The AI-UX Iceberg That Could Sink Figma
User Experience (UX) expert Greg Nudelman recently published a provocative piece arguing that the collaborative web application Figma “is the Titanic that is about to hit that new UX iceberg at full speed and sink” (Nudelman, 2025). His research, along with supporting academic work, provides compelling evidence that this isn’t just hyperbole.
The Great Interface Flip
Nielsen Norman Group identifies AI as “the first new User Interface (UI) paradigm in 60 years,” moving us from command-based interaction to intent-based outcome specification (Nielsen Norman Group, 2023). The implications are profound.
The “Iceberg UX Model” (Nudelman, 2025)
Nudelman (2025) introduces the “Iceberg UX Model”. Traditionally, UI was the bulk of the user experience, like an inverted pyramid. But AI-first systems are flipping this upside down. The UI becomes just “that teeny tiny little triangle on top” while the real experience happens beneath: data processing, automation logic, and intelligent decision-making.
Why Traditional Design Tools Are Struggling
The research reveals a fundamental mismatch. In AI-first applications, “the actual UI is simply not that important to the customer,” echoing Alan Cooper’s early critique of flashy, performative interfaces that hinder more than they help (Cooper, 1999).
Take any AI document summariser, as Nudelman (2025) points out. Background colour? “Nope. Not a chance.” Font sizes? “Don’t make me laugh.” What matters is “the length of the content, the organisation of the summary, its completeness, accuracy, reliability, readability, and scannability.”
None of these critical UX elements can be properly expressed in Figma.
The Skills Gap Widens
The academic research analysing 43 sources across industry and academia (Maré, 2025) found that 95% of a UX designer’s contribution should now focus on: use case validation, AI model research, data flow workshops, understanding AI decision matrices, and customer problem-solving.
UI design? “Probably 5% is the actual UI design” (Nudelman, 2025).
The Path Forward
The path forward isn’t about Figma being replaced by AI. It is rather about the UI itself becoming less central to user experience. Companies like IBM are already moving toward design systems as code (IBM, 2025), while conversational interfaces minimise the need for traditional visual design.
The designers thriving in this shift are those who’ve evolved from “pixel pushers” to experience designers in the true sense of the word, that focus on how AI models behave, what data flows through systems, and how to validate real user problems.
The Bottom Line
As Nudelman (2025) puts it: “If you, as a UX designer, are seen as somebody who is continuously slowing down the release process in favor of adding decoration, instead of speeding up and streamlining delivery of value, you are going to be seen as a bottleneck and your position will be eliminated.”
The question isn’t whether Figma will adapt (they’re certainly trying with recent AI features). It’s whether the entire premise of visual-first design tools remains relevant when the interface itself is disappearing.
Pertinent to this dilemma is the recent launch of Jonathan Ive’s io: a collaboration between LoveFrom and OpenAI. Key to the collaboration is the recognition that the interface is dissolving and that we need a new set of tools. Strapping jet engines to old chariots is bound to fail.
Sam Altman and Jony Ive present their collaboration (OpenAI, 2025).
Are you seeing this shift in your own work? How are you adapting your design practice for AI-first systems?
References
Cooper, A. (1999). The Inmates are Running the Asylum. In: Arend, U., Eberleh, E., Pitschke, K. (eds) Software-Ergonomie ’99. Berichte des German Chapter of the ACM, vol 53. Vieweg+Teubner Verlag, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-99786-9_1
IBM (2025) Carbon Design System. Available at: https://www.ibm.com/ (Accessed: 22 May 2025).
Maré, M. (2025) ‘Figma’s Obsolescence in the AI Era: A Paradigm Shift in UX Design’, Research Paper, 30 May. Available at: https://marcelmare.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250530_figmas_obsolescence_in-_the_ai_era.pdf(Accessed: 28 May 2025).
Nielsen Norman Group (2023) AI: First New UI Paradigm in 60 Years. Available at: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-paradigm/ (Accessed: 28 May 2025).
Nudelman, G. (2025) ‘AI Is Flipping UX Upside Down: How to Keep Your UX Job, and Why Figma is a Titanic’, UX Magazine. Available at: https://uxmag.com/articles/ai-is-flipping-ux-upside-down-how-to-keep-your-ux-job-and-why-figma-is-a-titanic-its-not-for-the-reasons-you-think (Accessed: 28 May 2025).
OpenAI. (2025). Sam & Jony introduce io. [Video]. YouTube. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W09bIpc_3ms (Accessed: 28 May 2025).