# What we won’t design anymore

> The work that is leaving the designer’s desk.

Chapter 2 of Design After AI · Notes · v0.1 · Updated 7 Oct 2026
Source: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore

Some work is leaving because machines do it well. Some is leaving because the thing it produced no longer needs to exist.

## Static mockups of every state

_9 Sept 2026 · Observed_
Link: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore#every-state-by-hand

Redlines, every breakpoint, every empty and error state drawn by hand. Systems now generate these from a handful of decisions, and the designer's attention goes to the few edge cases that actually change how the product feels.

## One fixed interface for every person

_16 Sept 2026 · Prediction · near future · medium confidence_
Link: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore#one-interface-for-everyone

Interfaces will increasingly be assembled at the moment of use, shaped to the person and the task in front of them. We stop designing the screen and start designing the range of screens that are allowed to exist.

## Menus as the main way in

_22 Sept 2026 · Prediction · near future · medium confidence_
Link: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore#menus-as-the-way-in

When people can state what they want directly, deep navigation becomes the fallback rather than the front door. Information architecture still matters, but as the model of the domain an agent reasons over, not the map a person walks.

## Colour and finish variants, one at a time

_29 Sept 2026 · Observed_
Link: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore#variants-one-at-a-time

Generative rendering produces colour, material and finish explorations by the hundred. The industrial designer's job narrows to curating them and to the physical sampling that no render replaces.

## Routine construction details

_4 Oct 2026 · Prediction · far future · low confidence_
Link: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore#routine-detailing

Standard details, schedules and compliance checks drift towards generated drafts that a professional reviews and signs. Liability will keep a human signature on the drawing for longer than capability alone would.

Have your say: reply to any idea on X. The best replies are added beside the idea they answer.

## Version history

- v0.1 · 7 Oct 2026 · First notes gathered. (current: https://designafterai.com/what-we-wont-design-anymore.md)