft and the knowledge that comes from a hands-on process, it made me resistant to early adoption. But by taking my time to do research and learn about AI as a tool, I see the advancements it brings to the design workflow.

AI is a tool—a brainstorm collaborator, a production assistant, and a technical aid. My rule of thumb: AI can do it, but when it fails, I know exactly why and how to make up for that. That’s the standard I hold myself to before I hand anything off to a machine.

Here’s where I’ve incorporated AI into my workflow.

• Freeing up time for the decisions and critical thinking that actually require a human. Wireframing, hooking up working prototypes, and setting up tokens are part of the design process but they’re also tedious. AI can accelerate them, though it’s still important that you as an individual designer understand these skills and how to apply them.

• Documentation. Well-written documentation takes up a large portion of the design and hand-off process. Many of the concepts behind well-written documentation are standard across the industry and unless you are developing something completely new, using AI to accelerate that process is worth it. I’ve been using it to help find gaps in the QA process, edge cases that I might not have discovered on my own, and gaps in accessibility implementation notes.

• Iteration and pattern recognition. AI’s strength lies in analysis and spotting patterns across many variables quickly. In iterative design, that means I can get to a stronger decision much quicker, then refine the design using my own judgement. This way, I’m taking a step back to see the bigger picture and not get lost in the minutia.

• Where I’m keeping things human. Visual taste, brand tone/voice, and emotional resonance aren’t pattern recognition problems—they’re part of the craft of design. AI is great at knowing what exists, but falls short in determining what should exist. That gap is where design can thrive.

I might be a thoughtful adopter (rather than an early one) but I want to develop mastery of design skills first and then bring in AI as a tool—not a crutch.