When I think back to my first design job, prototyping was the part of the process that consumed most of my nights and weekends. I’d spend hours moving boxes around in Figma, tweaking flows, and stitching together clickable paths just to show how a single feature might behave.
Now, with AI entering the toolkit, that work looks completely different.
From Blank Canvas to Starting Point
AI isn’t replacing design, but it is replacing the blank page. Instead of staring at an empty frame, I can describe the flow I’m imagining — “a mobile checkout with three steps and an upsell modal” — and within seconds I get a working draft.
That draft isn’t perfect. But it gives me a head start. It’s easier to edit something that exists than to invent it from scratch, and that saves me time I can spend refining interaction details or testing variations with users.
The Judgment Layer
What AI can’t do — and probably won’t for a long time — is apply judgment. I’ve seen it spit out checkout flows that are technically “functional” but completely ignore accessibility, or recommendation screens that feel more like manipulative traps than user-centered guidance.
That’s where I come in. My job isn’t to rubber-stamp whatever the algorithm gives me. My job is to ask: Does this respect the user? Is it consistent with the brand? Does it actually solve the problem?
AI speeds up the “what if” stage. But I’m still responsible for the “should we?”
More Room for Exploration
One of the unexpected benefits of AI prototyping is that it encourages more exploration. Before, I might only mock up two or three variations because of time pressure. Now I can generate ten, keep the two that feel promising, and discard the rest.
This abundance means I can test more hypotheses earlier. It makes the design process less precious, more playful. Failure costs less — and that makes me bolder.
Collaboration in Real Time
Another shift is how AI is changing collaboration. Instead of waiting days for me to prepare a polished prototype, I can generate a draft in a meeting and invite feedback right away.
That immediacy helps stakeholders feel like co-creators, not just reviewers. It also shifts the conversation: we’re not debating whether my prototype is “finished” enough, we’re discussing the idea itself.
Where I Draw the Line
Still, I’m careful about how far I let AI into the process. When it comes to fine-tuning motion, writing microcopy, or designing error states, I want human intentionality. Those moments are where users feel whether a product respects them or not.
I don’t want to outsource that responsibility.
Looking Ahead
I don’t think AI is the future of prototyping. I think it’s the future of starting. It’s the fast-forward button that gets me to the interesting parts sooner.
But the craft — the empathy, the judgment, the care — that’s still on us. And honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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