The hidden cost of AI prototypes that are made to die
Weekly curated resources for designers — thinkers and makers.
“Prototypes are no longer as special as they once were. They’re now the bare minimum.
But this speed comes with limitations. Many AI-generated prototypes are never meant to survive past the moment they’re validated. They do their job in a meeting or a user test, but then they’re rebuilt by engineering or even trashed. But the prototypes didn’t “fail,” they were just created with a different intention and outcome.”
The hidden cost of AI prototypes that are made to die →
Introducing Mobbin for Animations →
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Editor picks
Escaping the ennui in UI →
How vibedesign created a vicious slope of AI slop.Your research tools got smarter… Did you? →
Which side of the line you’re standing on.Get behind me, AI writer →
A reverse-engineered drafting process that keeps humans in charge.
The UX Collective is an independent design publication that elevates unheard design voices and helps designers think more critically about their work.
Li Wang captures life, love, and longing in color →
Make me think
Life after Figma is coming (and it will be glorious) →
“As engineers speed up the bottleneck in any given product team is being felt further up the stack in the design team. In modern teams it’s no longer acceptable for a designer to spend 2 weeks in their mind palace creating the perfect UI.”Design systems are today’s cure and tomorrow’s cause of shitty software →
“A new kind of claustrophobia has kicked in now. Software ships across countless platforms and device types. UI frameworks are all but considered mandatory. There are layers and layers of complexity that make 2005 feel like a kindergartner’s naive daydream. Managing the complexity of “modern” software takes considerable focus. And focus doesn’t grow on trees.”Design is dead, it’s all evolution now →
“There was a time when products were designed with intent. Sections were organized into a hierarchy, features were given logical places. You could feel a system behind the product: what parts it consists of, how screens are organized, what kinds of data it has. Users didn’t analyze it consciously, but it helped them navigate and gave them a sense of control.”
Little gems this week
Getting carried away: When intelligence is replaced by compliance →
The tribal myths of leadership →
Tools and resources
How design leads are using AI →
The 80% job.Including citizens in the design process →
Field notes on trust and shared agency.Prototypes over mockups →
A practical guide to designing with code in 2026.
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