Andy Madrick - Why AI changed design handoff forever

AI is fundamentally reshaping design workflows by enabling designers to move beyond static Figma mockups into production-ready code. By leveraging LLMs and coding tools like Cursor, designers can now scaffold features, iterate on animations, and handle front-end tasks, effectively bridging the gap between design and engineering. While AI excels at rapid prototyping and scaffolding, the "last mile" of craft—specifically visual polish and nuanced animation—remains a critical human responsibility. Successful collaboration requires designers to break work into small, manageable pull requests, ensuring they remain accountable for the final outcome. This shift transforms the designer’s role from a visual creator to a builder who owns the digital artifact, ultimately fostering a more integrated, high-velocity development process where designers and engineers share a common source of truth in production code.