📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
When Process Starts to Eclipse Creativity in Design
- UX strategist Noah Davis reflects on how modern design work has shifted toward systems, frameworks, and alignment, often leaving less room for hands-on making, exploration, and creative risk-taking.
- While design ops, tokens, and scalable systems bring real benefits, Davis suggests that over-optimization can produce work that’s consistent, but also sterile—and rarely surprising.
- His takeaway: “The best designers I know are quietly revolting. They sketch again. They prototype fast and dirty. They trust their instincts. They make weird stuff.”
Why Showing the Process Matters More Than Ever
- Writer Poppy Thaxter explores how audiences in the AI era are increasingly skeptical of polished outputs and are now looking for proof of human effort through sketches, drafts, behind-the-scenes videos, and candid case studies.
- Drawing parallels to the arts & crafts movement, she argues that visible process has become a new creative currency: brands and designers who show their workings build trust, show care for the work, and differentiate themselves from “slop.”
- “Showing the human elements…paves the way for new kinds of honesty. It creates opportunities for creatives to connect, learn, and empathise with one another, building a sense of community in a field often marked by competition or isolation.”
Hard Problems Are Still Hard (Even with AI)
- As Nikolas Klein reflects on seven years building prototyping tools at Figma, one thing becomes clear: AI can accelerate execution, but it doesn’t eliminate the hard parts of design—judgment, iteration, and deciding what to build and why. Tools change fast; the work of making things feel right does not.
- The story reframes AI not as a replacement for designers, but as a catalyst that raises the bar. When answers come faster, taste, systems thinking, and deep user understanding matter even more—because speed without discernment just gets you to the wrong solution sooner.
- If you want to learn how to work with AI without giving up craft or control, our AI for UX Design course is built for exactly this moment. It teaches designers how to use AI to amplify exploration, prototyping, and output, while staying firmly grounded in human judgment, ethics, and design intent. The next cohort launches February 13, 2026.
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
UX Academy grad Sasha Souki’s portfolio stands out for how seamlessly it connects personal story, craft, and product thinking. In Captain’s Log, she shows senior-level judgment by framing the business problem first, diagnosing UX issues through audits and research, rebuilding IA, and validating decisions with measurable usability gains, all while navigating real constraints like legacy branding, niche users, and platform limitations. Before Coffee is a quieter but equally thoughtful project that demonstrates her range: translating a local Brooklyn café’s chill vibe into a digital presence through research, brand strategy, and hands-on execution from UX to SEO. What makes Sasha’s work compelling is her transparency around tradeoffs and constraints, which positions her not just as a maker, but as a thoughtful designer who balances personality and impact.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
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- Desert X AlUla 2026
"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun." — Mary Lou Cook, artist and performer
🧪 FROM THE LAB
AI Prototyping Camp Launches Tuesday
AI Prototyping Camp kicks off in just a few days on Tuesday Jan. 27th. Built for designers, PMs, and builders, this innovative program focuses on turning prompts into polished, multi-screen prototypes using tools like Figma Make and Lovable. Over four live workshops, you’ll learn repeatable workflows and turn ideas into interactive flows. Enroll now.
If you’re thinking beyond prototyping, we’re offering a limited-time discount: enroll in AI Prototyping Camp + Vibe Coding Camp together and save $500. Vibe Coding Camp launches February 24 and picks up where AI Prototyping Camp leaves off, helping you ship fully functional, AI-powered apps. Bundle now and save.
Learn More About AI for the Lean Marketer
Last week we announced our newest program, AI for the Lean Marketer, a hands-on program uniquely built for marketers who want to cut through the AI noise and learn practical workflows they can implement now. This four-week workshop series focuses on how AI is already helping marketers clarify positioning, create brand-consistent visuals, improve search performance, and scale content without adding overhead.
Join our live informational webinar on January 27 at 12pm ET to get a walkthrough of the curriculum, hear about the thinking behind the program, and ask questions live.
