Prompting the Future of Design

AI is often framed as a tool that delivers answers, but the quality of those answers depends entirely on the quality of the questions fed into it. That is the core thesis behind The Prompt, a new publication from Figma's Story Studio and Brand Studio. The project treats prompt engineering as a craft akin to interviewing or editing: thoughtfully designed input—context, framing, and guidance—is what draws useful output from a Large Language Model (LLM). An AI's capability is inert until coaxed, and the editors argue that the human impulse to question is what activates it.

The collection features voices from inside Figma and beyond—designers, engineers, roboticists, and product leaders—who are exploring what it means to build with AI today. Multidisciplinary designer and roboticist Madeline Gannon describes their shared ambition as bringing "legibility to these complex systems." Far from dwelling on theoretical futures, the contributors focus on what AI can reliably deliver right now. Figma co-founder and CEO Dylan Field puts the current moment in perspective: "We are in the telnet days of LLM and diffusion model interfaces. There are so many possibilities for new interaction models to explore."

Humans, Not Replacements

On the perennial question of whether AI will replace designers and engineers, even the AI itself demurs. Claude, Anthropic's LLM, concedes: "There may be some contexts or situational nuances that I could miss without having a truly human experiential base to draw from." That gap is why the human-in-the-loop model matters. Figma CTO Kris Rasmussen sees engineering as far more than code output: "It's also about knowing which problems to solve and how to solve them."

This is a humbler vision of the AI era, one where the technology needs human judgment as much as humans need the technology's generative power. The subtleties of context, the nuance of style, and the pull of intuition remain firmly in the human domain. The more users poke and prod AI to refine its output, the clearer both its limits and its potential become—and the more sharply our own capacities come into focus.

Essays and Inquiries

The magazine launches at Config 2024 and is also available in the Figma Store, with a print edition designed by Chloe Scheffe and illustrations by Jiyung Lee, Kyle Platts, Lena Weber, and Thomas Merceron. Each piece responds to a single provocative question, including:

  • What is good design in the age of AI?
  • Why are we so afraid of code as a commodity?
  • What is minimum viable data?
  • What happens when you start at 0.5?
  • Can we reach beyond the echo chamber?
  • Is efficiency the enemy of creativity?
  • How do you build AI features people want and trust?
  • What would you ask if nobody could judge you?
  • What is the importance of ADI in the age of AGI?
  • Is automation the key to unlocking the full potential of design systems?
  • Should robots be building our homes?
  • Are we finally entering the age of androids?

The opening essay, "What is good design in the age of AI?", features Figma Vice President of Product Design Noah Levin and his team, who consider how long-held principles of the design craft remain salient now that AI has shifted the baseline of the product development process.

An illustration shows a whimsical scene inside a library filled with books and small robots. A giant woman, smiling with curiosity, is interacting with the scene, pointing at different books on the shelves. The robots, each with a happy face on their screens, are engaged in various activities: reading, painting, organizing books, and even playing a musical instrument. The background features a blue sky with fluffy clouds, adding a cheerful atmosphere to the scene. Books with titles like "3D Printing," "Data," and "Ghost in the Shell" are visible on the shelves, contributing to the playful and educational theme.