The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in design has the potential to change the way software developers create minimum viable products (MVPs) for software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses. Traditionally, MVPs are developed by human designers who create wireframes and prototypes by hand, using design tools such as Sketch or Adobe XD. This process can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, as designers must carefully plan and iterate on their designs.
However, AI has the ability to inject creativity into the design process in a way that was previously unimaginable. AI-generated designs use machine learning algorithms to automatically generate wireframes and prototypes based on a set of predefined criteria. This not only saves time and effort, but it also allows for the creation of unique and innovative designs that may not have been possible with human designers alone.
One previously looked over benefit of using AI to generate designs is how it changes the early stages of product discovery with clients. In the past an agency would provide 1-3 wireframe mockups for a client to review before running it into a full mockup sprint. This worked well if the initial prompts and examples provided by the client were clearly defined. However, if the agency and client did not align on the wireframes, it could take multiple months to get to an MVP product up and running. With AI generated designs, an agency can mock up multiple variations of the same dashboard for the client to view within hours. This could include up to 20, even 100 designs all with similar characteristics but different design style and different design configurations. Once the client and agency agree on a design, it can then be passed on to the design team to develop a proper Figma mockup.
The future of creative software agencies won't be in the talent of the design team but in the talent of their team to know what prompts are important when using AI. We are less likely to hire talent in the future based on their design skills but instead focus on their ability to correctly portray key concepts of a design to an AI program. Simply put, the most valuable team members in 2023 and onwards will be the ones who are the best Googlers.
As an example of the sheer power that AI presents in the end of 2022, we have included examples of designs we worked on below. These designs we all created in a single day by one person on our team.
