Figma's own survey finds designers value polish over the craft it says matters

Figma's survey of 906 designers, conducted with research firm NewtonX, reports that 91% say AI tools improve their designs and 89% say they work faster, with AI-leaning designers 25% more likely to report job satisfaction. Those are the kind of numbers a vendor selling AI-integrated design tools has every reason to publish, and they measure self-reported sentiment rather than any independent judgment of output quality. The more interesting finding sits underneath: 58% of designers still define craft as visual polish, even as the report argues craft is what separates products once anyone can prompt a prototype, and 87% rank creative autonomy as the top driver of their best work. That gap between what designers say craft is and what the report says it needs to become is the real substance here, not the adoption percentages.