"I want my designer to be intimately aware of both customer feedback and how money flows through a system. Design is becoming more engineering-focused with new tools, but designers should really focus on Product-Market Fit. A CEO told me this in an interview, which mirrors what I've heard from design leaders. While everyone's talking about "vibe coding" and designer-developer hybrids, executives are quietly looking for something else: designers who think strategically."
"The reason? A classic problem that's about to get much worse in the AI age: the last-mile problem. The Last-Mile Problem: why Engineering and AI have the same issue The last-mile problem is a concept from logistics that has been around for nearly 100 years, highlighting the limitations of AI for both Engineering and Design. In shipping, it might cost $1 to transport a package from China to your local post office, but $20 to deliver it to your doorstep for the final mile."
Design roles increasingly require strategic thinking, deep awareness of customer feedback, and clear understanding of how money flows through systems. Design work is becoming more engineering-focused because of new tools, but the primary emphasis should remain on product-market fit. Organizations are seeking designers who move beyond hybrid technical skills and think strategically about business outcomes. The last-mile problem highlights a core limitation: translating broad capabilities into effective, customer-facing results. That limitation is poised to worsen in the AI era, creating greater need for designers who can bridge technical execution and market realities.
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