Our Predictions about the Design Practice

Faster and More Accessible Creation

AI tools are accelerating and broadening the creative process, making design more accessible to the general public. This represents a significant shift from a previous era dominated by complex, difficult-to-learn software. Lightweight tools developed by small startups are becoming increasingly effective, offering numerous alternatives to expensive, traditional solutions. Additionally, AI tools are democratizing access to creative work, enabling more people to participate in the design process.

Emergence of AI Design Tools

The market will see the emergence of hundreds of AI design tools spanning various domains, including image, video, 3D, and sound production. These tools are continuously improving, generating more realistic videos and images, accurate 3D models, and beautiful music and voices. As domain-specific training advances, users will gain greater control over the creation of digital assets. For example, image generation tools trained on urban planning concepts will more effectively translate specialized terminology into meaningful visuals. AI design tools significantly shorten extremely time-consuming design tasks. AI design tools not only allow designers to produce specific outcomes but also inspire them by enabling the creation of multiple iterations in a short amount of time.

Flow-Based AI Design Tools

AI-powered tools emphasizing flow-based design processes are significantly enhancing creative workflows. These tools will integrate multiple AI capabilities to execute complex processes seamlessly. Instead of creating process or one asset at a time, designers will create flows—sequential, interconnected processes linking various AI models and tasks. For instance, a user might start with a hand-drawn sketch and a text prompt connected to a model trained in their preferred architectural style. From this, the flow would automatically generate a 2D image and a 3D model.

AI Agent-Based Automation Tools

AI-driven tools that automate workflows through intelligent agents will become more prevalent. These tools will streamline repetitive tasks and enhance efficiency across many industries, including the design field, reducing manual overhead and freeing up designers for more conceptual, strategic work. Unlike conventional AI text chats that respond to isolated prompts, intelligent agents operate as autonomous entities designed to manage interconnected tasks. They proactively analyze workflows, make decisions based on contextual data, and execute tasks without requiring continuous user input. Agentic workflows thus enable a more dynamic and integrated approach, allowing users to focus on high-level decision-making and creative inputs while agents handle operational intricacies and adapt to evolving project needs.

AI Assistants

AI assistants, fine-tuned with individuals’ or teams’ data—files, chats, workflows, and calendars—will guide processes, streamline creation, and enhance productivity by providing tailored suggestions. These systems will align work with personal interests and strengths. They will integrate with daily life, for example, allowing users to save ideas via voice commands and linking these notes directly into second brain tools like Notion. By asking contextual questions, these assistants will help extract the essence of ideas. These AI assistants will gradually shape habits and guide users according to their personal intentions. AI agent-based automation tools will also extend to every aspect of a designer’s life, such as scheduling, note-taking, prioritizing tasks, suggesting events, and adjusting workloads. By connecting to various data sources—files, “second brain” tools like Notion, voice communications, and more—AI agents will create an increasingly seamless transition between one’s day-to-day life and their creative process.

AI will facilitate:

• The creative process itself (Initially by connecting AI tools through automation and workflow tools, and later through AI agent-based flow tools).

• The relationship with the self (By integrating with personal notes, diaries, and second-brain tools).

• Human-to-human collaboration (By facilitating real-time communication and leveraging each individual's second-brain databases).

• The relationship between the individual and the creative process (By bridging personal and social learnings with creative design work).

Focus on Speed, Iteration, and Flow

Design workflows increasingly prioritize speed, ease of use, and iterative idea development. Tools that minimize disruptions to the flow state will provide a smoother and more efficient creative experience. Designers will be able to quickly design, prototype, test, and refine concepts, resulting in a fluid and continuous workflow that maintains a low and stable cognitive load.

Every action and eye movement matters, both within and between design applications. While UX design and customer journeys have gained popularity for reducing friction in popular software and mobile apps, general operating systems, file managers, browser tabs, and design software still introduce significant friction. The process of switching between these tools, in particular, creates interruptions that hinder creativity. Over time, these frictions will gradually diminish, leading to a seamless experience that sustains and enhances the flow state.

Design experience will become increasingly important for design companies

Design experience—the flow of designers, collaboration dynamics, and the level of enjoyment in the creative and discovery process—will become increasingly important compared to a product-focused approach. This shift encourages companies to adopt a more holistic approach to their teams' design processes.

