📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT
How Wallapop Built a More Autonomous, Aligned Design Team
- Wallapop, a leading C2C marketplace, found that uncertainty around the design system and varying levels of Figma proficiency were slowing down designers and causing workflow inefficiencies.
- Through a customized Figma training, designers learned when to create vs. reuse components, improved versioning and collaboration practices, and gained the confidence to contribute more independently—leading to stronger ownership and cross-team alignment.
- Designlab team trainings help design and product teams align across tools and systems and build the capabilities to take their work to the next level. If you're interested in custom training for your team, connect with us to talk through your goals.
Design's Influence Is Expanding—Here's Why That Feels Hard
- Design’s influence is expanding—but so is the pressure. In this piece, Figma Head of Insights Andrew Hogan explores how AI is introducing new surfaces, workflows, and expectations that push designers far beyond traditional UI work.
- As Figma found in its recent State of the Designer survey, AI speeds things up…but also increases the workload. As teams move faster with AI, they’re also taking on more tasks, exploring more ideas, and operating across more domains, making design work broader and more demanding than ever.
- "Teams whose leaders protect craft, prioritize clarity, and support creative freedom are more optimistic about where the field is headed. Systems and standards, mentorship, and feedback loops all help design scale while boosting morale."
Design Process Isn't Dead, It’s Compressed
- In this article, NN/g UX specialists Sarah Gibbons and Huei-Hsin Wang push back on the idea recently put forth by Claude design lead Jenny Wen—that designers should throw out the traditional design process and trust their intuition.
- They argue that AI isn’t replacing process but simply compressing it. Faster prototyping and iteration mean designers can move from idea to testable output in hours, but the core steps still matter just as much.
- "What gets called 'intuition' is really process, compressed and internalized through years of doing the work. AI tools accelerate this compression further—and democratize it."
💜 PORTFOLIO INSPIRATION
UX Academy graduate Shivangi Gupta brings a human touch to her design work shaped by seven years as a pastry chef, where precision, creativity, and storytelling were part of her daily craft. That background carries through in projects like TiriVelo, her Client Capstone, where she helped transform a fragmented pet-care experience into a cohesive, trustworthy platform through improved flows and a scalable design system. Another project, BakeFit, is a goal-based baking app designed for the messy reality of real kitchens, complete with smart recipe organization and an accessible “BakeMode.” Across her work, Shivangi blends empathy with systems thinking, creating experiences that are thoughtful, intuitive, and a little magical.
Got a portfolio you love that you’d like to share with our audience? Email your suggestions to hello@designlab.com.
💡 INTERESTING STUFF...
- Designlab Instructor Chrissy Welsh to Speak at AI Salon
- How AI is Rewriting the UI Design Playbook (and How It’s Not)
- How to Get Your Work Noticed by Big Brands
- Figma Makeathon Winners
Design is the art of planning, and it is the art of making things possible. — Paula Scher, graphic designer
🧪 FROM THE LAB
Last Chance to Join AI Prototyping Camp
AI Prototyping Camp launches tomorrow, March 21st. If you're interested in getting hands-on with leading AI prototyping tools and leveling up how you collaborate, it's not too late to grab a seat in the cohort.
Applications Still Open for UI Mastery Certification
The next cohort of UI Mastery Certification starts April 10th. An 8-week advanced UI program, UI Mastery focuses on deepening your design perspective and elevating your craft through weekly studio sessions, hands-on projects, and personalized guidance from our Designlab Design Fellows (our most senior mentors).
Apply now, or to learn more, join our live informational webinar on Wednesday, 4/1 at 12pm ET.
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