Vibe coding tools fall short on scaling.
Project overview
Designing AI-native workflows at a fast-moving startup
Ion is an an AI design tool built for makers and lean product teams, streamlining the design-to-dev workflow to produce components that could be directly used in the product. I joined during a pivotal shift toward AI agents, thereby wearing multiple hats throughout including
Spoke with 12+ designers, PMs, and founders to map mental models on AI-driven workflows
Designed agent-first user workflow over many iterations
Published 15+ new components to the team's design system
Breaking down key challenges
The product was in MVP stage with an intention to sharpen its direction beyond just a vibe code tool. Our goal was to identify a clear market niche and improve long-term sales. Through interviews with teams ranging from 3 to 50 people, I concluded 2 user archetypes and 2 opposite-looking product directions.
Instead of prioritizing workflow-focused users who want to automate certain design tasks, we chose to focus on the hybrid users, teams who value creative exploration but welcome AI-assisted support. This pivot allowed us to build on existing features while aligning with business goals: reframing the product from a vibe code tool into an active collaborative assistant.
The current product follows a one-sided interaction: users enter prompt and receives a visual feedback. The “prompt-to-response” flow failed to support more complex needs such as iteration variation. Designers struggled with switching between tools and found it hard to express ideas clearly when working on 1) novel concepts and 2) daily tasks that following the design system.
Existing product workflow follows a one-way path.
How might we dynamically involve ion and its AI capabilities to elevate the design process?
Users are interested to use AI as a second brain.
65% of users already use AI for prototyping and copywriting. But many shared frustrations about the need for multiple attempts, the limitations of text prompts, and results not ready for production.
What starts as a quick prompt often turns into a fight for accuracy.
Users want and need creative control to remain authentic.
User often need to add some final touches before moving on.
Users seek a cohesive workflow that connect the dots.
The tools should be easy to integrate with users' current workflow.
Glance at my contributions
Enhancing AI workflows while providing more ways to create
Connects with users' existing workflow and brings AI agent into context through subtle nudges
Upload UI kits
Pin favourite design
Integrating AI functionalities and manual design controls to provide user creative freedom and workflow efficiency
Ion AI lives as an agent next to user's cursor. I designed the chat to resemble communication apps to create the experience of having a creative partner.