This is a question I get a lot when mentoring designers on ADPList. From my experience building AI-driven products at Adobe, traditional coding knowledge is not necessary. However, AI-assisted tools like Cursor have fundamentally changed the equation. I now use Cursor extensively to prototype concepts and pitch them to our PM, Marketing, and Design stakeholders, and it's become a core part of my workflow.
With tools like Cursor in combination with hosted models from HuggingFace, Replicate, and Fal, designers can build dynamic, high-fidelity prototypes without writing code from scratch. Static images still work for early ideation, but coded prototypes are far more compelling for demonstrating how an experience will actually behave, especially for micro-interactions. I believe working with AI to create dynamic prototypes is quickly becoming a requisite in this creative space. Let me know if you have any more questions.
The most important strategy to gain confidence and build your skillset is to play with the latest AI models and grow your understanding of how they work and what they are capable of. Don't let ideas sit restless in your mind; bring them to life through sketches, prototypes, and presentations. Then share these concepts widely with people you admire, colleagues, and online communities to quickly gather feedback. You'll be surprised how far an idea will go once it is out of your head and you share it with others.
Immerse yourself in what people are creating by following companies and influencers who share valuable content. Some people that I follow on X (Twitter) for personal inspiration: @fofrAI, @icreatelife, @gizakdag, @Pinsky, @cantrell, @jerrod_lew, @bilawalsidhu, @Swopes, @acostin, @lucatac0, @doronstudio, @philz1337x, @rufusd, @javilopen.
Staying current with emerging technology is a critical part of being an AI product designer because your designs are influenced by the latest AI models and trends. The right idea at the right time can make all the difference in your career and shipping a great product to your users. I regularly review what people are sharing on Pinterest, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and more and bookmark what I find interesting to reference it later to help validate an idea. It is beneficial to be an expert in what's happening so people come to you for advice and brainstorm ideas.
In addition, I’ve found it helpful to treat everyday interactions as chances to hear how people view AI and its impact on their lives. This brings a grounded read on what they’re feeling and what they want to see more or less of. It also surfaces blind spots that need attention, often around legal and ethical considerations in model training and datasets.
These are courses I've come across that offer a flexible way to start learning. I haven't enrolled in all of them, so check that content has been updated recently, technology moves fast.
I'm Davis Brown, a Staff Product Designer at Adobe based in Seattle, Washington with 10+ years in product design and development. Most recently, I helped pitch and lead design strategy for the first partner model integration across all Adobe products. This positions Adobe as the go-to destination for creatives by bringing the best AI models together in one place, opening new revenue streams while giving customers more powerful tools. Some popular models we shipped in Photoshop were Gemini (Nano Banana) and Topaz Gigapixel, with many more on the way.
I pitched and led the design for Generative Fill and Expand, working alongside an amazing team of researchers, engineers, and product managers to ship it in 2023. It became one of the most impactful AI features in creative software, changing how people approach creative tooling: 200M+ images generated and 1.2M app downloads in the first two weeks. The patterns we built together have since scaled to countless other features in Photoshop and across Adobe. I also produced two of the most viewed Photoshop TikToks, each with millions of views, and I've been grateful to share our journey at Adobe MAX.
My work has also extended to the design of the first text-to-image product at Adobe in Neural Filters, which eventually evolved into Adobe Firefly 1.0, as well as Generative Harmonization, Generative Upscale, Generate Image, and upcoming agentic workflows. This work has contributed to multiple patents.
Patents: Generative AI Inferred Prompt Outpainting (18/167,324), Image Inpainting Using Local Content Preservation (63/513,149), Neural Compositing by Embedding Generative Technologies into Non-Destructive Document Editing Workflows (63/379,806), Non-Destructive Generative Image Editing (18/329,058).
Proud ArtCenter College of Design grad with a love for mentoring the next wave of designers. I mentor on ADPList and share my art on Pinterest. Let's connect on LinkedIn or send me an email.
