# We're in a World Where Designers Have Huge Amounts of Leverage **URL:** \ **Category:** Open topics\ **Tags:** ai, design\ **Created:** [February 18, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652 "2026-02-18T16:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2026, 4:59pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/1 "2026-02-18T16:59:00Z")
Designers have been in a pretty tough position for the last 5 or so years (maybe longer?). PMs making all of the important decisions, designers taking the high-road for what they think matters. People think that AI is going to increase this problem. I’d say _they’re wrong_. I want to share a small example of a new tool that was launched not too long ago: ![System Design Simulator 2026-02-18 at 9.44.08 AM](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/2X/f/f96e3591a5ff333815176ef375d7500161d83348.jpeg) It’s a visual way to look at architecture, find bottlenecks, etc. You can find it here if you’re truly interested: [https://paperdraw.dev/](https://paperdraw.dev/) What’s interesting: a particular trend that I’m noticing, is that with the ease of pumping out code, people are leaning into visual workflows. 3D Graphs to display complex data relations, web games to visualize AI outputs, and so much more. My guess is that we’ll keep seeing this trend. Harder things have become easier. A fully animated site with complex 3D renderings are easier to produce than ever… but the better question is _should you_? I do agree that we have to be shooting for things that improve understanding, make interaction friendlier and easier to access, but if the visuals are making things overly complex, and forcing users to focus on the wrong things, it probably isn’t worth it. **I think this is where designers are going to shine.** What’s actually worth implementing and what isn’t in a world full of near-infinite choices. It’s cool to see how the world is changing. I’ve seen even more people take up building video games, creating movie scenes, and doing things that they just didn’t have the desire to do it because the skill gaps were just so large. With infinite, cheap execution, the designer’s eyes become the world’s most valuable asset. ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 12:04am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/2 "2026-02-19T00:04:12Z")
Yuuuuus! I thought this was funny because the emphasis on how “anyone can design these days” being more of a narrative with AI support. But let us not forget our friend…. or foe? 😉 (kidding) “[Dear developers: I love you. Please stop designing.](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/kolessna_uxdesign-productdesign-designer-activity-7427735281648467969-Glqo?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABaMXHYBJmINgskN9pYbvwXznCvMoqMlCDA)” I loved her post so much for this reason! Design is still so necessary & the voice in the room is almost more important than ever! IMO, I think we’ll see a large drop in quality as people try to iron this out. ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 5:50pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/3 "2026-02-19T17:50:59Z")
I think every career is still currently needed even in the product realm, but the tasks keep changing. ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/4 "2026-02-19T18:49:26Z")
Mmm, tasks, yes. But associated / perceived value too.. ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 8:38pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/5 "2026-02-19T20:38:02Z")
Yes- agreed! So, how do you lean into what’s valuable? ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/6 "2026-02-19T22:03:15Z")
> [@ben](#): > > So, how do you lean into what’s valuable? I’d argue in our current climate of work, its continuing to lean into judgement. Like @Bryan has called out continuously, outcomes. I think the getting there part (deciding what matters, why it matters, and when it’s good enough) is where the value shows up, currently. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2026, 4:07am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/7 "2026-02-22T04:07:24Z")
> [@ben](#): > > **I think this is where designers are going to shine.** What’s actually worth implementing and what isn’t in a world full of near-infinite choices. Design is becoming more like an operating system that shapes how products work, people interact and agents follow. ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/8 "2026-02-23T17:01:55Z")
Agreed! ---
**Author:** ![MoData](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/modata/32/1182_2.png) [@MoData](https://forum.zurb.com/u/MoData)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 1:02am UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/9 "2026-02-24T01:02:08Z")
This is where taste will become such a large part of designers’ jobs moving forward. No longer taste in their own ability to design, but taste in (in)validating the design variations that AI can push out much faster. And we all know AI mostly gets the structure of objects right without really nailing all the details, so there’s going to be an emphasis on their skills in finish work rather than creative explorations. ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/10 "2026-02-24T17:48:19Z")
