Why Designers Can No Longer Trust the Design Process

Jenny Wen critiques the traditional, rigid design process, arguing it's outdated for today's fast-evolving tech landscape, especially with AI advancements. She contends that the conventional process overemphasizes strategy at the expense of craft, leading to an obsession with process artifacts rather than impactful end results. Wen suggests designers should prioritize intuition, rapid prototyping, and a willingness to deviate from prescribed steps. She highlights examples from Anthropic and Figma, where solutions-first approaches and relentless iteration on details led to successful features like Claude artifacts and FigJam's collaborative tools. Ultimately, Wen advocates for designers to trust their judgment and adapt processes to suit the unique needs of each project, focusing on creating delightful, high-quality user experiences.