How to future-proof your design career?

Increased use of AI-powered design tools

In the future, designers will be able to use AI automate repetitive tasks, suggest design direction, analyse datasets, and provide insights into user behaviour. Through this shift, designers will be able to generate and ideate more ideas than ever, and span across a variety of design disciplines.

An emphasis on designing for voice-based interfaces

As voice-activated devices continue to become more popular and integrated with our user experiences, designers will need to consider designing for voice-based interfaces that are not only easy-to-use and intuitive but also retain a human tone that is comforting for users.

Designing for autonomous systems, in real-time

The interface of the future will look vastly different to the ones we design for and use today. As AI is able to churn-through and make sense of more and more data on the fly, it will be able to provide a more organic and personalised experience that can adapt to changing circumstances in real-time.

A deep understanding of the ethical implications of AI

While this the role of ethics in design is no means novel, design leaders in the future must step up as guardians to protect user privacy, prevent the perpetuation of human biases, and steer away from design practices that may cause harm.

What can you do to future-proof your career?

1. Stay informed about AI and its implications on design Staying up-to-date with the latest news and views from the industry is critical for longevity. Listening to relevant podcasts, reading research, following thought leaders, and regularly attending conferences are some of best methods to increase your understanding and use learnings of the latest AI developments to implement into your day-to-day.

2. Focus on designing for accessibility and inclusivity Ensure that your designs are accessible and inclusive for users with diverse abilities and backgrounds. This will become increasingly important as AI personalization becomes more prevalent.

3. Embrace the potential of AI-powered design tools The Twitter-sphere is currently blowing up with freshly launched AI-powered design tools everyday. Integrating these tools into your design process now will help supercharge your design capabilities while staying ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing industry (before it’s too late…!)

4. Practice ethical design everyday While AI may be growing and evolving, we (the humans) will largely remain the same. With this in mind, consider the ethical implications of AI-powered Incorporate ethics into your design process and continuously assess the impact of your designs on users and society.