The Rise of Design Engineer and the Future Roles in UX

Summary

The script discusses the evolving landscape of design engineering, highlighting the growth of roles such as UX/UI designers merging into product design and the increasing importance of design systems. It emphasizes the blurring lines between design, engineering, and UX, leading to a demand for design engineers who can bridge the gap between aesthetics and functionality. The future is painted with AI potentially automating many design tasks, but the human element in defining user needs remains crucial, possibly leading to roles like 'Human Experience Manager'.

Takeaways

• 📈 Design engineering is expected to grow as companies invest in Design Systems to ensure quality and further develop features like those in Figma.
• 🔍 The lines between front-end engineering, design systems, and UX roles are blurring, leading to better UX organizations.
• 🎨 The traditional UX/UI roles have evolved, with a shift towards product design and a continued need for specialized UX roles.
• 🌐 There is a growing demand for product managers to have a fundamental understanding of UX, reflecting the importance of user experience in product development.
• 🛠 The role of design engineers is becoming more prominent as they combine UI/UX design skills with an understanding of coding and engineering.
• 🤖 As AI models advance, the need for human involvement in certain roles may decrease, with AI potentially taking over tasks traditionally performed by design engineers.
• 🔑 The concept of jobs being fully automated is not a reality; instead, the way tasks are performed and the tools used are evolving.
• 🌟 The best product designers are those who can code or have a strong understanding of web technologies, allowing them to better communicate with engineers and innovate.
• 🔮 Looking to the future, roles like Human Experience Manager may emerge, focusing on engaging with automated systems to define human needs.
• 📚 The speaker suggests that the roles and skills required in the design and UX field will continue to shift and adapt, with a focus on those who can work effectively with AI and automation.
• 🚀 Companies are already investing in combining product design with engineering and AI, indicating a trend towards fewer but more skilled design engineers.

Q & A

What is the current trend in the growth of design engineering?

Design engineering is expected to grow further as companies and design organizations invest in Design Systems to ensure quality, with tools like Figma continuing to develop their features.

How are the roles of designers and front-end engineers evolving?

The lines between front-end engineering, design systems, and user experience roles are blurring, leading to the formation of better UX organizations where these roles come together.

What was the traditional division of roles in the UX/UI world?

Traditionally, there were two distinct roles: one focusing on the details of UI design and the other being more strategic from a user needs perspective or conducting research and architectural planning.

How has the demand for UX roles changed over time?

There has been a 'gold rush' of UX roles with growing demand and a lot of space to challenge business perspectives, but the roles and demand have shifted towards specialization.

What is the current state of product design roles?

Many UI designers have transitioned into product design roles, while some companies still maintain a broad 'UX design' role that encompasses various specializations.

Why is there a growing demand for UX understanding in product management roles?

Product managers are increasingly expected to have a good grasp of UX principles, as they are learning to wireframe and understand the user experience, which is vital for effective product management.

What is the significance of the 'jobs to be done' framework mentioned in the script?

The 'jobs to be done' framework is an important principle that emphasizes understanding who is doing what and why, and then shifting the methods of how tasks are performed to improve users' lives.

How are design systems and front-end engineering becoming more integrated?

Design systems and front-end engineering are converging as the same teams handle both, with the best product designers often having coding skills or a good understanding of web technologies.

What is the potential future role of 'Human Experience Manager' in the context of AI and automation?

In the far future, as AI models become more autonomous, the role of a 'Human Experience Manager' may emerge to engage with automated production models and AI counterparts, defining human needs and guiding AI development.

How is the demand for design engineers likely to change in the future?

The demand for design engineers is increasing as the roles of product designers and engineers with UI/UX thinking converge, but the pace of this change is uncertain and will depend on various factors.

What does the script suggest about the long-term impact of AI on design roles?

In the long term, AI could potentially automate many design tasks, reducing the need for human designers and leading to roles like 'Human Experience Manager' that focus on guiding AI in creating user experiences.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 The Evolution and Growth of Design Engineering

The first paragraph discusses the ongoing growth of design engineering as companies invest in Design Systems to ensure quality. It highlights the blurring lines between roles such as front-end engineering, design systems, and UX, leading to better collaboration and more integrated teams. The speaker reflects on the historical division between UX and UI roles and how they have evolved, with a current trend towards product design and the increasing importance of UX research. The paragraph also touches on the role of product managers in understanding UX and the potential for automation in task performance, rather than the disciplines themselves.

