Accessible only to conference ticket holders.
Log in Create account
For 90 days after a conference, only paid ticket holders can watch conference videos. After that, all Gold members have access.
If you have purchased recording access and cannot see the video, please contact support.
Rehashing the Double Diamond: Collaborating across functions with AI-assisted prototyping
Summary
As AI rapidly transforms creative work, designers urgently need new ways to stay in the driver’s seat while collaborating with intelligent tools. This talk introduces a practical, repeatable workflow for designing with AI—anchored in real work from Arity’s internal Cursor adoption initiative. Using Cursor as a case study, we’ll show how AI reshaped our design and product development process by accelerating prototyping and enabling teams to work with greater collaboration and autonomy. Attendees will leave with actionable methods for integrating AI into their own discovery, definition, and delivery workflows.
Key Insights
-
•
AI-assisted coding tools allow non-developers to create fully functioning, rich prototypes without writing code.
-
•
Early adoption of AI coding tools was developer-led, creating fully fleshed prototypes that blurred traditional role boundaries.
-
•
Rogue prototype creation by PMs and others introduced inconsistent design quality and visual chaos.
-
•
Adopting AI coding tools in design requires a structured approach to contextualize and align prototypes with product and tech constraints.
-
•
Reframing the Double Diamond method into a 'context diamond' for gathering constraints and a 'prototype diamond' for building solutions helps manage AI prototyping workflows.
-
•
Context gathering must avoid information overload; relevant, refined, and evergreen content improves AI prototype usefulness and efficiency.
-
•
Embedding designers in the AI prototyping process and giving them tool access bridges gaps between design, product, and engineering.
-
•
Structured workshops with hands-on exercises help teams adopt new AI prototyping tools effectively while reinforcing best practices.
-
•
Sharing AI-generated prototype components through GitHub can enhance collaboration and reduce developer workload on front-end tasks.
-
•
Maintaining traditional design craftsmanship (e.g., Figma work) remains important even as AI-assisted coding gains traction.
Notable Quotes
"This is the biggest change I've seen in my 30-year career making digital products."
"We went from stitching wireframes to actually designing in code—no more simulacra."
"Developers are protective of their code, so AI coding tools naturally landed with them first."
"I felt this was a slippery slope—the blurring of lines between roles and responsibilities."
"If you can’t beat them, join them—I got Cursor seats for my design team."
"A fully functioning prototype tells a much more complete and fluid story than a bunch of stitched screens."
"We introduced a context diamond and prototype diamond to impose guardrails around AI-assisted prototyping."
"You can’t just grab everything—you have to refine the content to avoid irrelevant or contradictory information."
"Creating a plan first, then building the prototype, helps catch issues early and aligns stakeholders."
"Showing a clickable prototype beats still wireframes and style guides where people have to copy hex codes."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Freedom Dreaming democratizes the ability to rethink the ways our communities operate."
Spencer L. A. StultzWhy Social Justice Frameworks are Necessary for Successful DEI/JEDI Initiatives
October 4, 2023
"We want you to put your pencil down and pay attention because you have access to sketch notes, recorded talks, decks, and written notes."
Louis Rosenfeld Christian CrumlishOpening Remarks
November 29, 2023
"Please read our code of conduct — even though we’re virtual, we are a community obligated to kindness and respect."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 18, 2022
"Dogs and spam started filling the slides. That was a sign this meeting wasn’t working anymore."
Briana Thomas Christina RodriguezWhen Design Ops Comes in H.O.T. : A Tale of a Transformed Design Org
September 30, 2021
"A design system team often has to wear multiple hats—diplomat, facilitator, architect, community manager—to keep momentum."
Nina JurcicThe Design System Rollercoaster: From Enabler and Bottleneck to Catalyst for Change
October 3, 2023
"Difference-in-differences lets you study treatment effects in groups that start in very different places by looking at trends."
Joshua NobleCasual Inference
October 6, 2023
"We need to build reliance and connection across individuals to help balance power and build trust."
Robert FabricantShifting dynamics: The evolving relationship between researchers, participants, and organizational systems
March 11, 2025
"The biggest leverage of design is through communication and storytelling."
Dolly ParikhExit Interview #7: Journey of a Social Entrepreneur
May 21, 2026
"I am so glad to be part of this new design ops community and wish you all the best of success."
Stephen PollardClosing Keynote: Getting giants to dance - what can we learn from designing large and complex public infrastructure?
November 7, 2017