AI masters vs AI haters in UX design
How to avoid becoming obsolete as a UX designer
There’s a massive divide happening in the UX design world right now, and it’s separating designers into two distinct battle camps.
On one side, you have designers spending weeks on manual research, days creating wireframes from scratch, and hours agonizing over every piece of microcopy. They’re working harder than ever but they’re still slowly getting left behind. On the other side, you have designers tinkering with AI to generate design variations instantly, get AI-supported user insights in minutes, and receive instant copy suggestions that would have taken hours to write themselves. The difference here isn’t just increasing their own productivity but this has become a matter of career survival. While one group burns out from endless manual work, the other is scaling their impact and landing premium projects that pay 2–3x more. Who ever said that the world is fair?
But, no reason to despair yet here, we’re going to show you exactly how to become an AI Master UX designer and avoid getting left behind in 2025.
The harsh reality: AI Haters are already losing clients
Most UX designers are in complete denial about what’s happening in the industry right now.
While they’re still manually analyzing user interviews for 3 weeks, AI Master designers are using tools like Maze AI and UserVoice to synthesize user feedback in hours. While they’re sketching wireframes by hand, AI Masters are generating 50 design variations with Figma AI and uizard in the time it takes to grab coffee. The result? AI Haters are consistently missing deadlines, burning out from overwork, and watching clients choose faster, more efficient designers.
Hey, you don’t even need these tools. Our upcoming Masterclass about this topic was so popular, it sold out within a week. But, exciting news if you missed the last signup, we’ll be hosting it again on Monday, June 30, 2025, at 7 PM EST. We’ll show you how to get similar stuff done just with your favourite frontier models Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT, and so much more. We’re so passionate about this, we can’t wait to show you the things that are possible with AI.
At first it hurts to understand what is really happening. The brutal reality is that clients don’t care how you create great design. They just care that you deliver results quickly and effectively.
AI Masters understand the 80/20 rule of UX design
The smartest UX designers have figured out something crucial already: 80% of design work can be accelerated with AI, leaving more time for the 20% that requires human creativity and strategic thinking.
Instead of spending 40 hours on user research, they spend 8 hours using AI tools to analyze data and 32 hours on high-level strategy and creative problem-solving. In an AI-first world, the entry level jobs are disappearing and this is no different in UX design. Everyone is mid to senior level now. Welcome to your new reality. Instead of creating wireframes from scratch, AI-first UX designers generate multiple AI variations in minutes, then spend their time refining and perfecting the user experience. They’re not being replaced by AI. No, they’re becoming 10x more valuable by partnering with it. These folks are the future.
So, it’s time to let this sink in. In the AI-first labour market, AI handles the repetitive tasks so you can focus on what clients actually pay premium rates for. You can win this and get ahead.
Most UX designers are using AI completely wrong
Unfortunately, most designers mess up when they finally decide to try AI. They treat it like a magic button instead of a sophisticated tool that requires serious skill to master.
They’ll prompt ChatGPT with “create a user persona” and expect perfect results, then get frustrated when the output is just so generic. You know this. In our Substack, we’ve talked about this live last week, written about why that’s bad, and given you a framework to apply Design Thinking to Prompt Engineering, already. Most UX designers will use AI image generators for mockups without understanding how to write killer prompts that align with brand guidelines. (It takes time time to write a killer prompt, you know. It’s a skill.) Or they’ll rely on AI-generated copy without understanding user psychology and conversion principles. The result is mediocre work that screams AI-generated and damages their reputation. Trust me, that’s not the way you want to use AI.
Real AI Masters learn prompt engineering, understand each LLM’s and each tool’s strengths and limitations, and combine AI output with human expertise to create work that’s both efficient and exceptional. And they will continue to be super employable.
The 3-step system for becoming an AI UX Master
Becoming an AI Master doesn’t mean you have to learn every new tool that launches—in fact, I would say that’s counterproductive. Instead, you want to build a systematic approach to integrate AI into your existing workflows.
Step 1 is auditing your current process and identify the 5 most time-consuming tasks you do repeatedly. These might include user research synthesis, wireframe creation, copywriting, design system documentation, or usability testing analysis.
Step 2 is finding the best AI tools specifically for each task and learn to use them properly. For research, that might be Dovetail AI or Notably. For design, Figma AI or uizard. For copy, Claude or specialized UX writing tools like Notion. Alternatively, and this we’ll show you in our Masterclass, you write elaborate prompts for your favourite LLM to automate these tasks.
Step 3 is creating templates and workflows that combine AI efficiency with your human expertise and quality control.
The goal isn’t to let AI do everything for you. That would be foolish. You want to let AI handle the grunt work so you can focus on strategy, creativity, and client relationships. You know, the stuff many UX folks usually really enjoy.
AI Masters are commanding 2-3x higher rates
Here’s what nobody talks about in this new AI UX space. AI Master designers aren’t just working faster and more efficiently. I mean that’s definitely a nice perk, but they’re also getting paid significantly more.
When you can deliver a complete UX audit in 2 days instead of 2 weeks, you can charge premium rates for speed and efficiency. When you can present clients with 10 refined design directions instead of 2, you demonstrate value that justifies higher fees. When you can iterate and test designs rapidly, you become indispensable to clients who need to move fast in competitive markets. AI Masters are positioning themselves as strategic partners who deliver exceptional results quickly, not just another designer who pushes pixels.
The market is rewarding efficiency and results, not the number of hours you spend struggling with manual processes.
The biggest mistake AI Haters make about job security
Most designers think avoiding AI will protect their jobs. They think they will become epicentres of their craft. Unparalleled. Unmatched. Unscathed. But they have it completely backwards. AI is still coming for them.
You’ve heard this saying before. It’s everywhere: The designers who will lose work aren’t the ones being replaced by AI. No, they’re the ones being replaced by other designers who use AI more effectively. AI is the killer advantage that you just have to learn today. A junior designer with strong AI skills can now produce work that previously required a senior designer, while senior designers with AI skills can handle projects that used to require entire teams. We’re all levelled up and are competing way beyond entry level jobs now. The threat isn’t artificial intelligence. Also, maybe it is. But really it’s a reality now. So, it’s other designers who embrace it while you resist it. You just can’t afford that anymore.
Your job security comes from being irreplaceable, and in 2025, that means being the designer who delivers exceptional results faster than anyone else. The designer that kills it with AI.
How to transition from AI Hater to AI Master in 30 days
The good news is you don’t need to overhaul your entire career overnight. Phew, I know you’re relieved. But, hey, you do need to start immediately.
Week 1: Choose one repetitive task in your workflow and find the best AI tool to automate it. Start with something low-risk like generating initial wireframes or writing first-draft microcopy.
Week 2: Learn proper prompt engineering for that tool and create templates you can reuse.
Week 3: Add a second AI tool to your workflow, focusing on a different part of your process.
Week 4: Combine your new AI-powered efficiency with your existing expertise to deliver one project that showcases the quality and speed difference.
Then use that project as a case study to attract higher-paying clients who value efficiency and results over traditional methods.
The UX design industry is splitting into two groups: those who embrace AI and thrive, and those who resist it and get left behind. The choice is yours, but the window to make this transition is closing fast. And we’re offering you an invaluable Masterclass to easily get ahead.
Which type of designer will you be in 2025?
I was busy today and I couldn't watch the live session today. Is it recorded?