How long will it take for AI to replace creatives, especially designers? Artificial intelligence is changing the way we approach design. Actually, it is changing the way we approach every form of creativity, although there’s the argument that some things cannot be replaced.
However, in my experience, the biggest beneficiaries of any trend or new technology are mostly determined by adaptation speed.
Those who get in early stand to gain the most. (yes it does sound like a pyramid scheme lol)
Although ChatGPT and digital art are pretty much everywhere, and there is tons of content on how to improve your writing skills with AI, how can other creatives get in on this?Â
Was this written by AI? 🙃
There are videos regarding AIs that could produce editable UI designs for platforms like Figma, and although it does save a little time, it still requires a fairly high amount of editing, depending on your requirements.
So what makes it different from an everyday Figma template?
Let’s do a deep dive into the practical AI innovations currently happening around us in design.
Why? To boost awareness and understanding, which will inevitably jumpstart creativity.
So, from personalized recommendations to automation and predictive analytics, we’ll explore the many ways AI is enhancing the design process and improving user experiences.
Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve design in several ways. Some of them include:
- Personalization
- Automation
- Predictive analysis
- Prototyping
- Image and text recognition
- Accessibility
Personalization: AI algorithms can analyze user data to provide personalized design solutions. For example, an AI-powered e-commerce website can recommend products based on a user’s browsing and purchase history. I have never been a big fan of data collection, and it bothers me a lot but hey, unless you are moving into a cave with no electronics and social life, all the data is out there anyway.
So is it more practical to just focus on the amount of information we let out, or fight the machines? I don’t know. 🤷â€â™‚ï¸ Different topic.
Spotify uses AI algorithms to recommend personalized playlists and songs to its users based on their listening history and preferences. And this is great because soon, AI might know us more than we know ourselves so getting good music in return is a small win.
Automation: AI can automate repetitive design tasks such as resizing images, creating layout templates, or generating color schemes for your projects. This can save designers time and increase productivity.
Canva is a graphic design platform that uses an AI called ‘Magic’ to automate repetitive tasks such as resizing images, suggesting color palettes, and recommending fonts.
Now this is the type of task that some might perceive as more practical and useful. The AI includes Magic Design, which allows you to create personalized design templates from an image or style, Magic Presentation, which can create slideshow style presentations from a prompt, and Magic Write, a copywriting tool.
Canva users can also use its AI software to identify places in images to add or remove elements with a couple of clicks, as well as for translation into additional languages.
Platforms like Canva and Adobe are using AI to automate tasks such as resizing images, suggesting color palettes, and recommending fonts. This not only saves designers time but also increases their productivity and allows them to focus on more creative aspects of the design process.
Really great stuff.
Predictive Analytics: AI can also analyze user behavior data to identify trends and predict future design trends. This is useful if you are a designer or part of a marketing team because this information can be used to create products that will be more appealing to users.
Adobe Sensei is an AI-powered tool that uses predictive analytics to identify popular design trends and make design suggestions to its users. It predicts customer behavior based on attributes, differences, and conversion factors and delivers one-to-one customer experiences at scale.
Adobe says it can Organize and manage assets for better ROI by Engaging audiences with custom offers, subject lines, and delivery timing, and also Choose the best-performing experience to achieve your goals.
This is obviously very useful for ecommerce as well as other services that require staying up-to-date with the latest trends in order to create products that resonate with a target audience.
Prototyping: AI can generate design prototypes quickly and efficiently, which makes the testing and iteration process much faster
An example is Mockplus, which uses AI algorithms to analyze the design and suggest improvements to the layout and interactions. It also has a built-in design library and allows designers to create interactive prototypes that can be tested on different devices and screen sizes.
Designers can then test these prototypes with users and make changes based on their feedback. This helps reduce the time and resources needed to create a working prototype and can speed up your overall design process.
While AI-powered prototyping tools can be helpful, it’s important to note that they are not a replacement for human creativity and design expertise. AI can assist with certain tasks, but ultimately, it’s up to the designer to use their judgment and creativity to create effective and engaging user interfaces.
Image and Text Recognition: Another way AI is improving design is through image and text recognition. AI can recognize and categorize images and text, making it easier for designers to search for specific assets and streamline their workflow.
The library of stock images on Unsplash are categorized by AI, with the goal of making it easier for designers to find the images they need.
Does this work all the time? 😶
Accessibility: AI can help designers create more accessible designs by analyzing user behavior data to identify common accessibility issues and providing design solutions to address them.
It can also be integrated with other tech such as augmented reality to help make design experiences more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of users.
Designers and developers can create products that are more engaging, interactive, and easy to understand for everyone. Microsoft PowerPoint uses AI to analyze the accessibility of slide designs and suggest improvements such as adding alternative text to images or improving color contrast.
Voice recognition software, such as Google Voice or Apple’s Siri, use AI to help people with disabilities to interact with technology by controlling their devices or access information through voice commands
Wayfindr is an app that uses AI to help visually impaired people navigate public spaces. The app uses Bluetooth beacons placed in the environment to provide audio directions and information to users, helping them find their way around independently.
And there are AI-powered chatbots that use natural language processing to understand and respond to customer inquiries. These chatbots can also be designed to accommodate users with disabilities, such as providing text-to-speech or keyboard shortcuts for users who cannot use a mouse. They are currently being used by organizations such as Bank of America and Capital One.
These are just a few examples of how AI is being used to improve design. It will only get better as the technology continues to evolve. The best strategy, in my opinion, is to understand how to use it to improve productivity, offer insightful information, and create more individualized and accessible products.
There is no doubt that AI is changing the game. While there are concerns about its role in the design industry and its potential impact on job security, this is an opportunity for creatives to leverage on.
Dive in, study, and experiment on how to improve the way we create and experience design.
All the best
George