The Growing Challenge of Simultaneous Design Projects

In addition to professional tasks, designers will increasingly seek environments that support personal development and R&D efforts, fostering a seamless, holistic workflow. As economic and technical barriers to fabrication and production continue to fall, the market is witnessing a surge in design projects, with more designers simultaneously tackling multiple endeavors. This evolution calls for a broader, unified interface to manage projects efficiently, minimizing the need for constant context switching.

In this multi-project landscape, designers will adopt tools and methods that allow them to transfer knowledge and resources across projects, often both intentionally and unconsciously. These could include elements such as 3D scenes, rendering settings, furniture designs, connection details, marketing strategies, AI prompts, and workflow processes. By leveraging shared insights and resources, designers can enhance productivity, creativity, and innovation across their growing portfolio of projects.

Shift to Browser-Based and Cloud-Run Design Apps

Design tools will increasingly transition to browser-based platforms, reducing reliance on locally installed applications. Cloud-run apps will remove the need for powerful local hardware by running complex processes remotely, similar to services like GeForce NOW and Xbox Cloud Gaming. This shift will lower the barriers to entry, making advanced design capabilities more accessible on a wide range of devices.

Using Real-Time Tools During the Design Process

Tools such as Unreal Engine will enable designers to experience their work in real-time, immersive environments. Interacting directly with designs, rather than relying solely on 2D representations, allows designers to make more informed decisions and improve outcomes through realistic simulations. The integration of XR (Extended Reality), Spatial Computing, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and eventually Mixed Reality (MR) will support this.

Rise of Second Brain Tools + AI

Platforms like Notion and Obsidian are gaining popularity for helping users organize their minds, goals, ideas, and desires. These “second brain” tools improve clarity, productivity, and overall mental organization. As AI integrates with these platforms, users will be able to converse with their notes, refine ideas through natural language interactions, and manage information more effectively. Traditional and AI-powered search functions will evolve to identify not only text but also 3D geometries, video content, and other complex data types, improving navigation and understanding of creative workflows.

Redefining the Role of Designers

AI design tools will reshape the role of designers. Instead of spending countless hours on tasks like geometry, texturing, and scene production, designers will focus on orchestrating tools, curating ideas, and using their judgment to make critical decisions. Human intuition, life experience, and the ability to conceptualize and foster connections—particularly in business contexts—will grow in importance. As digital creation becomes easier, the bottleneck shifts to real-world execution. Designers will serve as orchestrators, bridging digital and social systems. Skills like big-picture thinking, pattern recognition, and maintaining a holistic perspective will become highly valued.

Human Intuition Syncing with AI Possibilities

Human intuition will increasingly align with AI capabilities. People will ask better questions and leverage the multimodal nature of AI—such as text-to-image, image-to-3D, and back to text. Historically, bottlenecks stemmed from software speed, complexity, and usability. As these limitations fade, the main challenges will relate to human cognition: attention span, problem conceptualization, workflow identification, and strategic integration of teamwork and automation.

Shift from Creating Objects to Creating Systems

Creators will shift their focus from producing individual items to developing interconnected systems. Automation tools and integration with multiple applications will become more widespread, fostering a holistic approach to work and creation. Over time, systems will become more automated, requiring minimal direct human coordination. Holistic tools that unify systems, assets, and applications will emerge as preferred solutions. Designers will think in terms of agent-based systems, assigning tasks and functions to specialized AI agents.

Growing Importance of Visual Thinking and Visual Storytelling

The ability to visualize processes and ideas will become increasingly critical for design and problem-solving. With expanding production capabilities, designers will have more options to create live, procedural workflows that demand strong visual thinking. Emphasis will shift to understanding and representing the big picture. Representing complex ideas through storyboards, sketches, and diagrams will be essential to mapping, constructing, and communicating systems.

Better UX and Zoom-Based App Navigation

User experience will evolve to incorporate zoom-based navigation, enabling users to see both the big picture and the finer details within interconnected systems. Tools like Figma, Miro, and Obsidian demonstrate how complexity can be managed through visual clarity and meaningful relationships between elements. This approach will simplify navigation and enhance the user’s understanding of complex designs and workflows.