Hello!
Today I'm thinking about design systems for AI agents, mostly because we just updated the Intent design system page for anyone who wants a working example of what this looks like in practice. Why does it matter? With agents, anyone on a team can update a website. Marketing adds landing pages, engineering adds docs, a PM tweaks the pricing page, and each of their agents will happily implement its own colors, spacing, and tone unless something steers them toward a unified whole. On Intent, that steering comes from a few pieces working together. An AGENTS.md file tells agents to reuse the theme classes and CSS variables in the site's global stylesheet, which defines colors, fonts, type sizes, the responsive grid, and light and dark themes as design tokens (named values the whole site shares). So when someone asks an agent to add a new button, it reuses the existing Button component, which adapts to dark mode automatically, and no human has to look anything up. For 20+ years (oof!) I've watched the same thing happen: teams invest in a design system, then struggle to keep it current until it describes a product that no longer exists. Building the design system page from the same code as the site fixes that, because it stays current automatically. And here's the part that still makes me smile: design teams have spent years trying to get people to actually read their design system documentation. Agents read it every single time.
How do I start my journey as a product designer?
Starting your journey as a product designer is an exciting path! Here's my advice based on my experience:
Immerse yourself in information and experiences. This is crucial for building your knowledge base and understanding of the field.
Make things. Don't just study theory - get your hands dirty and start creating. This could be as simple as sketching ideas or as complex as building prototypes.
Live off iteration and determination. Product design is an iterative process, so be prepared to refine and improve your work constantly.
Pick one subject, learn it deeply, and practice over and over again. This will help you build expertise in specific areas.
Deconstruct as many designs as possible. Analyze existing products to understand what works and what doesn't.
Actively seek out feedback from others. This will help you improve and grow as a designer.
Go with what you know. You won't have to learn a bunch of new things if you start with a domain you know and love. This can give you a head start in understanding user needs and context.
Team up. The buddy system not only gives you complementary skill-sets but it also gives you someone you are accountable to. Collaboration can accelerate your learning and growth.
Make ideas visible. If they are just in your head, they'll just stay there. Start sketching, prototyping, and sharing your ideas.
Create things. Creative side-projects keep the fire in your belly lit. Personal projects can help you build your portfolio and passion for the field.
Remember, becoming a great product designer takes time and practice. Good judgement comes from experiences. Experience comes from bad judgements. So don't be afraid to make mistakes - they're an essential part of the learning process. Keep creating, keep learning, and stay curious!