8 Create Ape-Approved AI Tools for UX/UI Designers

AI tools for UX/UI designers…friend or foe?

Like it or not, AI is here to stay. But we have a long, LONG way to go before its creative-thinking skills are on par with a UX designer. Hopefully, we’ll never experience the dystopian nightmare that is autonomous AI.

But what do we do until then? Embrace the change!

AI had a significant impact on employee productivity in the last few years. This LinkedIn article estimates that strategic AI implementation has cut operational costs by 30% through task automation and boosted overall efficiency by 40%.

Do you know what that means for creatives like us? More energy to focus on pushing the envelope with our designs!

But reducing the time we spend on tedious tasks isn’t the only benefit. With the right systems and prompts, these AI tools for UX/UI designers can help us streamline workflows, generate new ideas, and curb the brain blocks and burnout synonymous with our field.

Our Top 8 AI Tools For UX/UI Designers:

• Midjourney
• Builder.io
• Adobe Firefly
• Uizard
• Khroma
• Resemble.ai
• ChatGPT
• Poised
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Mastering AI As A Digital Product Designer

We know what you’re thinking…”Why should I work AI into my design process when I’M the one with creative capabilities?”

At this point, you may have dealt with a client or a stakeholder that would rather cut costs and let AI do all the heavy lifting. You may be tired of having your skills undervalued in comparison. But truth be told, AI is only as good as the person entering the prompts.

AI relies on user input to gather information, spit out results, and refine based on feedback (find out more about how it works in our “Will AI Replace UX Designers” blog).

In short, a UX designer needs to tell the AI what the users are looking for through our research and findings for it to generate workable solutions.

With all the different platforms designed for information architecture, art direction, coding, and writing, all the tools to become a more well-rounded designer are at your fingertips. But it needs YOUR creative direction to produce your unique product vision.

By learning how to talk to the AI and influence the right response, you can drastically reduce the time it takes to ideate and consider some options you haven’t even thought of. Plus, mastering these systems can help you fill gaps in your skill set and create a fully-realized product to present to your clients.

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8 AI Tools Every UX/UI Designer Should Try At Least Once

We’ve talked up AI a lot in this blog and previous ones, but we haven’t touched on specific tools we use here at CreateApe and would recommend to other UX Designers.

These are just a few of our favorites. Keep in mind that AI is still in its infancy, and some of these products may not work perfectly the first couple of times. Or you may find another system that serves the same purpose but fits better into your workflow.

The trick is to keep an open mind and play around with different tools until you find one that works best for you (or until you can guide it into giving you the results you want). Also, with new AI tools for UX/UI designers releasing frequently, keep your ear to the ground for the latest advancements!

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Midjourney

• The Value: “Create awe-inspiring masterpieces effortlessly and explore the endless possibilities of AI-generated art. Enter a prompt, choose a style, and watch Imagine - AI art generator bring your ideas to life!”

• Why We Use It: AI art has been controversial since its inception. At this point, their systems have received thousands of prompts related to our clients’ purposes (patients at a doctor’s office, someone using a beauty or personal care product, and so on).
  
  Instead of relying on Midjourney to create finished UI designs and branding assets, we use it to guide and refine our art direction, messaging, and information architecture as we go. By leveraging and expanding on Midjourney’s suggestions, we can gather more ideas and iterate until we land on something unique to our client’s brand.
  
• Pros: Midjourney’s text-to-image generator is especially impressive. With this feature, you can provide more detail outside of the subject and color palettes to try out different art styles (minimalist, corporate illustrations, charcoal, ink drawings, etc).
  
  Though Midjourney is still in beta testing, they’re working on adding features similar to Photoshop (inpainting, background replacement, image expansion, and more). These are sure to be a game changer in the design world.

• Cons: Outside of some wonky-looking hands? Well, there are a few minor ones. Midjourney isn’t free to use anymore due to people abusing the system. And the only way you can access it is through a Discord server.
  
  The server gets crowded due to having so many users. But if you sign up for the pro plan, you can send your prompts to Midjourney’s Discord bot via private messages. Check out this article from zapier.com on how to use Midjourney through Discord.
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Builder.io

• The Value: “Eliminate long backlogs and missed deadlines. Leverage our Visual Headless CMS to visually build and optimize web and mobile experiences on your existing sites and apps to move faster, together.”

• Why We Use It: In a perfect world, every designer would understand coding to make the product behave as envisioned. We can’t all be cross-functional experts, but tools like builder.io get us a little closer.
  
