The year 2023 has marked a period of profound changes and challenges in my journey as a product designer. On one hand, I grappled with the swift evolution of artificial intelligence, fundamentally altering the landscape of product creation and utilization. On the other hand, I faced the daunting challenge of being laid off from my job. Despite these hurdles, this tumultuous year has been a crucible of learning and personal growth, setting the stage for an exciting future.

I've always viewed my work as a paid hobby, a space where enjoyment intertwines with the constant challenge of self-improvement. However, this perspective underwent scrutiny with the narrative of my dismissal.

The year 2023 reshaped the playing field with the widespread application of artificial intelligence to products, especially with the accessibility of LLMs like Chat-GPT 3.5 and Bard, and the impactful entrance of Google with Gemini. Bard, being freely accessible, opened up exciting possibilities. For instance, it allows my mother to inquire about her cooking recipes or seek advice on different types of bread tailored to her specific needs. This not only brought niche technology into people's daily lives but also sparked ethical debates about products, privacy, and data openness. What have I learned in navigating product creation in this new paradigm?

Let's delve into the technical tools and skills that played a significant role in this transformative year

Framer

Framer has been pivotal in my growth as a designer. Its value in validating and delivering high-quality products swiftly is indisputable. Through Framer, I efficiently crafted landing pages and websites, enhancing user experience and ensuring the quality of my designs, such as the ones you are currently exploring.

Figma: Design Systems

Several years have passed since I started using Figma, recalling the lengthy debates during a migration from Sketch to Figma at an agency. This year, I engaged in developing a design system, named Maracuyá, for Vantiq. This endeavor deepened my understanding of design tokens, variables, modular components, etc. With upcoming AI-based integrations in 2024, Figma stands as a more powerful and versatile tool than ever.

Prompt Engineering

The role of prompt engineering transformed throughout the year, adapting to changes. I learned to engage in conversations efficiently to gather data tailored to specific needs. This learning process has been fascinating, and I am confident that 2024 will bring even more learning opportunities. If the landscape shifted this much in a year and is set to be exponential, where will our current roles lead us? For instance, Gemini: Reasoning about user intent to generate bespoke experiences.

Farmer

My grandmother had numerous plants at home, sparking my interest in them. During the pandemic, plants started arriving one by one, and now I have many with diverse needs and preferences. Similar to building products, it's essential to keep trying to overcome challenges during the process—a journey I've thoroughly enjoyed, even if some plants didn't survive.

Mote

My dog, Mote, joined the family this year, and the initial weeks were genuinely challenging. The "getting to know each other" phase required patience and empathy. It taught me to be even more flexible, and regardless of a bad day, Mote always greets me with enthusiasm, wagging his tail, and eliciting a smile. Empathy with end-users is crucial in my role, and Mote, with his needs and personality, provided insights on creating a conducive environment for his development.

Vue.js

Little needs to be said—Vue.js has always intrigued me, and this year, I decided to strengthen my knowledge. It serves as a hobby that, under certain conditions, allows me to bring my ideas to life. Surely, it's just the beginning of another journey, "journey before destination."

Interactive and Immersive Design

I've been tracking its evolution over the years, and with the introduction of Apple's VR Glasses and the availability of its SDK to developers, we'll witness a shift from niche to mainstream. We'll continue learning gradually about design trends and the normalization of such experiences.

Beyond Technical Prowess: My 2023 Dive into Leadership and Collaboration

It's possible that I learned these skills because they genuinely excite and amuse me, but the reality is that being jobless for a while made me learn three times more effectively. While all of this is well and good, in recent years, I've witnessed how soft skills have enhanced my role and impact on product development and teams. This year was no exception, and I could undoubtedly mention:

Management

2023 provided various opportunities to learn and apply management skills in design contexts. I mastered delegation, offered more effective feedback, and assumed the mentorship role, which I found gratifying. In my pursuit of a more active role in planning and strategy, these skills were crucial. Although I don't foresee a direct growth in management, the knowledge gained in this area has been fundamental and will guide me toward new horizons.

Business Design

I found myself using design skills to solve business problems and create value for the organization. One area I delved into was data visualization. I learned to create effective data visualizations that conveyed complex information clearly and concisely. This allowed me to assist business teams in making more informed decisions. Gradually, I'm engaging in more conversations with service design teams to make the transversal vision mentioned earlier more feasible. Let's see where it takes me in 2024.

Storytelling

My mother is a literature teacher, and I used to accompany her to university classes because I found them entertaining, especially those on children's literature. I suppose that's where my love for stories comes from, and I've tried to bring that into design with products that seek a narrative for end-users. In 2023, I delved even deeper into storytelling because stories are a powerful way to connect with people and convey complex ideas. I believe it can elevate my role to a new level, especially considering the paradigm we have in the relationship between products, artificial intelligence, LLMs, and people.

Storytelling has become an indispensable skill, allowing me to communicate more effectively, inspire others, and make a positive impact.

Adaptability and Resilience

The world is changing rapidly, and product designers must be prepared to adapt. I've learned to be flexible and think quickly to pivot and adjust my plans as needed.

I've also learned to be resilient and maintain composure in the face of challenges. And well... I got laid off from my job, and it was tough, but we persisted.

Your career is bigger than a single company. Feli — Felicia Wu (Source)

Ethical and Responsible Design

Surely, my mother might not be considering what kind of data she's feeding to ChatGPT or Bard, and yes, privacy is everyone's responsibility, starting with end-users themselves. However, with the new landscape, designers have much to define and include in their designs, whether through language or patterns that are more user-friendly and responsible.

Looking forward to 2024

I am confident that the future of product design will be exciting and challenging. I am excited to be a part of this change and to help shape the future of the products we use every day.

Here are some of the trends I am most excited about:

• Holistic User Experience: Users expect seamless and consistent experiences across all touchpoints.

• Personalization and individual narratives: Products will increasingly adapt to the individual needs and preferences of users.

• The rise of AI-powered design tools: AI-powered design tools can help designers create prototypes and mockups more quickly and efficiently.

• The growth of immersive design: Immersive design experiences can help users connect with products on a deeper level using AI, AR, and VR.

• The increasing focus on user privacy: As AI becomes more integrated into products, it is important to focus on user privacy and security.

  
  

It was a year full of ups and downs, challenging, but nonetheless, it was a great year. The implications of AI being integrated massively into products are in their infancy, and that leads us to believe that 2024 will be extremely interesting. We must approach it with an open mind and flexibility in our roles and contributions.

I am convinced that the future of product design will be bright. Artificial intelligence has the potential to revolutionize how we create and use products, and designers have the opportunity to lead this change.