How to Turn AI into Leverage on Your Next Project
A few weeks ago, I had to sketch out an onboarding flow for a sports app. Normally I’d burn half a day making rough wireframes. Instead, I asked an AI tool to generate five navigation patterns in simple text. Within minutes, I had options on the table. None were perfect, but two pushed my thinking in directions I wouldn’t have reached as quickly. That shaved hours off my process and gave me more time to refine the flow.
That’s what leverage looks like.
AI isn’t here to replace designers. It’s here to amplify them. The difference is in how you approach it.
Most designers fall into one of two camps:
- Fearful: worried AI will automate their craft out of existence.
- Dismissive: convinced AI is a toy, not a tool.
Both miss the point.
Think of AI as an intern who works at the speed of light. They’re not going to ship a polished portfolio piece for you. But they will:
- Generate 20 layout variations in seconds
- Draft a rough first pass of microcopy you can refine
- Surface research summaries before you even open a doc
This doesn’t erase your role. It extends it. Instead of spending hours on low-value starts, you can spend that energy on the high-value finishing.
Next time you start a project, try this:
- Frame the problem clearly – before prompting anything, write one tight sentence about the goal.
- Use AI for volume, not verdicts – generate multiple options, then trust your designer’s eye to filter.
- Iterate in cycles – bounce between AI drafts and your craft until the result clicks.
A quick experiment for you #
Open your favourite AI tool and prompt it:
“Give me five different navigation layouts for a mobile sports app. Show them in simple text wireframes, not polished visuals.”
Spend five minutes skimming the outputs. Notice how it stretches your thinking without locking you in. That’s leverage.
The designers who thrive in the next decade won’t be the ones who reject AI or blindly follow it. They’ll be the ones who learn to direct it, like an orchestra conductor.
Start small. Use AI to accelerate the boring bits, then double down on the creative decisions only you can make.