  With this plug-and-play system, our designers can create API-based infrastructures for their work native to whatever code stack they’re using. Plus, with their handy dandy Figma plugin, we can import our designs, and the AI reads and rearranges the layers.

• Pros: With builder.io, building a fully customized site (from designs to interactions) is as easy as using something like Squarespace. The platform enables us to use our client’s existing data (like product catalogs or customer databases) and create building blocks to drag and drop data into a dynamic interface.
  
• Cons: Depending on who you ask, this could be a pro or a con. Builder.io doesn’t eliminate the need for a front and back-end development team. You may still need a consultant to come in and help with integrating and styling components, especially if you don’t consider yourself super tech-savvy.
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Adobe Firefly

• The Value: “Experiment, imagine, and create an infinite range of images with Firefly, generative AI-powered content creation from Adobe.”

• Why We Use It: Powered by Adobe (of Photoshop and InDesign fame), Firefly is a robust generative AI tool that behaves similarly to Midjourney. However, Firefly has more bells and whistles like generative fills, text effects, recoloring, and 3D image building.
  
  This system is hugely helpful for our designers proficient in Adobe Suite (which is most of us). Firefly allows us to download whatever we create in the app and upload it to other Creative Cloud tools to continue editing and refining.

• Pros: Firefly pulls from a huge library of public domain content (stock images, videos, and graphic designs) to ensure the legal use of each designer’s creation. While some might see this as limiting, we’d rather be safe than sorry with copyright infringement.
  
  But that’s not the only reason we love this creator-first platform! Adobe is actively pushing for ethical standards around AI artwork and working on compensation plans for stock contributors. As AI evolves, we’re happy to put our ball in their court.
  
• Cons: Firefly’s AI algorithm doesn’t pull results from other users’ results. It only goes off your input. Adobe structured it this way to protect artists from infringement and unintentional plagiarism, but the results won’t be as varied as Midjourney’s. However, you can rest assured that whatever you create is yours alone.
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Uizard

• The Value: “Design stunning prototypes in minutes. The world’s easiest-to-use design and ideation tool — powered by AI. No design experience required!”

• Why We Use It: If any AI tool is coming for our gigs, it’s Uizard. It’s a powerful tool that automates the entire digital product design process from wireframing to prototypes. With a few simple text prompts or even a sketch upload, Uizard generates fully designed screens and flows for your team to improve on.
  
  With Uizard, all you really need is an idea. The platform has several ready-made templates for wireframes, landing pages, apps, and component libraries to help turn concepts into fleshed-out products.

• Pros: Each of these platforms claim that the possibilities are endless with AI, but it’s especially true with Uizard. From text-to-mockup UI generation to turning sketches and screenshots into editable designs, Uizard can potentially cut down the product design process from years to months (or even months to weeks).

• Cons: AI tools (even one as revolutionary as Uizard) lack the user empathy capabilities of a living, breathing human. You can upload sketches or take screenshots of your favorite products all day, but it still can’t guarantee all the features or functionalities that suit your target user.
  
  Treat a product like Uizard as just a jumping-off point instead of a fix-it-and-forget-it solution. Let the AI generate the blueprint for your product, then massage it to make room for content the user needs to accomplish their goals.
  
  And it also goes without saying…TEST IT!
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Khroma

• The Value: “Khroma uses AI to learn which colors you like and creates limitless palettes for you to discover, search, and save.”

• Why We Use It: So many brands are instantly recognizable through their color palettes, so picking the right ones is a daunting task for designers and stakeholders. Khroma streamlines that process by having you choose 50 options from its massive library — and based on your selection, its neural network generates palettes, typography, or gradients.

• Pros: Out of all the platforms we’ve talked about so far, Khroma is by far the easiest to use (you don’t even have to create an account). The process can be lengthy since there are so many options, but it’s a fun exercise to try in either a client meeting or a brainstorming session.
  
• Cons: There aren’t a whole lot of downsides to Khroma. However, it’s not the best platform for real-time collaboration since your data is only saved locally on the browser and device you use. But you can download your data and re-upload it to another device.
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Resemble.ai

• The Value: “Resemble’s AI voice generator lets you create realistic human-like voice-overs in seconds.”

• Why We Use It: We know users absorb information better through videos. But there’s not always room in the timeline or budget to hire a voice actor and have them record explainer videos. That’s where resemble.ai comes in.
  
  Whether you want to use your voice or a pre-recorded one from their community, resemble’s algorithm adds enhancements, emphasis, and emotions to the right words to create a personable voice-over that speaks to your target audience.

