AI + Design: Figma Users Tell Us What’s Coming Next | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Generative AI’s impact will depend not only on technical capability but also on how effectively it is designed into products and everyday workflows. A Figma survey of more than 1,800 designers, developers, and executives shows high expectations for AI, but limited evidence that current implementations are delivering meaningful value. The findings point to a risk of “AI feature fatigue” and suggest that thoughtful, user-centered design will determine whether AI becomes genuinely useful.

Survey Scope and Methodology

• Figma surveyed more than 1,800 users between February 26 and March 3, 2024.
• Participants included designers, developers, and executives across the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Japan, France, and Germany.
• The research examines how organizations view AI’s near-term impact and how teams are incorporating it into products.

High Expectations, Limited Results

• 89% of respondents expect AI to affect their company’s products or services within 12 months.
• 37% anticipate a “significant or transformative” impact.
• Executives are especially likely to view AI as important to company goals.
• Despite this optimism, 72% of people whose products include AI say it has only a minor or non-essential role.
• Only about one-third report improvements in business metrics such as revenue, costs, or market share.
• Fewer than one-third say they are proud of what they have shipped.

The Risk of AI Feature Fatigue

• Figma researchers observed growing indifference toward adding “yet another AI feature.”
• More than 20% of teams building AI products identify failure to solve a real user need as a major challenge.
• This concern is particularly strong among designers.
• Fewer than half of respondents working on AI products or features have shipped anything, indicating that a larger wave of AI products may still be coming.
• Organizations risk flooding the market with novelty features that users do not find useful.

Designing AI Into Existing Products

• One-third of respondents rank integrating AI coherently into existing products as a top challenge.
• Simply adding AI without improving the overall user experience is unlikely to drive adoption.
• Teams need to help users understand:
  • What AI tools are available
  • When those tools are useful
  • How AI improves existing workflows
• The article uses ChatGPT as an example: its rapid adoption was driven partly by a simple, accessible conversational interface, even though the underlying model capabilities already existed.
• Good design can make powerful technology more approachable, aligned with user expectations, and easier to use.

Practical Implication

AI products are more likely to succeed when they address concrete user problems rather than adding AI for its own sake. Organizations should prioritize coherent product integration, clear user experiences, and measurable improvements over ambitious but disconnected features.