Unexpected Lessons from an AI-assisted Prototyping Experiment (5 minute read) (opens in new tab)

A small, cross-functional pod at Adobe Firefly used AI-assisted prototyping to design directly inside a production codebase, shipping two features in eight business days. Working closer to the build process deepened — rather than reduced — collaboration with engineering and product, replacing sequential handoffs with a tighter, shared feedback loop. Core design fundamentals like empathy, judgment, and craft remained essential, only exercised at the moment decisions actually take effect.