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Hey and welcome back to a new week!

Last chance to sign up for my upcoming Designing AI Product: UX Patterns for Uncertain Systems workshop on January 28! Use the code OPENDOORS26 at checkout for 20% off but hurry as the discounted spots are limited!

In this issue:

• Don’t Be Afraid of 2026: We are going to take an honest look at what is happening in the industry this time.

• The Ultimate Collection of Landing Pages: Fountn is not only my absolute go-to for any design resources out there, they now also have a copyable (!) library of landing pages.

• Brian’s Portfolio: So simple and so well executed.

Thank you for reading!

🤝 TODAYS PARTNER

Turn our inspiration gallery into your workspace.

We didn't just curate the best landing pages on the web; we unlocked them. Fountn now lets you generate layered Figma files directly from the sites in our "Landing Website" feed. Browse the collection, hit the button, and skip the first 10 hours of design work.

Design in 2026: A Calm Look at What’s Happening 😌

There’s a lot of anxiety in design right now — especially among juniors, but not only.

The last few years have been rough. Hiring slowed down. Teams shrank. Expectations shifted. And on top of that, AI entered the picture in a way that made many people feel like the ground was moving under their feet.

But if I zoom out a bit, my view is more measured.

Over the last two years, I’ve seen slow but steady improvement in the market — particularly in early-career hiring. Not a boom. Not a return to 2021. But a gradual normalization. Startups are hiring again, more carefully. Design leaders are more aware of the need to develop junior talent. And while this doesn’t look the same everywhere — the US, UK, and different European markets all behave differently — the direction is clear.

So instead of making bold predictions about what will “change everything,” I want to focus on what I think will actually matter in 2026 — and where designers should feel encouraged, not pressured.

Vibe Coding Will Stay — and Get More Nuanced

Vibe coding isn’t going away. But it’s also not turning into one monolithic skill you either “have” or “don’t have.”

What’s happening instead is differentiation.

Low-threshold tools like Lovable, Figma Make, Bolt, Replit, and similar products are becoming normal parts of the design process. Not because everyone wants to become a developer — but because these tools make it dramatically easier to turn ideas into something tangible.

I had a moment like this recently at work. We kicked off several large initiatives at once, and one of them was particularly hard to communicate. The PM had written a solid PRD, I’d explained the idea multiple times — but the developers still couldn’t fully grasp how the interaction was meant to work. Normally, I would have fleshed this out in Figma, but doing it properly would have taken hours and still wouldn’t have captured the behavior accurately. Instead, I described the idea to ChatGPT, asked it to generate a focused Lovable prompt, and built a rough functional prototype in about 15 minutes. It wasn’t visually precise, but it showed the interaction clearly — and that was enough to unblock the team immediately. That was another reminder for me that these tools aren’t about polish; they’re about speed, clarity, and moving work forward when traditional design artifacts fall short.

For early exploration, concept validation, and functional prototyping, traditional Figma prototypes are already feeling outdated. Not because Figma is irrelevant — but because static or semi-interactive prototypes can’t compete with something that actually behaves like a product.

At the same time, we’re also seeing a higher-threshold layer emerge.

Designers who are comfortable working closer to code — using tools like Cursor or similar — are starting to refine, verify, and adapt production-adjacent output. This isn’t about writing full apps. It’s about understanding what’s feasible, adjusting interactions, translating tokens, or collaborating more fluently with engineering.

You’ll see this most clearly in:

• early-stage startups with lean teams

• design system teams

• design-engineering or hybrid roles

Outside of those contexts, this won’t be mandatory.

If this space feels intimidating, start with the low-threshold tools. They’re becoming table stakes anyway. The deeper layers can come later — and they’re not a prerequisite for most roles in 2026.

“AI Native” Will Keep Being Vague — But Still Meaningful

“AI native” is quickly becoming one of those terms that means everything and nothing at the same time.

You’ll see it used in job descriptions, LinkedIn posts, and — unfortunately — marketing campaigns that rely heavily on fear. I’m not convinced that calling yourself “AI native” does much. Demonstrating it quietly does.

At a baseline, comfort with an LLM is now expected. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — the specific tool doesn’t matter. Being able to reason with one, ask good questions, and integrate it into everyday thinking does.

Going beyond that is where signal starts to appear.

AI-native design isn’t about clicking AI buttons inside tools. It’s about using AI where it meaningfully improves:

• speed

• clarity

• craft

• alignment with business or user outcomes

That could mean:

• creating and using AI-generated imagery as raw material inside a visual system

• accelerating discovery, synthesis, or iteration

• prototyping functionally instead of representationally

• translating design decisions into code-adjacent artifacts

Importantly, none of this requires you to use every tool or adopt a specific workflow. It depends on your role, your strengths, and the type of designer you are.

