👾 Emerging + Future Design roles

If you’re wondering what’s next for the design industry, some pointers are starting to stand out. In a recent Honest UX Talks episode we unpacked the future of design roles as they are being shaped by the AI revolution and the way tech is progressing in general.

In this newsletter edition I’m going to list the main new design roles and unpack what they are about, so let’s dive into it!

1. Design Engineers

A role gaining popularity, sitting at the intersection of design and engineering. As you can tell from a UX engineer job description from Google these are roles that can wear a variety of hats.

I think that the essence of this role’s definition is: a designer that can implement their own solutions.

Tools like Framer can help you explore parts of the skillset needed for this role.

You can read more about what a Design Engineer does in this Medium article written by the Google Design team.

The Google team expands more on the role over here.

Even more on the topic can be explored in this YouTube video.

2. Conversational Designers

This role centers on crafting interactions for AI-driven systems, such as chatbots, virtual assistants, or voice-activated devices. Conversational designers focus on tone, personality, and the flow of interactions to create intuitive and human-like experiences. They ensure that AI systems respond appropriately and align with user expectations and brand identity.

A great overview of this role can be found here. 

And Conversational Designers are different from…

3. Model Designers

A niche role in the AI space, model designers shape how AI systems generate and present knowledge. They determine the structure and behaviour of AI models, focusing on aligning data inputs and outputs with user needs. This role blends technical understanding with design principles to create effective and ethical AI experiences - by basically shaping the models themselves.

Read more about Model Designers here:

4. Product Makers (or the PM Designer)

The Product Management role is also transforming, and my bet is that at some point the Design and PM role will start to converge into a single role: let’s call it Thinker / Maker.

This will be a holistic role that encompasses design, strategy, and product development. Product Makers focus on the entire lifecycle of a product, from ideation to implementation. They merge skills across disciplines, leveraging both human creativity and AI tools to create impactful solutions. This role basically sits at the convergence of traditional design, product management, and technical skills.

More about the death of Product Management can be explored in this talk and also in this talk.

5. Fluid Designers

This category isn’t so prominent yet, but it will probably be an evolution of the current Motion Design role.

These are designers specialising in creating dynamic, interactive and motion-based experiences. They’re skilled at combining animations, transitions and interactive elements to enhance user experiences.

Closing Thoughts

It looks like all is old and all is new - these roles are essentially combinations of existing roles, sometimes adding another layer of skills in their evolution, such as AI proficiency. Designers are adaptable and I’m confident that all of us can morph our roles and professional persona into what the new world is presenting us with.

💡 Want to learn more about The Future of Design Roles and how to remain competitive and still have a job? 😅

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