Designer?
The AI-induced identity crisis.
The role of design is changing. I think our titles may change too.
This isn’t new, though. Over the course of my career, I’ve been a graphic designer, UI designer, product designer, and designer. Our titles change with the moment and era we are in as professionals. We should be used to it by now.
So that raises the question: what is that title for this new AI-first era?
I’ve been trying to brainstorm for the past few weeks what it could be. Is it Product maker? Product builder? Creative AI director? Forward deployed designer? I don’t really love any of those.
It’s not lost on me that many of those don’t say “design”.
My work and process look different now. I vibe code things I used to spend hours fidgeting with in Figma. Pre-AI Casey had a love/hate relationship with those hours. My tinkerer brain loved to be able to riff and tweak until something felt good. Other times, I would agonize over it. The OCD and ADHD would be on each shoulder pushing and pulling me along. And there was always a ticking clock to ship something. Sometimes the pressure felt good. Sometimes it felt agonizing.
Today, AI does some of the parts I used to agonize over. I catch myself wondering if I’m cheating and start thinking am I even designing anymore?
But I’ve started to realize that was never really the job. The job was always about the decision, and the conviction behind it. Knowing what was right for the customer. Making the call on what works and what doesn’t. What stays or goes. How it feels.
I’m still doing that. And I don’t intend to hand that over to AI.
I just have some superpowers that help me iterate faster, get unstuck, fine tune, and do a ton of menial work. It’s a tool, collaborator, and thought partner. Not a proxy designer or replacement.
Even though the tools have changed, we are still designing and still building.
So for now, I’ve decided to keep the title I’ve had all along: Designer.
Proof of human: Human Written, according to Pangram 4.1.