📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
ICYMI: 2026 AI in UX & Product Design Survey Report
- For the second year in a row, we surveyed UX and product designers to track how AI adoption is evolving—and what’s actually changing in real workflows.
- This year’s data (from 200+ designers) highlights where AI is delivering tangible value today (and where it isn’t yet), including shifts in tools, confidence, and perceived impact on speed and quality.
- One notable signal: designers remain broadly optimistic about AI’s future in their work, even as near-term expectations around productivity have become more measured.
Positive Friction Creates Better User Experiences
- UX writer Sandro Spano reframes friction as a design tool, not a flaw, arguing that the right speed bumps can interrupt autopilot behavior and help users make more mindful decisions (especially when stakes are high).
- Spano breaks down where positive friction works best: preventing irreversible mistakes (confirmation steps), supporting behavior change (wellbeing nudges), strengthening security (2FA), and even improving perceived wait times (loading states that give users something to do).
- “When designed well, [positive friction] makes us more mindful of our actions and gives us opportunities to learn.”
When Great Design is Pushed to the Sidelines
- Designer Dolphia unpacks a frustrating reality many designers know too well: even research-tested, universally-loved work gets deprioritized when decisions are made based on opinion and when design can’t clearly translate its impact into business terms.
- Drawing on decades of data, she shows that design’s value isn’t the problem—articulating it is. Without a shared language around metrics, outcomes, and ROI, design remains vulnerable during budget cuts, layoffs, and strategic debates.
- If you’re interested in changing this dynamic, Designlab’s Data-Driven Design course helps designers improve their ability to leverage data in the design process and speak persuasively in the language of business metrics. The next cohort launches January 16th.
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
Before transitioning into UX, Eric Karpich spent ten years managing large-scale email marketing campaigns for major automotive brands—developing a sharp instinct for what captures attention, what causes friction, and what keeps users coming back. That background now informs his approach to product design: clear, intuitive interfaces built with deep respect for user needs and behavior. In his LockerRoom project for UX Academy, Eric tackled a familiar problem—how adult league teams manage communication, attendance, and game logistics. Through user interviews, affinity mapping, and usability testing, he designed an end-to-end application that replaces chaotic group chats and spreadsheets with a streamlined, dark-mode experience built for busy team managers. Eric’s Sterling Farms Golf Course redesign further demonstrates his ability to modernize outdated digital experiences. By simplifying tee-time booking, adding online lesson scheduling, and improving price transparency, he transformed a cluttered website into a clean, user-friendly platform that meets modern user expectations. Across projects, Eric shows how careful iteration, clarity, and a human perspective can turn everyday frustrations into frictionless experiences.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- How to Measure the Impact of Features
- Google Launches Open Project for Agent-Driven Interfaces
- Why AI's Infinite Memory is a Problem
- The Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute is Archiving Subcultures
"Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It’s a mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda, and philosophy." — Erik Edigard, designer and professor
🧪 FROM THE LAB
Introducing: AI for the Lean Marketer
Designlab has always focused on helping designers build practical, career-relevant skills. As we’ve developed our AI programs, we’ve found that our approach—grounded in clear, actionable workflows rather than hype—applies just as well to adjacent disciplines. One of the most obvious next areas was marketing.
That led us to create AI for the Lean Marketer, a new four-week workshop series focused on practical, day-to-day marketing workflows where AI can make a real difference. The first cohort launches February 20, and we’re offering $250 off for this initial run. If it’s not for you, consider sharing it with a marketer friend or teammate who might find it useful.
AI Prototyping Camp Returns January 27th
The second cohort of our cutting-edge AI Prototyping Camp starts soon. Designed to help designers, PMs, and builders move faster from prompt to polished prototype, the four-week program offers hands-on training in turning AI-generated ideas into real, multi-screen designs using Figma Make and Lovable.
Across four live sessions, you’ll learn practical workflows for generating, refining, and critiquing AI-powered screens, then put it all into action during a one-day design sprint, where you’ll take a mini-project from concept to prototype at the speed of AI.
Curious to learn more? Join our live informational webinar Wednesday, January 21st at 12pm ET, where we’ll cover curriculum and format and answer questions in a live Q&A.
