Missed our session with TJ Pitre, creator of Figma Console MCP? The recording is now available for Lead by Design members. This was one of the most practical sessions we’ve had yet on where AI, design systems, and design-to-code workflows are heading. A few standout insights from the conversation: - AI is only as good as the context it receives. TJ made the point that the real value isn’t just in components, tokens, or data structures — it’s in the meaning, rules, intent, and context flowing through the system. - Design systems need to be AI-ready before AI can really help. Otherwise, AI fills in the gaps, makes judgment calls, and introduces drift. - Designers may increasingly contribute the first coded draft. One of the most interesting ideas was that designers can now move beyond handoff and help create the first meaningful version of a component in code, while a context engineer helps steward quality, standards, trust, and integration. - Figma Console MCP is not just about generating code. TJ showed how it can support diagnostics, reporting, design generation, coded component generation, and design-code parity checks. - The future is not “AI replaces the team.” It’s more likely a model where humans stay upstream, define the constraints, and orchestrate the workflow, while AI executes inside those boundaries. The live demo was awesome. TJ showed: - a workflow for generating a coded component from an existing Figma component - a blank-page design generation workflow using the existing component library - how parity checks can help keep design and code aligned - how richer annotations and documentation improve downstream AI output A very big thank you to TJ for such a thoughtful and practical session. Once you’ve watched it, I’d love to hear:What part of this workflow feels most immediately useful in your own team or practice?

Join us for a practical session with TJ Pitre, creator of Figma Console MCP, as we explore how AI is reshaping design-to-code workflows on Tuesday 12 May at 17:00 GMT+2. (check out the event link in the Calendar). We’ll cover the story behind the tool, what it can do today, and why developments in this space matter for designers, product teams, and design leaders. TJ will also walk us through practical use cases, from starting a new project from a blank canvas to working with legacy Figma files and evolving them into more effective workflows. Expect a grounded, real-world look at where design, systems, and AI-assisted product development are heading. What to expect: - The story behind Figma Console MCP - Tool capabilities and current developments - Practical demo / workflow examples - Why this matters for design and product leaders - Audience Q&A

Anthropic has launched Claude Design, a new Labs product that lets people create visual work — designs, prototypes, slides, one-pagers and more — through conversation with Claude. The interesting part isn’t just “AI makes visuals”; it’s that the workflow includes conversational iteration, inline comments, direct edits, exports to Canva/PDF/PPTX, and handoff to Claude Code. This feels like another "Figma Killer" and another step toward a world where founders, PMs and designers can move from idea → prototype → pitch/demo much faster,. It also raises a good leadership question: what happens to design craft, critique, and quality when more people can generate polished-looking outputs quickly? https://www.anthropic.com/news/claude-design-anthropic-labs

Hi everyone I've decided to shift our Coffee Hours sessions to every 2 weeks, as most of our community are not able to join on a weekly basis. I'm also available for 1:1 calls - just send me a DM to book some time. Looking forward to seeing you at the next one on 5 March!

What a solid session — and a really good turnout. Thanks to everyone who joined and contributed to the FigJam mapping + dot-voting. Here are the key patterns that came through: 1) The “design tool” future looks hybrid, not a clean replacement Most of the group leaned toward a mix of visual tools + AI copilots, rather than “all-in code-first” or “same as before.” 2) AI is helping… but mostly as an assistive layer The dominant sentiment was: AI has changed workflows a little (speed-ups), not a total transformation for most people yet. 3) The biggest near-term shift is in research + synthesis When we asked where the shift happens first, the strongest signal was research & synthesis, followed by UI production. This matched the “Pain/Wish” notes too: people want better note-taking, transcript quality, and insight extraction from calls and research sessions. 4) The “PM/Designer ships everything” hypothesis: not fully true (yet) On “one person can ship a decent MVP end-to-end,” the room leaned toward somewhat disagree, with the bottleneck often being engineering realities, sustainability, and trust. 5) Collaboration is improving (quiet win) Most people said their dominant workflow is now designer + dev collaborating continuously (vs pure handoff). That’s a meaningful maturity shift. 6) Governance is the leadership topic hiding in plain sight The room leaned toward standardising an official AI tool stack to reduce chaos and risk. Biggest perceived risk: shallow thinking / low craft (moving too fast and not validating properly). 7) 2026 prediction: Figma stays central — but more focused The group’s expectation: by end of 2026, Figma remains central for core UI + design systems. And the most valuable people? Those who frame problems and lead alignment. Practical “next experiments” people can try - Choose one AI assist for research/synthesis (notes → themes → quotes) and test it for 2 weeks - Define a lightweight AI governance baseline (privacy, what not to paste, where outputs can be used) - Pick one workflow to tighten: Figma ↔ docs ↔ Jira ↔ dev handoff/integration - Add one quality guardrail: a “validation checklist” so speed doesn’t kill depth