How I design with AI: a 5-step framework that saved me 20+ hours without losing my magic

Where wizard-like efficiency meets human sparkle: your adventure guide to befriending AI without sacrificing your creative soul

I stared at my screen, equal parts thrilled and unsettled.

Three minutes ago, I'd asked Claude to brainstorm a new idea for a travel app I was working with. Now my screen overflowed with ideas, interactions, and even ready-to-go code snippets. When I dropped that carefully-crafted prompt into Replit, I blinked and suddenly had a polished, stakeholder-ready prototype.

What once took days now happened in moments (15 minutes to be precise) 🤯

The thrill quickly gave way to a nagging doubt: If AI does this much heavy lifting, am I still really... designing? Will my creative instincts slowly fade if I keep taking these shortcuts?

If these questions sound familiar, you're not alone—and this article is for you.

Maybe you've noticed it too—those AI-generated action figures flooding your feed? They're fun at first glance. But after the tenth nearly-identical one, you start to wonder: where did the creativity go? When everyone's using the same prompts, we're not designing—we're duplicating.

I made one of my own. Not to go viral. But to make a point.

In this article, I'll share how to navigate the brave new realm of designing with AI without sacrificing what makes your work uniquely human. We'll explore a practical approach that's grounded in ethical use, infused with genuine creativity, and powered by something algorithms simply can't replicate: your unique human spark.

🧝‍♀️ The New Companion on the Quest

AI tools have exploded into the product world like a rogue fireball spell—equal parts powerful and unpredictable. One moment they generate stunning visuals; the next, a cyberpunk goldfish casually skateboarding through a bowl of spaghetti.

Not sure how we got here, but it's kinda fun

Magic? Or madness? Perhaps a bit of both.

If you feel like you're standing at the edge of an unfamiliar cliff, you're not alone. Every designer I know is wrestling with questions like:

"Am I cheating if AI does this much heavy lifting "Will leaning on AI slowly erode my design intuition?" "Am I risking my creative identity by taking these shortcuts?"

When I first experimented with AI, these doubts hit hard. It felt like cheating—as though I was skipping the messy, essential middle part of the creative process where the real magic happens. I worried that relying on these tools might slowly erode the instincts and intuition I'd spent years developing.

But over time, I've come to see AI not as a replacement, but as a companion on the journey. The real power isn't just in what these tools generate—it's in how thoughtfully and intentionally we guide them.

Think of AI as the eager squire to your design knight—helpful for carrying your equipment and offering suggestions, but you're still the one wielding the sword and making the crucial decisions that matter. ⚔️

🎨 The Designer's New Canvas

It’s easy to fall into the trap of listing what AI is “good” or “bad” at—like a comparison chart. But the real magic? It’s in how we, as designers, meet those gaps with the stuff AI can’t do.

AI is amazing at riffing on ideas fast. It can whip up visuals, distill loads of info, and spot patterns in data quicker than we can say “sticky note.” But it stumbles on the more nuanced bits—like emotional tone, brand personality, meaningful constraints, and (let’s be honest) it sometimes confidently serves up things that are totally wrong.

Designing well with AI doesn’t mean pretending those gaps don’t exist—it means knowing where to step in. It’s your creative instinct that brings the soul: the part that spots when something feels off, that sees the bigger emotional picture, that adds character, context, and clarity.

This is where you shine. You bring the constraint that turns chaos into coherence. You choose fewer options to help users focus. You make a sterile layout feel like it’s giving you a wink.

That’s not extra—that’s essential. And it’s what transforms AI’s “good start” into something genuinely magical.

💡 Steal like an artist, not an AI. AI tends to blend what already exists—but your job is to use it as a springboard. Let AI get you started quickly, then inject your creativity, personality, and human quirks to take your design somewhere genuinely fresh and exciting.

Good Theft or Bad Theft? Credit: Austin Kelon’s book: “Steal like an artist”

🌟 Rediscovering Your Magic — Why Human Intuition Still Matters

AI might ace execution, but it's hopelessly lost when it comes to genuine storytelling.

Sure, it can generate a perfectly adequate checklist UI or a competent onboarding flow. But it will never sense when a user needs a playful nudge, a moment of unexpected delight, or that tiny spark of joy hidden in a tooltip that makes them smile on a difficult day.

These moments of magic come from somewhere AI can't access—lived human experience, emotional intelligence, and a deep understanding of what makes us human.

Nurturing Your Creative Spark

Here's how to protect and strengthen your irreplaceable creative intuition while working alongside AI:

• Stay curious beyond screens: Regularly step outside your digital environment. Sketch on paper, visit museums, wander through nature, observe strangers in cafés—anything that stimulates fresh perspectives that haven't been fed into AI models.

• Practice mindful reflection: Take short breaks during your design sessions to ask yourself, "Does this feel right?" Trust those gut reactions—they're drawing on thousands of hours of experience and connection you’ve lived.

• Ask deeper questions: Use AI to generate quick solutions, then pause to evaluate. Is this merely convenient, or is it genuinely delightful? Would your actual users feel seen and understood by this design? What truths is it missing?

• Design for emotional moments first: Embrace the Psychology of Delight early in your process. Identify the key emotional transitions in your user journey, then design those moments intentionally before filling in the functional gaps.

