Double click: What does it mean to be a designer in the age of AI?

In a world where anyone can design and develop a working app, why do titles even exist? It’s a question we hear more and more often. We explored the rise of the generalist

earlier this year, asking whether dot-connecting could be more impactful than deep domain expertise. And as our recent research found

Are roles and responsibilities a thing of the past?

For years, the boundaries between product development roles have become less defined. Our latest report quantifies this shift and explores what it means for you and your team.

, 64% of product builders now identify with two or more roles. These professional identities aren’t just about workflows and swim lanes; they help us understand each other and ourselves. Here, we explore how this is playing out, and how leaders and practitioners are processing the changes.

What’s in a title?

Titles convey status, imply expertise, and signal values. They help us connect quickly with others by giving us a shorthand for how to understand and relate to another person. Studies show that titles can even increase satisfaction with work. One study authored by Adam Grant found letting employees choose their own title improved feelings of psychological safety and reduced emotional exhaustion by up to 10% in five weeks. “Because job titles usually carry deep social and cultural meaning, the opportunity to create one’s own job title may serve as a powerful starting point for job crafting and identity work,” the report states.

Roles and titles also change over time, a mirror of the values and tensions that define a particular era. For example, a “designer” meant a very different thing in 1950 than it does today. Back then, the focus was on the design of objects and printed visuals, but very few would have imagined a design profession in the context of software. Similarly, the role of “software engineer” didn’t surface until 1966 in an Association for Computing Machinery president’s letter.

Digital product development has changed so rapidly in the last two decades that it's no wonder job titles are more fluid than ever. Design leader Kim Lenox told us that during the original dot com boom she referred to herself as an “international product manager, program manager, developer, and artist.” For the first 10 years of her career, “HR didn’t know what title—and job family—to give [her].” Just in the last couple of years, the role of “prompt engineer” gained rapid traction and then cooled—and many of us are left wondering which new roles will pop up next.

The reality of roles

Nikolas Klein, designer turned product manager at Figma, says he introduces himself as “a product designer in a PM trenchcoat.” For him, titles are helpful because they offer career ladders and set expectations when interacting with new people. He found his shift to product management changed how people looked at him when they hadn’t worked with him before: His expertise in strategy, service design, and connecting the dots felt more expected and allowed him to spend less time on visual design.

Jake Albaugh

, Developer Advocate at Figma, has a nuanced view: “Roles have always felt like a limitation, knowing that the definition of the role is changing over time as my expertise increases.” This doesn’t discount the power of earning a title for the first time, however: “Confidently labeling my role as ‘software engineer’ after some time as a web designer felt very empowering.” One of the reasons is that roles are often associated with what the industry values at a certain time. “People want to make sure they are being labeled in whatever way aligns to the value they offer to the industry,” Jake says.

For Emmet Connolly, Intercom’

s senior vice president of design, this is part of the challenge with a new title: “Roles are clearly shifting, so I understand why people look for new labels to give things. But we have no idea what these roles are changing into, so picking a new name doesn't seem like an urgent priority to me. Let's figure out the bigger question of what the new role is.”

On Lenny’s Podcast, Julie Zhuo and Lenny Rachitsky both shared that they no longer identify as a “designer” or “PM.” Instead, they say they are simply “builders.” Even if change is afoot, some bristle against a more expansive term. “‘Builder’ has no meaning—it’s an executional role,” says Interbrand Chief Creative Officer Fura Johannesdottir. “Design is a way of seeing the world,” she says. “It’s not just a job; it’s kind of a lifestyle. I always introduce myself as a designer, it has meaning for me.” Ben Lehnert, design leader and Princeton design and entrepreneurship fellow, agrees: “I still very much identify as a designer because I think I've not found any better way to describe what I do.”

What’s next?

None of these terms is objectively better. In some situations a role like “designer” might convey gravitas or creativity, and “engineer” might imply technical acuity or systems thinking. At the same time, roles can be reductive, forcing people into a box. “Naming a thing can be both useful and limiting,” Emmet says. Figma Advocate Kaitie Chambers

cautions that this could go too far: “My biggest concern is when people think we can replace these roles wholesale. I think that undermines the value of collective creativity and collaboration that empowers teams to do much more than any one person can alone.”

The TLDR

For now, there’s a lot of work to do to figure out new AI-enhanced workflows. “Just as teams today are made up of people who are variously creative, technical, or analytical, so will AI-powered teams in the future,” says Emmet. Jake agrees: “Let the work explain itself, not the role. Figure out what types of abstractions and explorations across all of product design and development are most interesting to you. Pursue the work, the labels will come later.” They’ll be changing anyway.