The Age of the Designer: How AI Is Transforming the Future of Work
Predicting the Disruption in Product Launch Workflows and the Gig Ecosystem
It’s possible that technological developments might defy my expectations, or that my perspective is too narrowly defined by my own experiences. Still, based on years of designing products — and the transformative impact of recent AI advancements — I want to share my vision for the near future. I could be wrong, and I invite you to read this lightly and with an open mind. : )
The Upcoming Golden Era for Designers
I believe we are on the brink of a golden age for designers. It’s reminiscent of the mid-to-late 2010s, when the explosive growth of big tech companies led to a rapid surge in software engineers’ salaries.
In fact, in the early 2000s, developers in Korea weren’t highly valued. Entry-level salaries for developers were around 20 to 30 million KRW per year at that time. But with the acceleration of the digital economy and IT’s deep penetration into every industry, super-demand for developers drove their value sky-high. Today, many companies offer entry-level engineers 60 million KRW or more — a remarkable shift, with engineers at the top of the “maker” professions.
I think we’ll see something similar for designers from 2025 and over the next decade. But there’s a catch:
This boom will be for “full-stack designers” only.
The Era of Designers Launching Products Solo
Last week, I launched a product using “vibe coding” in just three days. Naturally, securing revenue requires more — better security, proper database architecture, and sound infrastructure — but at the very least, I was able to single-handedly build something that worked and was compelling enough to validate demand from users.
We’re entering an age where one designer can handle everything from product ideation to launch, end-to-end. The “full-stack designer” — someone who can plan, design, and build — is becoming the new Super Individual Contributor.
Typically, the term “full-stack” has referred to developers who do both frontend and backend work. But with AI, we’re increasingly seeing terms like full-stack marketer, full-stack product owner (PO), and, now, full-stack designer, as people use AI tools to manage every part of their domain solo.
I once saw a job post looking for a full-stack PO who could handle product planning, design, and development alone. My view is that, for this role, a designer-type T-shaped professional (Type B) with deep expertise in product design, rather than a business/management-oriented Type A, is far better suited.
The Rise of the Full-Stack Designer
No matter how good the strategy, execution is what counts. Transforming a great business strategy into something users can actually engage with requires endless intuition and iteration.
How you organize even the exact same features influences whether users never discover them, or use them daily in delight. The way you present something fundamentally shapes how users perceive your product and brand.
Take, for example, two different AI service referrals:
The invitation from “Dia” feels like a private VIP ticket, while one from “Flowith” resembles annoying spam — even though Flowith may be great otherwise, that initial contact undermined user trust.
If you’re a founder with a strong vision and strategy, the person who can best bring it to life is a full-stack designer.
And if you’re a designer with a working understanding of business and development, your moment to found your own venture has arrived. You can prototype your ideas and test them in the market instantly; by iterating again and again, your business sense will naturally improve. Development skills will grow as you push your own limits or by finding a great co-founder who codes. (That’s advice I give myself, too.)
Product Launch Workflows Are About to Flip
How will the traditional product launch workflow change?
My prediction: Over the next six to twelve months, we’ll witness a huge transformation.
The old flow looked like this:
Idea → Planning → Design → Development → Launch
From now on, it will look more like this:
Ship a working prototype first (even if rough) → Iterate on design & development
To get things working, “vibe coding” will be used — release just enough design and development to validate with users, and only go deep on architecture and polish once you’re confident there’s real demand.
From Fake Prototypes to Real PoCs
Why this shift?
As designers, we’re used to creating prototypes before jumping into development, to quickly collect user feedback and improve usability.
But even the most realistic prototype is, in the end, fake. It’s a non-functional demo, using dummy data and mocked interactions — users inevitably realize things aren’t truly working.
Now, with vibe coding, your prototype is real.
The data you enter is truly processed; clicking moves you between screens; all core flows work. So, why waste time making fakes when you can just build the real thing, just as easily?
When I used vibe coding myself, I could immediately see, test, and direct further revisions based on actual use. It’s so much faster and more accurate — because you’re not guessing; you’re observing real friction as people use the real thing.
After launching the working prototype, you can focus on design finesse, architecture, and fine-tuned database design only after validating there’s real user demand.
This is what’s called a Proof of Concept (PoC): an initial, functional test built with minimal time and resources, to see if your idea really delivers and is viable.
We’re entering a world where real, working PoCs replace fake prototypes.
The Rise of the Prompt Review
Soon, prompt reviews will matter as much as code reviews ever did. In fact, not just for development, but for design, marketing, and strategy, “prompt review” will become an essential new step.
Today’s AI results depend massively on how precise and specific your prompts are. Well-crafted prompts coax high-quality, advanced outputs from even the most basic model, whereas vague instructions produce mediocre results — even from powerful AI.
So, before assigning AI any work, you need to write great prompts.
“If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Those four hours sharpening the axe? That’s prompt engineering.
Some development agencies now maximize AI productivity by making prompt engineering and prompt review the heart of their process.
As-Is:
Development (most of the time) → Senior code review → Deployment
To-Be:
Prompting (most of time) → AI + human prompt review → AI dev → AI code review → Human code review & tweaks → Deployment
This isn’t hypothetical; it’s already happening, and before long, prompt review will be the norm across all fields using AI. Companies that create, refine, and deliver specialized, high-quality prompts for industry-specific AIs will lead their markets.
New Roles and the True Gig Ecosystem
This new workflow will give rise to new roles — and a new kind of ecosystem:
- PoC Productizer: Developers who can rapidly transform PoC tech built with tools like vibe coding into robust business-ready products.
- Prompt Strategist: Professionals who craft high-quality prompts and manage prompt sets for optimal AI output across fields like design, marketing, and development.
I believe we’re about to see a real gig ecosystem take shape:
“Gig” originally referred to short-term jazz musician gigs, but is now shorthand for all forms of freelance, contract, and independent work.
With AI and automation, anyone can leverage platforms and tools to launch solo ventures or one-off projects with speed and ease — leading to a surge in new products and companies.
You’ll see two principal strategies emerge:
- Run a one-person business optimized to make just enough for the founder.
- Go full-scale. Even after a solo PoC, products that gain traction will get properly designed, developed, and marketed to grow and mature. Finding a co-founder will no longer be required. Instead, companies will outsource only what’s needed — design, development, marketing — to “Super ICs” equipped with AI skills. Leaders won’t need to guarantee salaries and equity, and Super ICs can work on several projects at once as flexible freelancers. Which platform will empower this revolution? I’m eager to find out.
What will our workflows look like six months from now?
Will roles like full-stack designer, PoC productizer, and prompt strategist become mainstream in a year?
Will the new gig ecosystem, with decentralized company models, outnumber the co-founder pattern in two years?
Will designers become Super ICs and serial founders in three?
As I said at the top — things may unfold differently. My predictions could be wrong, or too shaped by my personal experience. Still, I look to the future with excitement.
August 3, 2025 — dreaming of what’s next.