05:01

🔄 Shifting Dynamics in Design and Engineering Roles

The second paragraph delves into the changing dynamics between product designers, engineers, and the emerging role of design engineers. It emphasizes the importance of understanding web technologies and the benefits of being able to code or at least communicate effectively with engineers. The speaker predicts that the demand for design engineers with a dual skill set will increase, but also acknowledges the uncertainty of the pace of this change. The paragraph also contemplates the future of these roles, suggesting that as AI models become more advanced, the need for human involvement in design engineering may decrease, with a potential shift towards roles like Human Experience Manager.

10:03

🛠 The Convergence of Design, Engineering, and AI

The third paragraph focuses on the convergence of product design, UI design, and engineering with the rise of Design Systems. It suggests that the demand for specialized roles may decrease as the industry moves towards a more consolidated design engineer role, capable of producing high-quality code with a strong understanding of UX principles. The speaker also mentions the importance of capturing design decisions for AI training and the potential for AI to shape future design processes, ultimately leading to a reduction in the need for human designers in the long term.

Keywords

💡Design Engineering

Design Engineering is a multidisciplinary field that combines elements of design with engineering principles to create functional and aesthetic products. In the context of the video, it is highlighted as a growing field due to the need for professionals who can bridge the gap between design and technical implementation, particularly with the rise of design systems and the convergence of front-end engineering and product design.

💡Design Systems

Design Systems refer to a set of reusable design components that ensure consistency and efficiency in product development. The script mentions that companies are investing in Design Systems to assure quality, which is a key factor driving the growth of roles like design engineers who can work within these systems to develop features and maintain consistency across products.

💡Figma

Figma is a cloud-based interface design and collaboration tool used by designers and developers. It is mentioned in the script as an example of a platform that is further developing its features, which is indicative of the evolving toolset available to design engineers and the industry's move towards more integrated design and development practices.

💡UX/UI Design

UX/UI Design encompasses the processes of enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the user and a product. The video script discusses the historical distinction between UX and UI roles and how they are converging in the modern 'post-UX' world, with design engineers taking on aspects of both.

💡Product Design

Product Design is the process of designing a product to meet user needs and includes aspects of UI design, user research, and strategic planning. The script talks about the shift of many UI designers into product design roles and how this specialization is influencing the demand for design engineers who can combine design thinking with technical skills.

💡User Researchers

User Researchers are professionals who study users to inform and improve product design. The script notes that this role has been booming and is expected to grow further, highlighting the importance of understanding user needs and behaviors in the design process, which is increasingly relevant for design engineers.

💡Technical Product Management

Technical Product Management involves overseeing the development of technical products, often requiring a deep understanding of both user experience and technical implementation. The script mentions that even roles in technical product management require a fundamental understanding of UX, indicating the interdisciplinary nature of modern product development.

💡Front-end Engineering

Front-end Engineering is the process of building the client-side of applications, which involves coding in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The video discusses the blurring lines between front-end engineering and design systems, with design engineers often having skills in both areas to create seamless user experiences.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping is the creation of a preliminary model of a product to test and iterate on design ideas. The script mentions that as roles like design engineering become more prominent, the process of prototyping is likely to evolve, with closer collaboration between designers and engineers to create functional and effective designs.

💡AI and Automation

AI and Automation are discussed in the script as potential future states where AI models could potentially take over many of the tasks currently performed by design engineers, product designers, and user researchers. This part of the script speculates on the long-term impact of AI on these roles and how they might evolve or become less relevant as AI capabilities advance.

💡Human Experience Manager

Human Experience Manager is a term introduced in the script to describe a potential future role that might emerge as AI and automation become more prevalent. This role would involve engaging with automated production models or AI counterparts to ensure that human needs are considered and integrated into the design process.

Highlights

Design engineering is expected to grow as companies invest in Design Systems to ensure quality and further develop features like Figma.

The lines between front-end engineering, design systems, and UX are blurring, leading to better UX organizations.

The traditional UX/UI roles have evolved into product design and UX research, with varying specializations across companies.

Product managers are increasingly expected to have a fundamental understanding of UX, influencing the shift towards hybrid roles.

None of the disciplines are being fully automated; instead, the tasks and tools are changing how jobs are performed.

The 'Jobs to be Done' framework is highlighted as a key principle for understanding the shifting methods of work.

The meta perspective of UX remains, but the roles are shifting towards a combination of UX, UI, and product design.