> [@MoData](#): > > This is where taste will become such a large part of designers’ jobs moving forward. Agreed! Taste is everything for a lot of people. I’m starting to see custom, niche SaaS software as restaurants, big product companies like mcdonalds, and build-it-yourself people like cook from home ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 4:43pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/11 "2026-03-01T16:43:42Z")
> [@MoData](#): > > This is where taste will become such a large part of designers’ jobs moving forward. No longer taste in their own ability to design, but taste in (in)validating the design variations that AI can push out much faster. I’d argue only 1/10 designers have taste. So does that mean we only need 1/10 the designers? ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/12 "2026-03-02T16:55:53Z")
> [@Bryan](#): > > I’d argue only 1/10 designers have taste. So does that mean we only need 1/10 the designers? ![Think Sesame Street GIF](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/2X/c/c051ec9fa6d875a3596fc9cff07753aef3e1b3b2.gif) ---
**Author:** ![EricZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ericz/32/692_2.png) [@EricZ](https://forum.zurb.com/u/EricZ)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/13 "2026-03-03T19:22:48Z")
Spoken like a true designer. ![Footprints GIF by WMEvangelism](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/2X/7/7f915276f4e2e0bdff1c26c7c0c0fabf4275bfcd.gif) “I am the only one with taste!” ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/14 "2026-03-04T21:59:05Z")
haha, I was going to say…. 1/10?! Especially when taste is subjective. No wonder so many people are worried about their value. haha. ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/15 "2026-03-05T16:54:28Z")
I’m not worried, especially for people who are seeing this early. But, I am worried about the people with taste who are pretty eccentric (I’m looking at you @EricZ 🤣). ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 7:52pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/16 "2026-03-27T19:52:23Z")
> [@ben](#): > > **I think this is where designers are going to shine.** What’s actually worth implementing and what isn’t in a world full of near-infinite choices. Agreed. I think this shift is forcing the best creators to serve as curators, influencers, and drivers of feedback. ![ai-illusion-of-done](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/2X/8/8770f72b799b974a0f20438ff7afd9169ce06fba.png) > **[AI Output vs Feedback Loops in Product Work | Bryan Zmijewski posted on the...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryanzmijewski_weve-been-getting-faster-at-producing-work-activity-7441189822024617984-jJKY)** > > We’ve been getting faster at producing work. > > Not better at learning. > > I’ll be honest, I’ve even seen our own team slide into generating pages of outputs with AI, review them, refine them… and still have no idea if any of it actually works. The... ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/17 "2026-04-27T15:47:21Z")
I keep coming back to the idea of leverage. AI is making it really easy for teams to build faster than ever…more ideas, more screens, more output… …but I don’t think it’s making it any easier to decide what actually matters. And that’s where I’m seeing a lot of things start to feel off in all these outputs. In a few conversations I had last week, the pattern was the same with the customers I was advising. Teams (especially engineering) are moving faster, but they’re not always clearer. There’s more getting created, but not always more impact. I put together some more thoughts on where I think design creates leverage. > **[Most teams track metrics. Few track needs. In an AI world, that gap turns...](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bryanzmijewski_most-teams-track-metrics-few-track-needs-share-7454221549785751552-suzH)** > > Most teams track metrics. Few track needs. > > In an AI world, that gap turns into leverage. AI makes building easy. It removes friction from output, but it doesn’t remove friction from users. > > So what happens? > > With the right setup, engineering can... ---
**Author:** ![ben](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/ben/32/442_2.png) [@ben](https://forum.zurb.com/u/ben)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/18 "2026-04-27T16:05:46Z")
> [@Bryan](#): > > …but I don’t think it’s not making it any easier to decide what actually matters. Do research agents count? 😆 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/bryan/32/448_2.png) [@Bryan](https://forum.zurb.com/u/Bryan)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/19 "2026-05-12T15:26:15Z")
Speaking of research agents, Glare is live! Excited to make the framework more Agent friendly. ![glare-product-design-decisions](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/helio/original/2X/9/926be549e332b0248a5beb0b5bb5436891c37ff1.png) ---
**Author:** ![nathaliesmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forum.zurb.com/nathaliesmith/32/443_2.png) [@nathaliesmith](https://forum.zurb.com/u/nathaliesmith)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652/20 "2026-05-12T15:27:14Z")
WOOOOOTTTTTT 💥 proud of you guys!!! This is amazing. [Next page](https://forum.zurb.com/t/were-in-a-world-where-designers-have-huge-amounts-of-leverage/652.md?page=2)