Continuing Should Designers (Vibe) Code? How to Become the Polymath Designer for the A.I. Age
Should Designers (Vibe) Code? How to Become the Polymath Designer for the A.I. Age - Kelly Dern at UX Brighton 2025 (2026)
About this talk
This talk discusses how ‘vibe-coding‘ is the future for becoming a well-rounded designer in the age of A.I.
Designers can use creative coding and AI not for full-stack perfection, but for rapid prototyping, aesthetic intuition, and exploring the limits of your design ideas. Rather than being T-shaped, designers can now be polymaths-specialisits in several areas.
Learn how embracing a developer mindset and using AI as a creative partner can help you:
- Elevate your prototypes with nuanced, interactive, and custom-coded components.
- Future-proof your skillset by becoming a polymath with multiple valuable skillsets for your team.
- Use AI to write code for everything from custom UI elements to your own Figma and browser plugins.
- Reduce product churn by testing and communicating complex interaction ideas more effectively with your team.
Related reading
Concepts
Projects and resources
About Kelly
As a Senior Product Designer at Google, Kelly leads UX for a video AI team, which includes Google Meet, Duo, and Livestreaming for Workspace.
She has worked with Google Nest, start-ups, and Adidas on various product and UX projects, ranging from hardware-software integration to health tech solutions.
Kelly also enjoys learning new skills and sharing her knowledge as a speaker, mentor, and advisor in the design community.
