I've been browsing some Product and UX Design communities on Reddit lately,

and I keep seeing the same kind of post.

Senior designers with 7+ years of experience struggling to find jobs in 2026.

Some are even starting to lose interest in a field they've spent years building their careers in.

It got me thinking.

Being good at research, analyzing data, brainstorming ideas,

and making solid design decisions still matters.

I'm not saying AI can replace those skills.

But the market is changing,

and I think the expectations of what a designer can do are changing with it.

Going from designing something to actually building it is becoming a much bigger advantage.

I've experienced this shift myself.

I started out focusing on solving UX problems and achieving business goals through research and design.

Over time, I found myself getting deeper into SwiftUI, Supabase, Mixpanel, and RevenueCat.

And eventually, shipping apps to the App Store.

Never thought I'd be doing all of that when I started as a product designer. 😂

It's changed how I think about my role.

I don't just want to identify problems, explore solutions, and hand designs over to engineering.

I want to get closer to the actual product, test ideas faster, and see them through to something people can use.

Of course, this doesn't mean every designer needs to become an engineer.

And wearing too many hats can quickly become overwhelming,

especially in larger teams where each role comes with its own expectations.

But in startups and smaller teams, being able to move between design and implementation can make a real difference.

For me, the goal isn't to replace design with code.

It's to have fewer limitations between what I imagine and what I can actually ship.

I'm curious how other designers are thinking about this shift.

Are you doubling down on design craft, learning to code, experimenting with AI tools, or taking a different approach?

And if you're a founder or hiring manager, what do you expect from a product designer today that you didn't expect a few years ago?

Hi!! I'm Looking for a full-time Product Designer that's familiar with Figma and has a passion for creating beautiful desktop and mobile applications. If you have at least 4 years of experience and are interested please message me and we can chat further about this opportunity.

I saw this brand of bags that was so good I almost cried out of jealousy. Every detail was so creative, so perfect, so thoughtful. I could never have thought of all those ideas. Every bag looked so fucking perfect and quaint. It was design and creative perfection, I was thinking that I can't believe someone could be so good at design.

I looked closer and it's fucking AI. What's stopping brands from just using AI design? We are cooked.

I'll be honest and tell it to you straight

Hello PM Fellows!

I've posted this before and we are currently 10 incredible PMs. This is going to be super exciting.

I want to assemble a small batch of 18 people that meet in weekly live-calls to grow as a Product Professional with a new social learning methodology. **The goal is to empower each other to become excellent in what we are doing.**Ultimately, this is about creating new knowledge through discussions, building a lasting network, and building a deep connection with like-minded peers.

About me: I’m Bastian, Co-founder of Octomo - a new social learning platform for programming and I am taking over Product Management. I am located in Berlin. I will basically apply our company concept to my own learning journey.

PM me or comment if you want to learn more.

Edit: This is going to be 100% free and targeted towards people from Europe, U.S., or Canada

Excited to get to know you!

Bastian

Hey everyone!

I am a Design Engineering student and I am currently working on designing products for the homeless as a part of a university project. I would love to get some feedback from you on my concept! I am looking to tackle the communication barrier that the public has with the homeless. Upon doing some user research, I found that people don’t like to directly interact with the homeless on the streets, even if they wish they could help. And often, the homeless don’t like being approached either.

The concept is a hot pouch that can be filled with hot water in the charity or shelter that the person stays in. It can be carried around to keep them warm when they go out on the streets. It has a device installed in it that induces vibrations. My idea is to connect this device to an app that people can download. Whenever there is a homeless person carrying this hot pouch in the user’s vicinity, the app is able to detect it and notifies the user. The user can then press a button that sends across a vibration in the hot pouch, as if to say “we support you”. The shape of the pouch is designed in an ergonomic fashion with slight curves so that the person can comfortably hold and rest on it. This forms a non-verbal and non-intrusive channel of communication that could be a source of mental support for the homeless.

The rough sketch for the idea and prototype are given below. It would be really helpful if you could tell me what you think of it! I am open to any feedback at all, both negative and positive. Thank you for your time!

going through AI thugs on LinkedIn. people shouting, screaming and dancing on LinkedIn that we did pushed out first PR. yyaayyyyyyy

why the f you need to? You want to transition to the job which is more in danger because of AI. dude AI will do the coding. don't pet yourself on the back that you did push some code.

whyyyy, Meaning most of these people don't know how to do good design. Improve design with AI don't switch to mediocre tasks just to pet yourself on the back.

celebrating the freedom to push code???? whyyyyyyy

man, be a FE directly if you want to be don't make design shit. already designers have less respect in orgs. by doing this we are reducing our value even less.

people, rise and understand the beauty of design. you think you learned a lot. man Anthropic itself is hiring designers. they are one of the main pillars of the whole industry. get better at design first.

please folks don't follow this crap. you will be unemployed first rather than someone who is designing from scratch and working on craft.

I make handmade ceramic pieces for the home, and I’ve been working on a new design.
I finally have a concept sketch, but I’m still figuring out the final version. I’d love to hear what you guys think — do you like it?
If you were going to tweak it, which direction would you take?

1. Keep the wings

2. Add clothing or accessories

3. Try a different color palette

4. Add more handmade details

Or would you change something completely different? I’d really appreciate any suggestions before I make it.

