Welcome back. We're seeing the early signs of a seismic shift in the product design landscape, and it's time we talk about it. The industry is approaching what I'm calling a "hard reset," and it's affecting everything from job titles to the tools we use. Let's dive in.

P.S. Grab our free 8-part video course to learn how to make sense of information problems like a pro.

—Tommy (@DesignerTom)

The Wireframe:

• The crisis of job titles (and what it means for you)
• How new tools are reshaping our capacity for work
• The rise of the design engineer

Job Titles: A State of Flux

The design industry is experiencing a notable shift in job titles and roles. Here’s what we’re seeing:

1. AI is changing the game: Netflix is offering up to $900k/year for AI PMs. This signals a growing emphasis on AI skills in product roles.
2. The emergence of “Design Engineers”: Companies like Attio and Vercel are actively seeking designers with coding skills. This trend is also visible in smaller companies, with Dan Mall, the CEO of Flexile and Gumroad, and a former IDEO design lead all looking for “designers who can ship”.
3. Hybrid roles are on the rise: Framer is experimenting with “Product Activation Lead” positions, blending product management and design skills.
4. Growth in specialized roles: According to Aakash Gupta and Kate Syuma, there’s been a 75% increase in growth designer roles since 2014.

​Tom Scott, a respected design recruiter, provides insights on who’s in demand:

• Senior ICs capable of high-quality, rapid execution
  (Side note: join our waitlist for our upcoming Making UX Decisions course, teaching you how to make design decisions quickly)
• Hands-on design managers leading small teams
• CDO roles at the VP/SVP level

Conversely, he notes less demand for:

• UX specialists without visual design skills
• Professional design managers
• Corporate designers transitioning to startups

To navigate this changing landscape, consider using Elizabeth Alli’s Notion template or Maigen Thomas’s FigJam self-assessment matrix to evaluate your current skill set.

Tools: Expanding Our Capabilities

The evolution of design tools is rapidly increasing our work capacity. Here’s a rundown of some tools making waves:

• Motion: Rive, Lottiefiles, Jitter, Unicorn.studio​
• Prototyping: Play, Bravo Studio​
• Research: Dovetail, UserTesting, Marvin, Genway.ai​
• No-Code: Framer, Onlook, FlutterFlow​
• Collaboration: Loom, Notion, Linear, Campsite, Workflow.design​

It's no longer appropriate to include an "AI" category - most tools in all categories are heading towards AI integration.

But it’s worth noting that some tools, like Procreate and Sketch, are opting out of integrating AI features. However, AI is increasingly becoming a part of our toolkit, whether explicitly labeled or not.

As our tools improve, so do the expectations for our output.

This creates a cycle of increased efficiency leading to higher workloads, which in turn drives demand for even better tools. I’ve discussed this phenomenon in my video on how capacity of work increases with the quality of design tools.

Together with Dovetail​

The Old Ways to Unlock Customer Insights are Dead

Market trends have shifted and time is a luxury. Designers shouldn’t have to:

• Manually analyze qualitative data
• Talk to customers upon customers for opinions and feedback
• Repeat the same research over and over since no one has aligned on a way to house data and associated insights

Enter Dovetail’s Customer Insights Hub. It leverages the power of AI to make it easier for organizations to automatically centralize and transform scattered customer feedback into insights. Don’t let research and arbitrary internal opinions get in the way of what you do best: design.

Ready for easily accessible research to inform your design choices? Give it a try for 30 days.​

The Rise of the Design Engineers

The debate about whether designers should learn to code is evolving into a question of how much coding designers should know.

I’ve explored this question in my video on Design engineers aka designers who ship.

While this role is still fringe, it's gaining steam unlike previous years.

It’s a response to the increasing complexity of digital products and the need for faster iteration cycles.

Actionable Advice for Navigating These Changes

1. Reassess your skills: Use the assessment tools mentioned earlier to get a clear picture of where you stand.
2. Invest in continuous learning: As Jason Yuan, former Apple designer, told Ridd, “The best pop stars are always reinventing themselves.” Apply this mindset to your career.
3. Focus on reducing idea-to-product time: The ability to quickly prototype and ship products is increasingly valuable.
4. Develop AI literacy: Even if you’re not diving deep into AI, understanding its applications in design is crucial.
5. Build your network: Tom Scott’s post on recent career moves in design shows the importance of connections in making significant career transitions.
6. Aim to be a force multiplier: As Dan Mall describes, strive to move from being a “Doer” to a “Multiplier” in your team.

What's Next for UX Tools

My trajectory as a developer to founder to design leader was entirely self-taught. I did not come from a background of wealth, higher education, or privileged networks.

UX Tools has been my way to make my outcomes possible for more people like me.

And as the industry continues to evolve, so will UX Tools.

Here's how we're going to be adapting to serve you better:

• More focused, educational content to help navigate the future ahead
• Regular updates on community trends and developments
• A redesigned website launching in Q1, featuring an up-to-date design tools database
• Curation of future-proof courses
• A mini-series in H1 2024 exploring these industry shifts in depth

Our annual Design Tools Survey is going live this week. Expect a separate e-mail and please share this with your peers.

Your participation helps us track and analyze these industry changes in real-time to help you make better decisions about which tools to invest into next year.

The product design field is undergoing a significant transformation. While change can be challenging, it also brings opportunities for growth and innovation.

Stay adaptable, keep learning, and focus on delivering tangible value.

See you next week,

Tommy

Thanks for reading! What's your favorite tool for organizing info? Hit reply and let me know.

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