📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
How is AI Shaping UX and Product Design? We Want Your Input.
- Designlab is launching its second annual AI in UX and Product Design survey to track how AI continues to evolve the field of UX/ product design. A lot continues to change, and we’re eager to see how these changes are impacting designers’ day-to-day work.
- If you’re a UX/UI or product designer, we want to hear from you! As a thank you for sharing your perspective, you’ll get priority access to the full report and be entered to win a $200 Amazon gift card. Take the survey.
Why Internal Tools Are a Powerful Lever for Customer Impact
- Product designer Jake Rich makes the case that internal products deserve the same strategic attention as customer-facing ones—not because they’re nice-to-have, but because they directly shape the end-user experience. He shows how strengthening internal workflows creates downstream value.
- By reframing internal design as a “win-win-win,” Rich argues, internal designers can clarify priorities and connect their work from internal teams to customer outcomes, to the business as a whole.
- “If consumer products deliver customer value, internal products should enable it, putting in place the pieces that make the mission possible.”
How One Founder Used Figma Make to Save Local Farms
- When entrepreneur Aaron Veale learned that small farms in British Columbia were struggling to get by, he began speaking directly with growers and discovered a gap not in supply, but in visibility. Aaron turned to Figma Make and built Planet Food, a two-sided marketplace connecting farmers to top Vancouver restaurants.
- By prompting multi-screen flows, refining UI decisions through field feedback, and even integrating live inventory, Aaron created a functional marketplace without a full engineering team. “Figma Make allows founders like me to build the things we’ve always dreamed of building…thinking big is not the limitation anymore.”
- If you want to build ideas fast and learn the AI tools behind innovative product designs, join the next cohort of AI Prototyping Camp, launching January 27th, where you’ll learn to use Figma Make and Lovable to turn prompts into polished prototypes.
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
UX Academy graduate Brenna Healy brings a research-driven, human-centered approach to every project she touches. With roots in nonprofit education research, she’s spent years listening deeply to the people she designs for. This foundation now guides her toward creating thoughtful, intuitive experiences grounded in real user needs. In her Ravelry mobile app concept, Brenna reimagines a beloved platform for fiber artists by untangling accessibility issues, simplifying advanced search, and making community forums easier to navigate on mobile. Her responsive redesign for Greenpoint Floral Co. applies the same care: strengthening trust in the online ordering experience and crafting a cleaner, more emotionally resonant visual identity. Across her portfolio, Brenna blends empathy, clarity, and visual craft to create designs that support and celebrate the communities behind them.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- ChatGPT Redefines the Shopping Experience
- The Accessibility Problem with Authentication
- What It’s Like to Build Products in Regulated Industries
- Why Maturity Matters in Design
"Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated." — Paul Rand, graphic designer
🧪 FROM THE LAB
Unlock the Full Power of Figma in Your Design Practice
There's still time to sign up for our next Advanced Figma cohort, launching Friday, December 12th. This highly rated course is perfect for designers who already know Figma, but want to work with greater speed, clarity, and system-level thinking.
In just four weeks, you'll deepen your understanding of complex Figma functionalities such as auto layout, components, design systems, and more. Got holiday plans? No worries, there’s a built-in winter break from 12/22 to 1/5 so you can recharge without falling behind. Enroll now.