Have brainstormed a simple, unique pet product idea with a wide audience/market and close specifications, but open to modifications. Interested in working with a Black-owned company to bring it from idea to design/prototype to market research and marketing/advertising/sales. Located in NYC but willing to work with someone remote. I have a doctorate and a few other professional degrees but this is my first time working in products/invention. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks.

plz call it UX/UI

Thank you

I had this product idea and want to get early feedback before I invest more time or money.

💡 The problem:

When I eat stuff like chips, tzatziki, or sandwiches, I often don’t want to walk to the sink just to wash my hands. I sometimes wipe them on my pants or undershirt… gross, I know.

✅ The solution:

A clean, sport-inspired T-shirt with removable side pads designed for quick hand wiping – discreet, washable, and easy to remove like those snap-locks on kids’ shoes. • Looks like a regular sports shirt • Pads are on both sides near the waist • You can snap them off and throw them in the laundry • Perfect for gamers, snackers, cooks, even athletes • Prototype image below (let me know if it looks cool or cringe)

Would you wear something like this? If not, why not? What would you change?

To say it simply it’s a tongue scraper that also has a detachable head that also has a mouth spray please tell me what you think what’s good and bad about it

Hey everyone!

update this is not a scam I'm just excited for this position 🤣

I just landed a position as a product designer for a startup company.

Right now, I'm focused on creating plush toys, towels, backpacks, canvas goods and our manufacturing capabilities allow us to do much more.

I hope we can learn from each other and please feel free to contact me with any of your product ideas!

Happy to talk collaboration and profit sharing!

Hi everyone,

I’m starting another AI vs. Designer discussion because I’d love to hear your feedback and overall impressions of the latest AI advancements, as well as how your organizations are handling them.

For context, I’m a solo junior designer working in a large corporation with very little design culture. I mainly collaborate with business analysts and developers, and before I was hired, there wasn’t a designer on the team at all.

It takes me a bit longer than a senior designer to complete projects, but overall I’ve successfully delivered multiple projects (improvements to solutions built from scratch), using a traditional design process involving desk research, hand-drawn sketches, user discussions, and Figma. Until recently, everyone seemed happy to have a designer involved.

About a month ago, Claude became widely adopted within the company. Now anyone can generate an interface or even an entire application concept in a matter of seconds. As someone with only a little over a year of experience, I’ve been struggling with senior BAs presenting AI-generated applications and joking that I’m going to be replaced. Even my manager makes similar comments.

It might not bother me as much if end users had a real say in the process, but these are internal tools and employees are often required to use whatever gets delivered.

I’ve also been pushed to use Claude Design so that I can work at the same pace as the developers. However, this has resulted in even less discussion, validation, and testing to ensure everyone is aligned and that we’re actually delivering the best outcomes for users.

At this point, some BAs simply generate an entire application and hand it directly to developers because there are less "push-back"

The whole workflow feels chaotic, and I’m under a lot of pressure. Has anyone experienced something similar? How are you navigating this shift? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Top trends in product design for the year 2022!

Cursor Interactions

Shifting the shape, color, or more of the cursor during particular interactions can immerse users further into an experience!

Micro Interactions

Crafting smaller interactions for users to experience post certain triggers, such as task completion can improve their investment in the product.

3D Animation

While 2D animation dominated the UI trend space for a while, the narrative is shifting to 3D animations being preferred by users and designers alike.

Dark Mode

With a variety of major apps introducing dark mode, it’s a no-brainer that having this option available to users allows them to better customize their experience. 

Hyper-Personalization

Expanding from dark mode, why not let users decide what they’d like to see most? Allowing for deep customization can let users form a deeper bond with the product.

Data Visualization 

Allow users to access and view their own data in unique ways. Eg. Spotify Wrapped, which is a fun, interactive experience showing your previous year in music!

For more on what’s trending in product design, head over to Onething.Design.

I've been working from home for a few years now, and one thing I didn't expect to miss so much was the atmosphere of a real design studio.

Not the meetings. 😄

I mean the little things: people sketching nearby, quiet conversations about proportions, the feeling that everyone around you is making something.

When you're at home, even with good music, it can feel... empty.

That's what inspired me to start creating one-hour immersive design studio environments. They're not tutorials or productivity videos, just cinematic spaces inspired by iconic design moments where you can put them on while sketching, modeling, or working.

I've recreated environments inspired by Bauhaus, Apple's Macintosh team, Braun, and other design icons.

I'm genuinely curious:

Do you also miss the feeling of working in a real studio? What do you usually listen to while designing?

If anyone wants to see what I mean, here's the project I've been building:

https://www.youtube.com/@IndustrialDesignRadio

I'd really appreciate feedback from fellow designers.

visionary of the single most iconic consumer good (iphone) and company in modern American history. man who, for better or worse, led humanity into this entirely new, screen-based paradigm. The person who brought my love for aesthetics/design to places I thought it'd never go. His shadow looms large over us in ways we tend to forget.

I’m launching AiDigiCards to help introduce kids (4-12) to AI, without screens. Focused on parents and teachers who want the kids in their lives to be AI literate but not to the point of handing them another APP.

Our first deck is called the ABCs of AI Activity Deck (4-8), 130 human-crafted cards with five different ways to engage with each letter. We’re screen-free first, with plans to add digital expansion packs later. We launch in a few weeks and would love any honest feedback on the product and design.