And yet, graphic designers survived. They rolled up their sleeves and dove into Photoshop. They learned the basics, and then the shortcuts. New versions and softwares kept coming out, so they had to keep learning to stay in the game.

Over time, they got better and more efficient in doing their job. They adapted.

And now — just when we were all getting comfy with our daily grind — this huge, AI monster shows up. It didn’t knock — it just stormed in and made itself comfortable. Putting its feet up on our desks.

Am I okay with that? No, I’m not. Honestly, sometimes I’m scared like shit. I feel a little too old to be starting from scratch.

It’s powerful tool and it speeds things up. But sticking our heads in the sand won’t help. Since I obviously can’t compete with the machine, I had to ask myself — what am I doing here? Where do I actually add value as a UX designer?

My job is really about understanding people — and building solutions around their needs. That takes empathy and emotional intelligence. I ask questions to figure out what moves them and what frustrates them. Everything else comes second.

UX design, at least how we know it today, will probably change. AI might take over the repetitive stuff like building design systems or arranging screens. But understanding people and crafting experiences around their needs will matter even more.

Even though we’ve got all these powerful tools at our fingertips, we’re nowhere near making the most of them.

So here’s what I’m doing: I’m taking a page from those Photoshop pioneers. Rolling up my sleeves and diving into AI tools. Figuring out what’s out there and how they can speed up my work. All you need to do is to stay more skilled than your clients. That way, you’ll always be the person they need to call.

And like the experts say — a lot of our rational thinking actually comes from our emotions. So until AI learns to feel — we’re still good.