• Pros: Resemble thinks outside of the box with AI voice-over features. Outside of turning your script into the voice of your target user, the platform also has localization features to translate speech into different languages — a huge plus if you have a large international audience.
  
  Whether you want to use your voice or a pre-recorded one from their community, resemble’s algorithm adds enhancements, emphasis, and emotions to the right words to create a personable voice-over that speaks to your target audience.

• Cons: This con is less about Resemble and more about voice AI in general. All AI platforms are subject to misuse. So if you’re uploading your voice, proceed with caution.
  
  This is likely to create more trouble for public figures (and users wanting to appropriate their voices and likeness). Just be aware of any legal repercussions arising from voice AI platforms.
  
  In short, we know you want Morgan Freeman to narrate your product, but we don’t recommend using AI to make that a reality.
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ChatGPT

• The Value: “We’ve trained a model called ChatGPT which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”

• Why We Use It: ChatGPT has taken the creative world by storm for better or worse. We could talk all day about the ramifications of this system on our news and entertainment. But for now, we’ll focus on the potential benefits of this AI tool for UX/UI designers.
  
  Many designers struggle with creating messaging that amplifies their visuals and the brand’s personality. With a suggestive prompt, ChatGPT generates content that expands on ideas or shaves them down to fit the allotted space in the design.
  
  Since ChatGPT’s model is conversational, you can continue training the algorithm if you’re not fully satisfied with the results. Drop in your commands to shorten the copy or tweak the voice and tone so the system gives you exactly what you need.

• Pros: Messaging is extremely important in engaging your target audience — it needs to be just as strong (if not stronger than) the visual components in your product to encourage repeat usage. ChatGPT is the best writing assistant you can ask for if you're not confident in your writing abilities.
  
  ChatGPT is a member of the OpenAI family of products, and it’s quickly becoming a one-stop shop for AI services. Features like DALL.E and API help designers and developers create original images that bring concepts to life and integrate existing applications or systems into their digital products.

• Cons: Though ChatGPT’s algorithm is constantly learning (in a non-scary way), the copy it generates has a limited and repetitive vocabulary. You can ask the AI to vary up the language a bit — but you'll want to keep a thesaurus on hand just in case.
  
  Another big drawback of ChatGPT is that it doesn’t always generate accurate information. Always fact-check the data it spits out to avoid misleading your users. Also, make sure to correct the AI by entering your findings (so the algorithm can take notes).
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Poised

• The Value: “Poised is the AI-powered communication coach that helps you speak with confidence and clarity. Private and secure, an essential tool for digital-first workplaces.”

• Why We Use It: A remote job (like the ones at CreateApe) is an introvert’s dream! But that doesn’t mean we don’t need solid communication skills. After all, our clients put their trust in us to create an impactful product — and we need to show our confidence when presenting our creations to them.
  
  Poised reads your speech in real time during meetings and provides feedback on everything from your tone to the filler words you use. It also recognizes trends in your speech patterns and tracks your progress to help you improve your presentation skills.

• Pros: Public speaking is one of the most common phobias (surveys typically indicate that 72-75% of the human population share this fear). With recommendations from Poised, you can adjust your speech on the fly and calm the fear about how you're perceived by your audience.
  
  But the benefits of Poised aren’t limited to presentations. In fact, this system is perfect for interview prep with tips about passive voice misuse, speed, filler words, and interruptions.
  
• Cons: Poised only works in English (for now). But if English isn’t your first language, this system can still be helpful for grammar and word pronunciation. There is also a slight delay in the real-time feedback feature. We recommend using Poised when your meeting has three or more participants to give you time to digest new information.
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See The Benefits Of These AI Tools For UX/UI Designers!

As you can see, we think AI tools are a valuable asset for UX/UI designers, providing opportunities to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and generate new ideas.

While some of these products are still working out kinks, they significantly support and augment our busy, multi-tasking workflows. By strategically leveraging these eight tools, we’ve reduced tedious tasks and expanded our creative horizons as a team.

The key lies in understanding how to work alongside AI effectively. Recognize that it’s only as good as the input and guidance you provide. By mastering these AI tools for UX/UI designers, you can optimize your workflow, fill skill gaps, and deliver fully-realized products to your clients.

So even if you’re hesitant about AI, play around with a few systems and see how they can help you improve your processes. Who knows, you may find yourself taking a liking to a specialized field in UX/UI design through AI exploration!

If you’re looking for a fun agency job where you can use AI to take your designs to the next level, we’re always looking to add talented new apes to our shrewdness. Check out our open positions and apply today!