AI is influencing the convergence of UX/UI and product designers into new roles like design engineers.

Design engineers are becoming more prominent as front-end engineering and product design teams merge.

Understanding web technologies and being able to code is becoming increasingly important for product designers.

The best UI interaction design ideas often come from engineers pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

The demand for design engineers with the ability to produce code and UX thinking is increasing.

The pace at which design engineering roles grow is uncertain, but the demand for the skill set is rising.

In the far future, roles like design engineers may become less relevant as AI models become self-sufficient.

The concept of a 'Human Experience Manager' is proposed for a future where AI models shape themselves with minimal human involvement.

The transcript suggests that AI and automation are already being integrated into product design and UX roles.

The future of UX may involve AI models that adapt and learn from user data without the need for a human counterpart.

Transcripts

people basically are saying that things

like design engineering is going to you

know um grow even further it has been

already growing slowly because companies

and design organizations needed to

invest in the Design Systems you kind of

need to assure the quality the the likes

of figma further developing their

features the blurring lines between

front end engineering design systems

designers or managers and the actual

uxers prototyping are blurring and they

come together to form better ux

organizations so as such design engineer

I think is going to persist but I'm

going to tell you exactly

[Music]

why so if you walk back long enough we

had this ux UI world where there are two

different hats the people in ux war a

person who would look into the detail

and the actual UI design plus someone

who's more strategic from the user needs

perspective or can do more research or

architect things better forms this Duo

of Unstoppable force and the teams I

managed and worked in as an IC back in

the day who had those two at least you

know on paper we might have been both ux

designers or uxui designers but had

certain like strengths and if they would

two come together like the projects

would just glow and then they were

accompanied by a project manager let's

say and the business analyst as well

which was typical back in the day and of

course course Engineers which don't

really change much and in between that

and what we have today we had this ux

world the gold rusher of ux Surfing this

never stopping wave of lucrative roles

growing demand for ux and a lot of space

to still challenge the business

perspectives and people who don't know

what ux is about it never was easy but

still there was a lot more roles a lot

more demand and if we skip to now the

quote unquote post ux world is we have

product designer which really a lot of

the people who are specializing in UI

design went into product design there is

still some ux design which is do it all

basically or depends which company

you're part of they're skin differently

sometimes if you take like Google

openings they're all saying ux designed

even if let's say some people there do

research or product design it's still

like a one big row some startups are

going to split research and product

design and so forth it varies massively

but you still have that kind of like a

majority of people dropping in in in

these buckets and of course us a

researcher which has been booming is

going to grow further I think for a

while and just because a lot of the PMS

the product managers are learning to

wireframe or learning to ux and you

probably notice that a lot of them have

this requirement that you should have a

good grasp of ux to do product

management even the I saw the roles for

technical product management the backend

product or AI product management and

it's stated that you have to have a

fundamental ux understanding and as such

this ux designer then becomes a a a a

hybrid of course product managers do

much more but just so you understand why

like like why the shift is happening is

because a lot of activities are being

shared and this is important principle

which I want to highlight none of the

roles none of the disciplines are being

truly automated or will be ever truly

automated it's just the tasks the

activities the tools are going to change

how we perform those jobs and that's

boring almost that jobs to be done

framework which you should know about

anyways but it's understanding who is

doing what and why and then basically

Shifting the methods of how they are

doing those things in order to improve

user's life let's say so if we take the

meta perspective us doing ux you know

it's still going to remain it's just

those roles going to shift if you kind

of go back a step you know there are

different roles doing similar stuff

don't you think that with AI the uxui

and product designers will combine into

a new role like design engineer yeah

that's what I'm getting at and that's

perfect segue happening already again as

I said with Design Systems and the

proximity between the actual front end

engineering design systems and product

design those are becoming basically same

teams and the best product designers can

code already or understand enough of how

to code basic HTML CSS JavaScript it's

it's unarguable like if you understand

web Technologies and you can let's say

use frameware web flow or WordPress or

just code it yourself you're going to be

much you know ahead than anyone else

because at the minimum you're going to

know how to talk to the engineers that

always has been the case you're going to

see that the actual front end engineers

make a lot of those product design

decisions and we always have been let's

say the best ideas usually come from

experimentation or the best UI

interaction design ideas let's put it

straight are going to come from actual

Engineers pushing the boundaries and and

taking it a notch further the worst

thing is when the engineers just

Implement what designer says without