✨ Take Finch as an example: It's not just another habit tracker app—it's a cheerful little bird companion that celebrates your smallest wins and makes self-care feel like nurturing a friend rather than completing chores. These emotional hooks come from deeply understanding human psychology, not from algorithmic pattern-matching.

Thanks, Finch bird. You da best.

Remember, your "magic dust"—those tiny moments of surprise, delight, and human connection—comes from being deeply human yourself. AI can't replicate your instinct for noticing subtle emotional needs or your ability to tell stories that resonate on a human level.

Your taste, your unique perspective, your intuition—these aren't just nice-to-haves. They're your most valuable and irreplaceable assets.

🧙‍♀️ The Collaborative Framework — Designing With AI

Okay, theory is one thing, but how do we actually work with AI day-to-day without feeling overwhelmed or creatively compromised?

After nearly a year of experimentation (and plenty of missteps), I've developed a step-by-step approach that helps me harness AI's efficiency while protecting the creative spark that makes designs truly magical. Here's the framework I use in my own workflow:

🧭 1. Define the Quest (Led by you)

Always start with the "why" behind the design challenge—not just the what. What user frustrations or desires are you addressing? What emotions do users bring to this experience? What transformation are you hoping to create?

This emotional grounding gives everything that follows both clarity and purpose. The better you understand the human context, the more focused and effective your AI collaboration will be.

Pro tip: Create a one-paragraph "quest brief" that captures the emotional core of what you're creating before involving AI.

🪄 2. Summon the Ally (AI-Powered)

With your quest clearly defined, it's time to invite AI into your creative process. I use different AI tools for different needs:

• Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini for rapid ideation and concept generation, user flows, and initial content drafts.

• Midjourney or ChatGPT’s new 4o model for visual mood boards and style exploration, along with Figma for your own ideation.

• Claude for quick and early prototype exploration with code.

• Replit and Bolt.ai for interactive fully coded prototypes “vibe coding”.

✨ Real Example: When designing a new product feature, I fed Claude extensive context—project briefs, user personas, competitor analysis, brand guidelines—before asking for concepts. The quality of AI output directly reflects the quality of context you provide. Be generous with background information, just as you would brief a team mate.

3. Evaluate with Heart (Led by you)

This is where your unique value shines the brightest. Review AI suggestions not just for their technical merit, but for their emotional resonance and human touch:

• Does this solution feel genuinely delightful or merely adequate?

• Will real users feel understood and cared for?

• Does it reflect the specific personality and values of your brand?

• What subtle emotional needs is the AI missing?

You are the art director here. Your design expertise, lived experience, taste, and emotional intelligence are irreplaceable in separating what works from what truly resonates.

🔄 4. Refine with Intention (Teamwork)

Now comes the dance of refinement—an iterative process where you guide AI toward more emotionally resonant solutions.

✨ Real Example: Refining a Replit prototype for a draggable side panel involved continuous iteration. While AI quickly produced a working concept in minutes, achieving the right feel—smooth animations, appropriate feedback, intuitive behavior—required multiple rounds of human-directed refinement. This detailed crafting took the longest but made the difference between "functional" and "delightful."

1. Where we started: A side-panel/drawer idea

The exact prompt I used

Initial concept as a drawer:

Where we ended-up with stakeholder input: A draggable concept “Sidekick”

5. Add the Magic Dust (Led by you)

The final and most crucial step is adding those special touches that only you can provide—the "magic dust" that transforms functional into unforgettable:

• Unexpected moments of personality and humor

• Micro-animations that feel satisfyingly responsive

• Thoughtful microcopy that makes users smile

• Details that demonstrate care and anticipate user needs

These elements ensure your design isn't just “another” solution—it's a memorable experience crafted with empathy and those tiny, important details.

AI can help you build the structure, but only you can breathe life and magic into it.

Do you want more insight into my process? Let me know by leaving a comment!

🧚 Your Magic is the Difference

AI is a remarkable tool—but it's your intuition, empathy, and creativity that transform functional solutions into unforgettable experiences. The most compelling designs aren't just technically sound; they're infused with your own insight and emotional intelligence.

Don't passively accept AI's output. Instead, actively guide it with your unique vision and perspective. Ask better questions, challenge its assumptions, and never settle for "good enough." The designers who thrive in this new landscape won't be those who use AI most efficiently, but those who blend AI's capabilities with their own irreplaceable human magic.

Start Your AI Design Quest Today

Begin simply and build confidence through experience:

Tomorrow: Try just one AI-assisted brainstorm (I recommend Claude), but add three ideas that are uniquely yours. Notice how your ideas differ from the AI suggestions.

Next week: Use AI to accelerate your technical work, then reinvest that saved time into creative exploration. Replit is excellent for quickly testing interactions.

Next month: Develop your own custom AI prompts that reflect your unique design philosophy and brand voice. Create a personal "prompt library" that embodies your specific approach to design.

The future of design isn't about AI versus human creativity—it's about finding your own perfect balance between efficiency and magic. The tools will continue to evolve, but the need for emotional connection, delight, and human understanding remains constant.

Stay curious, trust your instincts, and remember that a little creative chaos often leads to the most magical solutions.

Until our next design adventure, 🌟