We’re still very much in a bubble here. A small percentage of designers are at the cutting edge, and the rest are made to feel like they’re behind. You’re not.

Look at your case studies, your current project or an upcoming one and ask yourself how you could embed AI in a meaningful way here. Be ready to experiment.

You have time. 2026 will be about refinement, not reinvention.

Generalists Will Continue to Win In-House Roles

For in-house design roles, especially in startups and smaller teams, the generalist profile isn’t just preferred — it’s often required.

Teams are leaner than they used to be. They’re not rebuilding to previous sizes. Designers are expected to work end-to-end: discovery, ideation, execution, handoff, iteration, and impact tracking.

Saying “I don’t do UI” or “I don’t touch research” is becoming harder to justify in these environments.

That doesn’t mean specialists disappear. Researchers, motion designers, interaction specialists still exist — but increasingly in freelance or project-based contexts rather than permanent in-house roles.

Being a generalist isn’t about liking everything. It’s about being competent across the board.

The bar for this has risen. Strong UI, clear thinking, reasonable research instincts, and the ability to connect design decisions to outcomes are now expected — not exceptional.

For you this means to hone all of these skills. Pick the one you are arguably worst at and push it. Especially UI is hard for many in the beginning. Go (re-)learn the fundamentals and practice, practice, practice.

If you’re a solid generalist, 2026 will likely feel more stable for you than the last couple of years did.

The UI Quality Bar Is Higher — and That’s Not a Moral Judgment

UI has become faster to produce. Tools are better. Libraries are richer. Inspiration is everywhere.

As a result, expectations have gone up.

For portfolios in particular, UI is often the first filter — not because it’s the most important thing, but because it’s the fastest thing to assess. If the visual bar isn’t met, many reviewers simply don’t continue.

I don’t love that reality, but it is the reality.

Passing that first checkpoint doesn’t get you the job. It just earns you a closer look. After that, structure, thinking, outcomes, and decision-making matter far more.

This doesn’t mean everyone needs to become a visual virtuoso. But it does mean that typography, spacing, composition, color, and interaction design need to be at a level that doesn’t raise doubts.

If you’re unsure what “good enough” looks like, the portfolios that I showcase every week are usually a reliable reference point.

Tooling Will Mostly Stay the Same — and That’s a Good Thing

Despite the noise, tooling in 2026 will feel surprisingly familiar.

Figma will remain the core design tool for most teams. That’s not changing this year. New tools will appear, some will rise quickly, but true industry-wide shifts are rare.

What will change is how tools are combined:

• when you stay in Figma

• when you move to functional prototyping

• when you hand things off to code or generate code yourself

But this is layering, not replacement.

The same applies to portfolios. Coding your own site is becoming more feasible, but Framer remains a strong, accessible standard — especially for early-career designers.

You won’t wake up one morning in 2026 and discover that everything you know is obsolete.

Tech still moves fast. You still can’t go to sleep for years at a time. But this isn’t a year of forced reinvention — it’s a year of consolidation.

A Calmer Way to Look at 2026

If there’s one thing I want to leave you with, it’s this:

2026 isn’t about chasing every new thing.

It’s about understanding where change is real, where it’s noise, and how to adapt without panic.

If you’re thoughtful, curious, and willing to improve incrementally, you’re not behind.

You’re right on time.

💭 MAKE YOUR BUSINESS DREAMS COME TRUE

Your annual review, created with Shane Parrish

Behind every successful year is honest reflection. This workbook, written by Shane Parrish and reMarkable, helps you find clarity so patterns become visible.

Traditional annual reviews add goals, tasks, and pressure. This is different. It helps you strip everything back to see what to change in your the ahead.

Ready to identify what matters?

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👀 Portfolio Showcase

Today: Brian Yang

Brian Yang is a product designer based in Vancouver and currently studying HCI at the University of British Columbia. He’s still a student, but already brings experience from internships at TD Bank and SAP, alongside a self-initiated startup project, Weave, that’s actively used within his university context.

What makes Brian interesting right away is the range he shows: he can operate inside highly constrained, enterprise environments, but also switch gears and work in a scrappy, zero-to-one setup. That kind of versatility is not common at this stage—and it shows throughout his portfolio.

This is a portfolio that doesn’t try to impress through excess. It’s quiet, confident, and deliberate. And while there are a couple of areas where Brian could level this up further, the foundation here is very strong.

That’s it for this week—thanks so much for the support! ♥️

Do you want your own portfolio reviewed in-depth with a 30-minute advice-packed video review? Or do you require mentoring to figure out a proper strategy for your job search?

I got you!

• Book an in-depth portfolio or resume review with me

• Book a mentoring session with me

• Book a quick 15 min chat to ask a question and see if we vibe

Keep kicking doors open and see you next week!
- Florian