We are a cross-functional team of two designers and two developers who have spent several months using Figma Make in a real client project.
At first, it felt like a breakthrough.
With just a few prompts, we generated highly polished concepts that looked “almost finished.” We quickly had multiple directions to discuss, and we were able to run user tests very early in the process. The developers could even start building directly from these outputs. It felt fast, efficient, and exciting.
But looking back, we realized something important:
We weren’t really designing.
We were generating.
The concepts lacked structure, consistency, and a coherent design system. What looked like high-fidelity solutions were, in reality, advanced wireframes without intentional design decisions behind them.
When an experienced UX/UI designer later joined the project, we had to step back and redesign everything from the ground up—this time focusing on components, systems, and deliberate choices.
In this talk, we will share:
- How AI-generated design accelerated our early phase—but also created hidden complexity later
- Why high-fidelity prototypes can mislead both teams and clients
- The challenge of evaluating “hundreds” of AI-generated ideas in a meaningful way
- How we reframed our workflow: from generating to actually designing
- When (and how) tools like Figma Make create real value in a product development process
We will also share concrete examples from user testing—including moments where users reacted strongly to visual familiarity (“It looks like Airbnb”) driven purely by prompts.
Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of:
- The difference between generating design and actually designing
- When AI tools like Figma Make are useful—and when they are risky
- How to avoid common pitfalls when introducing AI into real product workflows
- Practical strategies for balancing speed, exploration, and design quality
- How to manage expectations—both internally and with clients—when working with AI-generated prototypes
Ultimately, this talk is about regaining intentionality in design in a time where tools can move faster than our thinking.
