For years, the creation of digital products has largely followed a familiar script: meticulously plan the product and UX design, then execute the development, and iterate based on feedback. We've seen various methodologies, from the linear Waterfall to the iterative Agile and the empathetic Design Thinking, but the underlying principle remained: design first, code later. The logic was clear because investing in design upfront minimizes costly rework during the more expensive and time-consuming development phase.

But what happens when the cost and time to execute that development drastically shrinks? Enter the era of vibe coding.

"Vibe coding" represents a significant shift in how software is built. It's an emerging programming approach where developers leverage the power of AI tools to generate code simply by describing the desired functionality in natural language. Think of it as telling an intelligent assistant what you want the software to do, and it writes the code for you. This dramatically reduces the manual effort and time traditionally required for coding.

The paradigm flip: Code first, Design informed

This capability flips the traditional development sequence on its head. Suddenly, developers can start building functional software based on a high-level understanding of the requirements, even before detailed product and UX designs are finalized.

With the speed of AI code generation, the effort involved in creating exhaustive upfront designs can, in certain contexts, become relatively more time-consuming than getting a basic, functional version of the software up and running. The new paradigm in the world of vibe coding becomes: execute (code with AI), then adapt (design and refine).

Impact on the design workflow

This shift has profound implications for product and UX designers. Instead of delivering comprehensive design specifications before development begins, the process becomes more fluid and iterative.

Initial development using vibe coding might focus on establishing the core functionality and user flows. Once a basic, working version exists, designers can then step in to apply their expertise, informed by the actual behavior and user feedback on the functioning software.

This approach allows for incredibly early user validation of the core concepts. Imagine getting feedback on the actual functionality of a feature before investing heavily in detailed visual designs. This can lead to more user-centric designs, as the design process is directly informed by how users interact with a tangible (albeit potentially rudimentary) product.

Vibe designing, anyone?

What might "vibe designing" look like in this AI-powered landscape? Perhaps designers will work in much shorter, more agile cycles. They might rapidly prototype and iterate on UI and UX elements directly on top of the functional software generated by vibe coding. Design tools could evolve to integrate more seamlessly with AI code generation platforms, allowing for a truly collaborative and iterative design-development workflow. 

This vision of vibe designing goes beyond simply adding a conversational interface to existing design tools. Imagine a future where the design system (components, styles, interaction patterns) is deeply integrated into the same coding environment where AI is generating functional code. Designers could then directly manipulate design system artifacts within this IDE, and those changes would be instantly reflected in the working software. This tight coupling would allow for incredibly rapid UX iterations, moving beyond static mockups to real-time adjustments on live, AI-generated prototypes. Think of it as designing directly within the fabric of the functional application, enabling a truly seamless and accelerated design-development feedback loop.

Vibing at WisdomAI

At WisdomAI, we actively embrace AI code generation. We've found that by embracing rapid initial development, we can quickly test core functionalities and gather invaluable user feedback early in the process, live on the product. This allows our design team to then focus on refining the user experience and visual design based on real-world usage, leading to more effective and user-loved products, faster..

Conclusion: Embracing the execute-then-adapt future

The rise of AI-assisted-coding signifies a fundamental shift in how we build software. By dramatically reducing the cost and time of initial execution, it's paving the way for an "execute then adapt" paradigm. This new approach promises faster iteration cycles, more user-centric designs, and a more agile and responsive development process overall. As AI continues to evolve, the way we design and build software will undoubtedly continue to transform, and embracing this vibe shift will be key to staying ahead.