AI has become a regular part of my design workflow, but I've found that different tools are useful at different stages of a project rather than trying to do everything in one place.
For example:
- ChatGPT for brainstorming user flows, UX copy, and content ideas.
- Perplexity for quickly researching competitors or design patterns.
- GitHub Copilot when I'm working closely with developers or reviewing front-end code.
- Figma AI for speeding up repetitive design tasks inside Figma.
Recently, I've also been looking at local AI tools instead of relying only on cloud-based services. One example is LekhAI, which focuses on running AI models locally. While it's not a replacement for Figma, I can see potential use cases like generating early design concepts, organizing ideas, or experimenting with AI without sending everything to a cloud service. Privacy and offline access could be useful for teams working with sensitive projects.
That said, I don't think there's a single AI tool that fits every designer. The best choice probably depends on your workflow:
- Are you using AI for UX research?
- Creating wireframes?
- Writing microcopy?
- Generating illustrations or placeholder assets?
- Organizing design documentation?
I'm curious what everyone here is using.
If you could recommend just one AI tool that has genuinely improved your Figma workflow, what would it be, and what specific problem does it solve for you?