AI design tool cut task time for study completers
Figma Make was linked to faster work in a trial of set design tasks, but the result has a clear boundary. Among participants who completed the tasks, those with tool access took about 20% less time. Product managers saw larger gains than designers. The study does not establish that every design team saves time on every job.
What the source reports
Remy Stewart and coauthors ran a trial with 50 product designers and 50 product managers. Each person tried three set design tasks with or without Figma Make. This AI tool turns prompts into designs. Among those who finished the tasks, tool access was linked to about 20% less time. The authors report larger gains for product managers. For trained designers, the gain may depend on the task. The result covers these tasks and the people who finished them. It does not promise that all design work will be faster. The authors work at Figma. They asked about quality but did not score it on their own. The trial does not cover work beyond these tasks.
Original source
- Title
- Does AI Save Time on Product Design? A Randomized Controlled Experiment of AI Prompt-to-Design Workflows
- Author
- Remy Stewart, Olabode Anise, Andrew Hogan, Augustus Griffin
- Publication
- arXiv
- Date
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026