When Designers Stop Asking “Why”
The faster we build, the more important it becomes to solve the right problem.
Resources
When Designers Stop Asking “Why” and Start Asking “Can AI Do It?”
AI gives us a lot of new possibilities. It can generate images. It can write code. It can create interfaces. It can analyze information. It can automate tasks. And because of this, it is very easy to start with the technology instead of the problem. We see something AI can do and immediately think: “What can we build with this?” I think we should sometimes ask a different question. “Why do we need this?”
Start with the problem
Good Product Design starts with a problem. Imagine a company builds an AI feature that summarizes customer conversations. The technology works perfectly. But maybe customers don't actually need summaries. Maybe they need to find one important decision from hundreds of conversations. The team has built something technically impressive. But they didn't solve the real problem.
AI can make this mistake easier
The faster we can build, the easier it becomes to skip the thinking part. AI makes prototypes very cheap. That's great. But a prototype should help us answer a question. For example:
Do users understand this?
Is this workflow easier?
Does this feature save time?
Does the user trust the result?
If we don't have a question, we may just be building for the sake of building.
Designers need to ask “why”
I think one of the most important skills for designers in the AI era is asking good questions. Why are we building this? Why now? Why for this user? Why AI? Why this interaction? Why does this screen exist? These questions can sometimes feel slow. But they can save weeks of unnecessary work.
Saying “no” is part of design
Design is not only about creating things. It is also about removing things. A good designer should be comfortable saying: This feature isn't necessary. This interaction is confusing. This screen has too much information. This AI feature doesn't solve a real problem. We don't have enough evidence yet. These decisions can be uncomfortable. But they are part of good product design.
Technology should support the problem
AI is powerful. But it shouldn't become the reason a feature exists. The user should come first. The problem should come first. The technology should support the solution. That is why I prefer this question:
If AI can do this, should it?
That small change in thinking can lead to much better products.
Key takeaway
Don't start with what AI can do. Start with what the user actually needs.
Sources & Further Reading
Figma — 2026 AI Report (figma.com)
More to Discover
When Designers Stop Asking “Why”
The faster we build, the more important it becomes to solve the right problem.
Resources
When Designers Stop Asking “Why” and Start Asking “Can AI Do It?”
AI gives us a lot of new possibilities. It can generate images. It can write code. It can create interfaces. It can analyze information. It can automate tasks. And because of this, it is very easy to start with the technology instead of the problem. We see something AI can do and immediately think: “What can we build with this?” I think we should sometimes ask a different question. “Why do we need this?”
Start with the problem
Good Product Design starts with a problem. Imagine a company builds an AI feature that summarizes customer conversations. The technology works perfectly. But maybe customers don't actually need summaries. Maybe they need to find one important decision from hundreds of conversations. The team has built something technically impressive. But they didn't solve the real problem.
AI can make this mistake easier
The faster we can build, the easier it becomes to skip the thinking part. AI makes prototypes very cheap. That's great. But a prototype should help us answer a question. For example:
Do users understand this?
Is this workflow easier?
Does this feature save time?
Does the user trust the result?
If we don't have a question, we may just be building for the sake of building.
Designers need to ask “why”
I think one of the most important skills for designers in the AI era is asking good questions. Why are we building this? Why now? Why for this user? Why AI? Why this interaction? Why does this screen exist? These questions can sometimes feel slow. But they can save weeks of unnecessary work.
Saying “no” is part of design
Design is not only about creating things. It is also about removing things. A good designer should be comfortable saying: This feature isn't necessary. This interaction is confusing. This screen has too much information. This AI feature doesn't solve a real problem. We don't have enough evidence yet. These decisions can be uncomfortable. But they are part of good product design.
Technology should support the problem
AI is powerful. But it shouldn't become the reason a feature exists. The user should come first. The problem should come first. The technology should support the solution. That is why I prefer this question:
If AI can do this, should it?
That small change in thinking can lead to much better products.
Key takeaway
Don't start with what AI can do. Start with what the user actually needs.
Sources & Further Reading
Figma — 2026 AI Report (figma.com)
More to Discover
When Designers Stop Asking “Why”
The faster we build, the more important it becomes to solve the right problem.
Resources
When Designers Stop Asking “Why” and Start Asking “Can AI Do It?”
AI gives us a lot of new possibilities. It can generate images. It can write code. It can create interfaces. It can analyze information. It can automate tasks. And because of this, it is very easy to start with the technology instead of the problem. We see something AI can do and immediately think: “What can we build with this?” I think we should sometimes ask a different question. “Why do we need this?”
Start with the problem
Good Product Design starts with a problem. Imagine a company builds an AI feature that summarizes customer conversations. The technology works perfectly. But maybe customers don't actually need summaries. Maybe they need to find one important decision from hundreds of conversations. The team has built something technically impressive. But they didn't solve the real problem.
AI can make this mistake easier
The faster we can build, the easier it becomes to skip the thinking part. AI makes prototypes very cheap. That's great. But a prototype should help us answer a question. For example:
Do users understand this?
Is this workflow easier?
Does this feature save time?
Does the user trust the result?
If we don't have a question, we may just be building for the sake of building.
Designers need to ask “why”
I think one of the most important skills for designers in the AI era is asking good questions. Why are we building this? Why now? Why for this user? Why AI? Why this interaction? Why does this screen exist? These questions can sometimes feel slow. But they can save weeks of unnecessary work.
Saying “no” is part of design
Design is not only about creating things. It is also about removing things. A good designer should be comfortable saying: This feature isn't necessary. This interaction is confusing. This screen has too much information. This AI feature doesn't solve a real problem. We don't have enough evidence yet. These decisions can be uncomfortable. But they are part of good product design.
Technology should support the problem
AI is powerful. But it shouldn't become the reason a feature exists. The user should come first. The problem should come first. The technology should support the solution. That is why I prefer this question:
If AI can do this, should it?
That small change in thinking can lead to much better products.
Key takeaway
Don't start with what AI can do. Start with what the user actually needs.
Sources & Further Reading
Figma — 2026 AI Report (figma.com)