6 tips for boosting your digital design process with AI

AI is revolutionising the tech industry, by automating and optimising the jobs usually done by humans. In fact, AI has the potential to boost labour productivity by up to 40% – and digital design is no exception.   

With AI-driven solutions, digital designers can not only save valuable time but also achieve more precise and consistent results. Using AI-tools is an excellent way to lower costs, optimise workflows, and improve efficiency.  

We’ve asked Elias Hauerslev Bendtsen, UX Designer at IMPACT Commerce, to share his insights on how AI can improve the digital design process.  

Based on these insights, we’ll uncover six ways in which digital designers can apply AI to optimise their workflows, automate manual tasks, and foster a better space for creativity – all while highlighting useful AI-powered programmes. 

AI can be very valuable when analysing user data and creating user personas to identify potential problem areas.  

“With tools such as Research AI, digital designers no longer need to go through data manually; instead, you can use AI to easily analyse large amounts of data. This helps to predict user behaviour and identify patterns in user data that might otherwise go unnoticed,” Elias says.  

Armed with this invaluable data, designers can make design decisions that are well-informed and rooted in actual user data.  

Most digital designers are, at some point, faced with tedious routine tasks such as localising designs and creating the same graphics in multiple languages.  

Using AI for this can be a massive time-saver. Tools like Adobe Sensei can scan the master version and produce real-time localised graphics. The only thing the designer must do is double-check the graphics, approve or reject, and if necessary, manually adjust them. 

In the same way as with placeholder texts, graphic AI tools like Dall-E and Midjourney can generate placeholder graphic elements from prompts in a split-second.  

“While the images may have some errors, they still serve their purpose in testing mockups by helping users to better visualise the final product of the design,” says Elias. 

In the future, AI image tools will undoubtedly become refined to an extent that graphics can be entirely created by AI.  

“For example, if you want a campaign with a specific theme, instead of spending a fortune on hiring a photographer, renting a location, hiring models and so forth, in the future, I believe that it will be possible to just use AI to generate the visuals” Elias says. 

While there are some ethical aspects to consider, the use of AI in generating visual material is immense.  

With several writing tools to choose from, such as, for example, Jasper, AI is quickly bridging the gap between design and content. Instead of creating mockups with ‘Lorem Ipsum’ placeholder texts, designers can now generate more realistic mockups with meaningful and audience-specific copy.  

“Copy and design goes hand in hand. When your design is combined with the right words and font, it can significantly impact the overall user experience – and how it is evaluated,” Elias emphasises. 

With AI-powered tools, digital designers can easily generate UI elements that align seamlessly with both user preferences and design principles. AI algorithms can facilitate rapid prototyping by automatically generating wireframes and mockups based on provided design briefs.  

Take, for example, the AI-powered design tool, Uizard, that can convert hand-drawn wireframes into mockups and even generate entire interactive UI designs based on text descriptions and specified styles – without any coding required.  

However, as Elias emphasises; “it’s important to note that designers play a pivotal role in infusing the designs with brand identity and emotional resonance – something that Uizard’s designs lack.” 

Another interesting Uizard-feature worth highlighting, is the so-called ‘Attention Heatmap’. This tool generates colorful heatmaps that show where people are likely to look the most in a design, helping designers understand which part of their design is most likely to catch people’s attention.  

“While this tool is helpful for testing designs quickly, it should not be used as a substitute for actual testing the design with the real users who will eventually use it. It’s important to still gather feedback from the actual target audience to decide on the design,” Elias emphasises. 

Tools like Axe AI and WAVE can also help designers ensure that their designs are accessible by automatically scanning designs and websites for accessibility issues and suggest improvements. 

Learn more about website accessibility in our recent article here.

Well, while AI can undoubtedly provide valuable assistance in the design process, it’s essential to be aware of its limitations.

Here are three rules of thumb that you should keep in mind to avoid pitfalls when navigating the use of AI. 

1. REMEMBER, THE FINAL DECISION IS UP TO YOU

Since AI technology is relatively new, it can be prone to inaccuracies or errors. That’s why it’s important that you verify the outcomes you get and keep your constraints from budget, development timeline and so forth in mind – especially before making a final decision about significant changes or updates. 

“AI works great as a creative sparring partner, boosting idea generation with fresh insights. However, while AI offers remarkable advantages, human intuition remains invaluable to make critical decisions – and as ChatGPT, for example, often states; the final decisions are up to you,” Elias underlines.  

You see what we did there? Yet another argument for why AI can never replace humans. 

2. FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE

Although AI is well-suited for handling quantitative data, qualitative research – such as user interviews, focus groups and card sorting – should always be conducted by humans, with humans.  

Comparing AI-generated data analysis with your own user research is an effective way to assess the accuracy of the AI tools you’re using, while it also provides a more holistic understanding of your users. 

Regarding originality, it might be argued that AI cannot produce entirely original designs since it relies on existing data and solutions. On the other hand, we can ask how often design should be completely original?  

Certain designs, like website checkouts or profile creation, benefit from consistency and familiarity.  

“Nonetheless, innovation and creativity remain essential in design, and I believe that AI can free up us designers’ time to focus on higher-level conceptualisation rather than drawing minute details,” says Elias.  

3. MASTER THE ART OF PROMPTING  

While AI can save time in various design phases, it does require acquiring new skills, such as mastering the art of formulating precise prompts to get the desired results.  

When prompting AI, it’s important to:  

Imagine this: your soda company is launching a new flavour and needs images for a promotional campaign. In this context, let’s explore the significance of effective prompting using two examples created with Midjourney.  

While the image resulting from the simple prompt is undoubtedly lovely, it may not align with the specific needs of our hypothetical campaign.

In contrast, the more detailed prompt sets the stage for a targeted creative process and provides the necessary details for the envisioned soda campaign.  

That’s why effective prompting plays a crucial role in guiding the creative process toward the desired outcome. 

AI is advancing at an astonishing pace and is constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. 

Take for instance OpenAI, that is beginning to roll out new voice and image capabilities in ChatGPT, allowing users to have a voice conversation or show ChatGPT what they’re talking about.  

In short: ChatGPT can now see, hear and speak.  

So, to stay ahead of this rapidly evolving AI landscape, it’s crucial to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest trends and developments.  

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