Want to know how designers are really using AI—and where it's all headed? In this panel discussion, we unpack the key insights from Designlab’s latest survey report on AI in UX and product design. We break down what over 100 designers had to say about AI adoption, the challenges they're facing, and where they see AI reshaping their workflows in the next five years. Featuring insights from expert panelists, we discussed real-world use cases of AI, how it’s shaping the future of design, and some of our panelists' favorite tools and workflows.
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Prefer to read? Check out an overview of the event below based as the transcript, cleaned up with AI:
Welcome, everyone! We’re thrilled to have such a great group joining us today to talk about the evolving role of AI in UX and product design. I’m Cam, VP of Growth at Designlab, and I’ll be moderating today’s panel.
We’re joined by a stellar group of design leaders to discuss findings from a survey we ran earlier this year and explore how real designers are using AI in their day-to-day workflows.
Meet the Panelists
- Nanda Gopal – Principal Designer at a Dallas-based product studio. Nanda specializes in AI-first platforms and works closely with startups and enterprise clients like Baker Hughes and Skyflow. He’s also a Designlab mentor for the AI for Visual Design course.
- Stefan Turaclib – Product Design Lead at Electrolux with over a decade of experience. Based in Sweden, Stefan brings deep insight into design at global scale and is also a mentor with Designlab.
- Chrissy Welsh – VP of Experience at KPN and the course creator for our upcoming AI for UX Design course. Chrissy brings 20+ years of experience in fintech, healthtech, and AI-powered innovation, with previous roles at ING and Philips.
About the Survey
Earlier this year, we surveyed 120 working UX and product designers across a range of industries—from non-profits and startups to Fortune 500s. Our goal was to understand how designers are actually using AI, what's holding them back, and where the biggest opportunities lie.
How Designers Are Using AI Today
Our survey revealed:
- 90% of respondents are experimenting with AI, but only a small percentage have deeply integrated it:
- Just 10% say AI is extensively integrated into their workflow.
- Only 8% use AI in over 50% of their working hours.
Key Reasons for Limited Adoption:
- Enterprise restrictions: Tools like ChatGPT are often blocked by corporate IT.
- Lack of awareness: Many designers aren’t aware of the breadth of tools available.
- Unclear use cases: Some designers aren’t sure how AI fits into their specific workflow.
Panel Insights: Barriers and Breakthroughs
Chrissy Welsh pointed out that corporate IT constraints are the biggest hurdle. At ING, she was able to experiment freely by using public or proxy data—never client data—and making a case to stakeholders by proving time-saving benefits.
Nanda Gopal added that a lack of tool awareness is another common challenge. At his company, they run internal experiments every few weeks to test new tools and share findings, building a collaborative learning loop.
Stefan Turaclib emphasized that prompt engineering remains a learning curve, but early wins—like using AI for quick translations or summarizing research—are great entry points.
Top AI Use Cases in UX Workflows
Survey respondents ranked the top use cases as:
- Content generation (UX writing, microcopy)
- User research and data analysis
- Visual asset generation
- Prototyping, journey mapping, and accessibility tools (less than 20%)
What's Missing?
Chrissy sees a major opportunity in AI-powered insight generation—uploading interview transcripts and asking the AI for themes, gaps, or questions you haven’t thought to ask. It’s a fast track to richer research insights.
Nanda emphasized the need for a mindset shift: Designers must think of AI not as a tool to command, but as a creative partner to collaborate with.
Favorite AI Tools (Beyond ChatGPT)
Here are some non-ChatGPT tools our panelists swear by:
- Claude.ai: Great for brainstorming and visualizing ideas. Generates editable React components you can import into Figma.
- Galileo AI: Converts text prompts into high-fidelity UI mockups and flows. Pairs well with tools like Bolt.new for rapid prototyping to code.
- Notebook LM: Used for organizing and summarizing research into digestible podcasts or reports—perfect for stakeholder alignment.
Ethical Considerations & Data Privacy
The panelists universally agreed: You are the quality bar. AI output should always be reviewed and validated by a human expert.
Chrissy also stressed the importance of ethical audits: “Just like citing image sources, we should disclose when and where AI was used in our design process to protect user trust and brand integrity.”
Nanda's team developed documentation protocols to track and verify all AI-generated outputs before presenting to clients.
Common Concerns: Will AI Replace Designers?
Short answer: No—but the role is evolving.
AI can help generate ideas faster and automate repetitive tasks. But when it comes to quality, strategy, and user empathy, designers are irreplaceable. As Chrissy noted, we’ll likely see a rise in low-quality AI-generated products—which will only increase the demand for expert design leadership.
Real-World Examples of AI in Action
- Stefan: Created a custom GPT model to validate multi-language string lengths for UI testing.
- Chrissy: Uses meeting transcription and LLMs to instantly extract UX research insights.
- Nanda: During live design sprints, clients sketch ideas that are converted into functional UIs in real-time with AI tools like Creati.
Bonus: Emerging Tools to Explore
- Scholar GPT: Ideal for secondary research using academic papers and government data.
- Gamma.app: Generates presentation decks from prompts.
- Lovable & Wizard (UIzard): Build internal tools or design systems with minimal friction.
Final Thoughts: The Role of UX Designers in the Age of AI
AI isn't replacing designers—it’s transforming the way we work. Designers who embrace AI as a creative partner will not only speed up their process but also unlock new opportunities in strategic thinking, product development, and ethical leadership.