kind of trying to push because designers

know enough but they might not know the

different web Technologies or what else

could be done and as such the things are

shared the Dynamics are shifting and

that's why design Engineers are going to

pick up with speed the product designers

and Engineers again budding up as a twin

skill sets going to form these new

structures of design Engineers again

it's happening if you take ux engineer

roles that has been the first that this

is going to come the number of the row

fo is questionable and if someone is

saying oh everybody's going to be a

design engineer not thinking in terms of

the time frames because the tomorrow or

the near future is definitely not going

to be the case it's just that the demand

for that skill set or capability is

definitely increasing but at what pace

is to be seen and I would just be

bullshitting you if I would say oh it's

going to happen like immediately or like

this is the case it's you cannot predict

that what you can predict fo is that the

ux designer is still going to persist

like the need for the ux design or those

skill sets are still going to persist

and maybe going to be shared across the

board and especially if the design

engineering is going to increase

ultimately if we zoom out basically so

if tomorrow we have a lot of design

engineers and some product designers

some user researchers we still have

someone who does ux design some

engineering some product management I

see that a lot of those roles still

going to fall in into these bigger

buckets and the when I say the future

this is far future this is basically

either full or partially full automation

which means that the human involvement

is minimal it means that AI models can

teach other AI models and shape other AI

model or AI model like Chad GPT would be

able to write code for another AI model

and publish it so means basically closer

to the AGI in that case the design

engineer are going to be quite

Irrelevant in a way cuz someone who's

going to be in the seat of the control

going to be able to use basically

automation mechanical Ts for a for a for

a lack of better term which are going to

basically be modeling the model and AI

is going to be making itself with the

input of the humans so the human would

bring a human need and they're going to

basically be uh creating different

models as such the design Engineers

product designer user researchers are

going to be consumed with f automated

production and this is very long term

this is saying like 20 years in advance

basically where those actors those roles

are just going to be Vanishing the role

which is going to definitely come into

place and I'm not going to take and say

that this is exactly how it's going to

be sounding or the label is going to

persist it's going to be something like

Human Experience manager maybe there's

going to be a better marketing slogan

which just you know rolls of a tongue

easier but Human Experience manager is

going to be that person who literally

engages with the automated production

model or AI counterpart and telling them

what the needs are of a person if you

even would go further than that you

wouldn't even need The Human Experience

manager but imagine if there is a model

which every other person uses let's say

it's a future Apple device right and the

Apple iPhone has some sort of app which

tracks Health Data or something along

those lines if they're smart enough

they're already considering to implement

the models which could track the data AB

test data they would roll out AB test

they would basically track a lot of

those data signals and the behavioral

data exactly what the people do and

learn from it and you know use the

actual heavy processing nii models to

learn from it and shape it and as such

the actual product or the experience

could adapt by the model itself it's not

going to even need a human counterpart

because there is already a petri dish

which exists and if you put enough

signals and the models are free to shape

themselves the humans are out of the

pictures the humans are only going to be

served the only thing is the quality but

quality also could be improved and

locked in through enough Generations 10

20 30 50 100 years Apple could be run by

AI with no people involved again

corresponding to Market signals

financial data every other role

completed but this is the long-term kind

of um notion and view if we pull back to

again design Engineers on the Design

Squad Community the other day I saw the

opening and why the other day is like

last month or so um but the opening was

um we are seeking product designers and

I'm paraphrasing but it was in terms of

we're seeking product designers to

design stuff on figma we're going to

track what we do and in in part train

the AI models of what decisions they

make and we're going to basically say

okay this design is did this that that

you know you can capture enough signals

in the train W model so it's already

happening and US investing heavily in

combining the product design UI design

with Design Systems with engineering it

might sound like it's growing in terms

of a demand and the roles and we're

going to need more people to do it it's

not the case if anything we're going to

need less people basically to focus

that's why the combined design engineer

role and a role of a person who can

produce good enough code a good enough

output with some horis ux thinking or

some understanding or or just knows

enough patterns to combine them is is a

clear signal of what's basically coming

as you consolidate those things you

create these Champions and I going know

this is a philosophical note but you

create these Champions who basically are

perfect seedlings for AI they are the

ones whose decision is going to be

captured the most and then you know the

models are going to be trained up I

think the most important thing to follow

up on that is for everyone to take a

look at this live stream which is

basically the road map to complete ux

Automation and AI uh ux and this is

where I outline basically of when and

what sort of AI you can expect and

across what type of uh time frame

roughly speaking