Our profession is changing rapidly. I’ve been covering that here for nearly a year now. Lots of posts come across my desk that say similar things. Tom Scott repeats a lot of what’s been said, but I’ll pull out a couple nuggets that caught my eye.
He declares that “Hands-on is the new default.” Quoting Vitor Amaral, a designer at Intercom:
Being craft-focused means staying hands-on, regardless of specialty or seniority. This won’t be a niche role, it will be an expectation for everyone, from individual contributors to VPs. The value lies in deeply understanding how things actually work, and that comes from direct involvement in the work.
As AI speeds up execution, the craft itself will become easier, but what will matter most is the critical judgment to craft the right thing, move fast, and push the boundaries of quality.
For those looking for work, Scott says, “You NEED to change how you find a job.” Quoting Felix Haas, investor and designer at Lovable:
Start building a real product and get a feeling for it what it means pushing something out in the market
Learn to use AI to prototype interactively → even at a basic level
Get comfortable with AI tools early → they’ll be your co-designer / sparring partner
Focus on solving real problems, not just making things look good (Which was a problem for very long in the design space)
Scott also says that “Design roles are merging,” and Ridd from Dive Club illustrates the point:
We are seeing a collapse of design’s monopoly on ideation where designers no longer “own” the early idea stage. PMs, engineers, and others are now prototyping directly with new tools.
If designers move too slow, others will fill the gap. The line between PM, engineer, and designer is thinner than ever. Anyone tool-savvy can spin up prototypes — which raises the bar for designers.
Impact comes from working prototypes, not just facilitation. Leading brainstorms or “owning process” isn’t enough. Real influence comes from putting tangible prototypes in front of the team and aligning everyone around them.
Design is still best positioned — but not guaranteed
Designers could lead this shift, but only if they step up. Ownership of ideation is earned, not assumed.
