Stop telling designers to learn to code. It was never about the code. It was about building. And you don’t need code to build anymore. Designers who can direct with taste have the upper hand now. Different skill entirely.

When you start building you'll level up your taste too, because you'll experience first-hand the results of your decisions.

Exactly this! Well said, Stephen!

This is the way.

Yes sir!

don’t listen to him he’s coding behind your backs!

Hey don’t tease my drafts! 🤣

🧠

Code was the medium to build. Not anymore! Couldn’t agree more. Great times ahead.

super exciting!

If we care less about the code, especially structural code like HTML, Web 3.0 (the semantic web) will never be possible. We will create websites where there is little we can do on extending them. Because, we stopped writing codes machine can understand.

i'm learning how to code by building annoying but imo active learning is the best way to learn

i agree with you for the most part man. but same way engineers need designers to make things function, we need engineers to make things actually work. building with ai is a shortcut to a testing version, not a replacement for the craft. an engineer using claude design without design taste builds slop, same way a designer coding without engineering fundamentals builds something that doesn't scale. just my 2 cents haha

Finally! Designer wanted to code anyway, just build things let’s go!

I'm designing and working with coders and friends who are using AI tools. They say the tools make a fair amount of mistakes and the code that's produced requires a lot of review, especially in complex systems. They produce more, but they now have more to review, and I have more to test and refine. Are you saying I don't need coders at all?

Designers think designers have the upper hand. Coders think coders have the upper hand. PMs think PMs have the upper hand. What do they have in common? They think AI is good at the domain they're bad at, but bad at the one they're good at.

Youre right, Dann. There are no excuses anymore

No more excuses! Need to remind myself that too.

First build, then add taste later

not a bad approach to be honest.

Well said

Thanks Christian

I agree. We are not only designers, we are builders

I read this like a Farmers Insurance ad, We are builders, ba-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum.

was having a lot of fun recently with this approach and in this way built my site as well as this funny book shelf component

It’s definitely more about learn how it works now. And it’s never been easier.

so easy to get things out now!

even dev should stop to learn how to code lol

And use a design system while building

the honest answer is that most companies still haven't figured out how to utilize designers beyond visual design. directing and product strategy are skills just as valuable, if not more so, than code in today's tech landscape

Taste is becoming the leverage. Anyone can generate screens now the challenge is creating experiences that actually solve a problem and feel intentional.

Exactly. It was always about building, not the syntax. That's also why I launched @love2flow_app today. Lovable exports directly into Webflow. One less reason to touch code. 🙌

Love this distinction.

thanks Chad

Long time listener, first time caller 🙋🏻‍♂️

🙌 get to meet ya then, Chad!

Listening to this before every Claude Code session 🤜🤛😂

absolutely, code's meant to be consumed by computers. with AI translating human ideas to code, all we need is to build the idea. designers should focus on that, not process

100% agree. Once you get that power it is crazy. Only your imagination is your limit 🫡

That's what I'm doing.

preach!

I don't think it was ever about code. It was shipping. Designers who direct with taste have the upper hand. The rest is just noise.

Completely agree man! That's the thing, AI has made development easy so that designers can focus on designing and creative thinking. I think non-linear thinking is going to be the differenciator. What do you guys think?🤔

You don’t need to know how to code just need to know how the code works

Hmm…maybe.

I was ahead of design at ESPN fantasy for nine years and I never had to code anything, but I had to understand how the JavaScript worked and its capabilities. Or at the very least, I didn’t even have to know it was JavaScript. I just had to know what the capabilities of code so I could build around it.

Doesn't matter how you make things, just keep making things!

@seansmithbuilds This is the key!

@CoreyGMoen i was just thinking this yesterday

yessss

The last paragraph is fact.