AI is rapidly reshaping tech and design is no exception. Tools like Uizard, Lovable, and Google Stitch can now generate user interfaces from simple text prompts. Editors like Cursor are making it easier than ever for designers to move from concept to code with minimal friction.
These tools are raising the floor, making it faster to produce solid, usable designs. But they’re also quietly raising the bar.
When everyone can generate a decent layout in seconds, the organizations (and designers) who stand out will be the ones who can make the right calls regarding the details, the polish, the hierarchy, the feel.
Consequently, many design leaders are converging on the same message:
Craft, taste, and judgment are becoming the most valuable parts of the job.
What is Craft?
Across disciplines and eras—from artisans to novelists to modern digital designers—craft has always centered on mastery: the care, skill, and attentive process that transform raw effort into refined, meaningful work. As artist and MIT professor of computer science, Erik Demaine notes, craft is “the mastery of material and technique,” where countless small, deliberate actions culminate in something unique and resonant. Depending on your discipline, the specifics of those materials and techniques are going to be different, but the core idea remains.
In digital product design, too, craft is more than aesthetics—it’s about precision and thoughtful decision-making born of human experience, analysis, and iteration. It’s “sweating the small stuff” only in the eye of an experienced “craftsperson,” the small stuff isn’t small—it’s foundational. Of course, the idea or importance of craft isn’t new, but in today’s AI-augmented world, where pretty good design will be automated, craft is precisely what sets human-driven work apart and adds real value, both to organizations and end users..
“Taste is going to become a distinguishing factor in the age of AI.”
Former VP of Marketing at OpenAI, Krithika Shankarraman captured the importance of craft perfectly when she recently said: “Taste is going to become a distinguishing factor in the age of AI because there’s going to be so much drivel that is generated by AI… The companies that are going to distinguish themselves are the ones that show their craft.”
That sentiment isn’t just hype; it reflects a deeper shift. As AI makes it possible to produce polished layouts in seconds, it also causes those outputs to look familiar, often lacking uniqueness, nuance, or strategic clarity. Design craft becomes the filter and amplifier that transforms generic output into meaningful, differentiated user experiences.
On a recent podcast, YC partners shared comments from founders that highlight how this extends to engineering. This quote from Outlit founder Leo Paz perfectly encapsulated the idea: “Human taste is now more important than ever as codegen tools make everyone a 10× engineer.” While this is aimed at engineers, the principle applies to design: as AI eases execution, craft becomes the skill that defines excellence.
Late last year we held a private roundtable for design ops professionals and much of the conversation revolved around how AI was changing the design function and how designers could stay relevant. This quote from a design ops leader from a Fortune 100 company was particularly resonant: “Now more than ever, it’s imperative for us to care about two things: business outcomes and craft.”
How Can Designers Improve Their Craft?
If craft is becoming one of the most valuable differentiators in an AI-powered design landscape, the next question is: How do you actually develop it?
The answer isn’t a secret, but it does require a different mindset than simply learning more tools or speeding up execution.
1. Slow Down, Look Closely
In a world of fast prompts and instant layouts, slowing down is an act of skill. Great designers don’t just accept the first output, they interrogate it. They analyze spacing, hierarchy, rhythm, flow, friction points. They ask:
Does this feel right?
Why does this pattern work here?
Where can this interaction be refined?
Developing craft starts by observing and questioning the work at a much more granular level.
2. Design Reps, Not Just Design Projects
Repetition is key, but not mindless repetition. Deliberate practice: short, focused design exercises that target specific skills (like typography, layout balance, or micro-interactions) is one of the fastest ways to sharpen craft. Designing a case study end-to-end is valuable, but so is redesigning the same component five different ways. Great craft emerges from depth of iteration, not just breadth of projects.
This kind of focus on deliberate practice was a great inspiration behind our recent inclusion of the UI Accelerator into UX Academy.
3. Seek Out Feedback—And Learn to Love It
Craft grows through critique. It’s impossible to see all your blind spots on your own. Designers who improve fastest are those who put their work in front of thoughtful peers and mentors early and often—not waiting until they’ve “perfected” something.
Getting comfortable with feedback and actively seeking it is one of the most under-appreciated skills in design.
Designlab’s UI Mastery Certification program was specifically created following a “studio model” to allow experienced designers to get regular feedback related to craft and then iterate based on that feedback.
4. Analyze What Already Works
Designers can—and should—reverse engineer products that resonate with users.
Break down a screen from Linear, Duolingo, or Stripe and ask:
- How is hierarchy established?
- How does spacing support usability?
- What micro-interactions are shaping user trust?
You’ll start to improve your eye for design details and start to see structure, balance, and flaws that others miss.
5. Stay Curious, Stay Skeptical
Craft is not about endlessly polishing every pixel—it’s about building the judgment to know when details matter and when they don’t.
Be curious enough to question your defaults. Be skeptical enough not to trust the first answer AI gives you. Craft means making thoughtful, context-aware decisions, not blindly applying patterns or templates.
Final Thoughts
In a landscape where AI can spin up good designs in seconds, it’s not enough to execute. Designers who will flourish will be those who can slow down, sweat the details, iterate with intention, and build the judgment to know what makes great design feel effortless.
Craft was always essential. Now, it can be your edge.
If you’re ready to sharpen your eye, push your design judgment, and build portfolio-worthy work that goes beyond “good enough,” explore our advanced UI course, UI Mastery Certification.
It’s an eight-week studio-style program designed to help you practice, refine, and elevate your craft—week by week, with expert feedback.
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