What’s needed more than ever as AI takes over UX, UI, and PHP
It seems as if some types of digital skilled labor may soon be a thing of the past.
Every day, we hear about how artificial intelligence is handling more of what falls under the domain of experience design and development.
With more and more SaaS options — and now AI-generated code — the need for custom design and development solutions is rapidly shrinking.
Why build if you can buy?
As a designer who’s been around for awhile, I’ve been part of other earthquake-like shifts in how we work.
First we saw the advent of computers, making obsolete such things as stat cameras, typesetting machines, and lateral files, along with the jobs and floor space that went with them.
But new jobs also emerged. Soon we were retouching images onscreen, saving files to floppies, and learning how to use layers in Adobe Photoshop (yes, there was a time before layers - can you imagine!?).
We had big clunky machines and enormous monitors and we loved how it freed us up to work until midnight to the glow of a CRT screen instead of the glare of a hot task light.
Then another shift happened when laptops freed us from our desktop computers.
We were suddenly free to work from anywhere, but most of us were still chained to our desks. Whether because of the bossy boss or because of the many benefits of connecting with people in person, we still went into the office. And of course now we were free to take the office home with us.
At least that was true until the pandemic hit. When we were forced to collaborate from afar, we found we could do it quite well. In fact, many people thrived with the freedom and trust that emerged between teams and their leaders.
Now many design and development roles are again shifting in today’s job market, based in large part on corporate leadership’s forecasts that AI can improve outcomes while reducing labor costs.
The experience design roles that many of us have been in for years (and some folks have recently graduated into) may soon be a thing of the past.
Of course the spark of joy that comes from creating novel solutions and inspirational works of art will always reign supreme.
But that can only happen under the right kind of leadership, or at least the absence of destructive kinds of leadership.
Reducing team members to those who steer AI-driven experiences means that those people also need a seat at the table during decisions about strategy, direction, and priorities.
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As AI is poised take over many experience design-related roles, I will go out on a limb to predict one exception: User research will become even more mission-critical in the face of prompt-generated experiences.
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Just like some of us wax poetic about the days of paste-up boards, masking film, and X-Acto blade interactions, we may soon find ourselves looking back fondly upon when we used to design wireframes and build clickable prototypes.
Designers and artists are seeing their work emulated by AI with extraordinary results
UX design patterns are standardizing and design libraries are now generated on the fly
Code writing is accelerated with natural language prompts
Content creation and delivery for many companies will soon be served by hiring good prompt engineers, editors, and testers.
Positions are cast aside as fewer people are able to do more with less.
Still, one thing becomes glaringly obvious as we adapt to these new paradigms.
When teams get trimmed to core functions, it really matters what kind of person is leading the way.
My own experience with AI, so far…
I have found ChatGPT can sometimes help me express an idea faster and with less brainpower.
Starting with a concept, I can enter a few descriptive words to get back a several paragraphs with content to select from.
Like an external brain, this frees me up to think more creatively instead of spending time tactically assembling words to express an idea.
ChatGPT is still peripheral to my day, but it’s nice to know I have a little word-generator nearby if needed.
Leadership matters.
Bean counters can trim teams so that only the most adaptable and talented survive.
But if these digital leaders are given conflicting priorities or aren’t invited to the table when strategic direction is being defined, then we miss huge opportunities to leverage the most valuable asset a company has - the creativity and passion of its engaged team members.
These solutions won’t design and develop themselves, and the quality of the output depends upon the care and nurturing of those who craft and guide the input.
Experience design platforms will still need experts guiding the direction of user flows, interfaces, language, and integrations. Implementations will always need strategic and tactical leadership, and the best results come from fully engaged teams.
Engaged teams don’t just happen.
People who feel heard and trusted by empathetic and supportive leaders become inspired to show up for each other. They do their best work because they know it is appreciated, even if it ends up on the cutting room floor.
Engagement withers under authoritarian leadership. Autocratic leaders tend to limit input, usually out of insecurity. They alienate team members to avoid connection, preferring to use distance to keep others from seeing their flaws.
They don’t invite equal representation to the table because that may threaten their sense of authority. Most authoritarians would prefer to be the smartest person in the room. Asking others to share in defining solutions is scary since it invites vulnerability.
We can change the autocratic dynamic.
It is unlikely autocrats will change their behavior, but we can change whether they are in charge.
By promoting a leadership mindset that prioritizes connection, we can reduce the impact of authoritarian leaders. Over time, the learned behavior of the autocrats will be replaced by leadership based on compassion and caring.
By marginalizing autocratic leaders, we can open the landscape for more joy in the workplace, and less stress at home and in the community.
There’s lots of light shining these days on the horrifying effects of geopolitical authoritarians on innocent lives.
We need to start shining more light on how this behavior harms our wellbeing in the workplace, too.
Let’s change the things we can.
In case you stumbled on this article and are not in the field of user experience, here’s the scoop.
UX = User Experience
UI = User Interface
PHP = Scripting language used for front-end development
SaaS - Software-as-a-Service subscription-based solutions
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Photo by Anne Mitchell - storm clouds gathering over Mount Blanca, Colorado