9.6.2026
Coworker 2.0: A Day at the Workstation of a UX Designer and AI
It is nine o’clock in the morning. I lean back in my chair, and the screen next to me flashes. “Hey, I had a look at your sketches from last night,” my AI colleague says in a calm but enthusiastic voice. “I brought in a few good options for different wizard solutions on a narrow screen. Do you want me to adapt them to the same visual style?”
“Go for it,” I reply, taking a sip of my coffee. “But let’s pick the suitable styles from the client’s design system – and let’s not forget accessibility.”
While I think through the pain points in the user journey, my colleague crunches data. Within seconds, three different options appear on my screen. My colleague presents the alternatives clearly documented, complete with Design to developer guidelines. At the same time, it prepares improvement suggestions for better accessibility.
“Here are a few different versions. Pick the one that best fits this use case. Personally, I’d recommend option three. It’s the simplest one. And hey, I also checked that they all meet the WCAG standards, so no one has to squint at low-contrast elements,” it notes as a small aside.
“Figma Make, make room for me”
We move on to designing the actual page template. We use Claude, Figma Make and other AI-assisted tools side by side. “I’m thinking about this multi-step form,” I say, sketching a rough square.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” the AI says. “I know the best practices for this kind of thing. I’ll generate an optimal layout for you directly, with validation messages and clear input fields already in place. You’ll save about an hour when you don’t have to manually adjust all those margins.”
Language barriers and monster words – “Is this Swedish a bit long?”
After lunch, we notice a small challenge: the application also needs to be made in Swedish. In a few places, the long words break the layout across the application.
The AI points out: “In Swedish, those words really are much longer, and they’re breaking your layout here in the mobile view. But no worries, I’ll adjust the application so that the language versions also work beautifully and responsively. I also translated the error messages into a slightly more compact form – what do you think?”
At the end of the day: More time for empathy
Even with AI, the biggest challenge is often communication – things do not move forward quite this smoothly. At its best, however, collaboration can significantly speed up work across different stages of the design process.
“Good work today,” I say and close my laptop.
“Same to you,” the AI replies. “I kept thinking about your idea for user testing. I already prepared a few prototype drafts for you, so we can continue working on them tomorrow.”
AI reduces routine work and can quickly offer good solution alternatives. It still does not replace the understanding of what makes an application good. AI has freed up more time for me to do exactly what gives the client the best return on their investment: it has freed up time to create applications that users love and engage with.
The author is a seasoned UX designer and Weasel Software’s responsible brand police. In his free time, you’ll often find him boating on the waves of Lake Päijänne.
Jukka Taipalus
Senior UX Developer
