Why task-based, on-demand interfaces will soon replace traditional app layouts — and how designers can adapt.
There’s a lot of interest and anxiety around AI’s potential impact on design. I’ve seen discussions about whether AI will replace designers altogether. But I think that’s the wrong question. Instead, we should ask:
How will AI fundamentally change the way we approach UI design?
Based on my experience as a product designer regularly integrating AI into my workflow, I believe AI will shift UI design away from static, cluttered interfaces toward more streamlined, adaptive, and task-based experiences.
Here’s exactly how and why that’s going to happen — and how you, as a designer or founder, can start adapting today.
Traditional UI is Outdated — Here’s Why
Right now, apps typically present you with all possible options upfront — buttons, navigation, menus, and paths, each designed to guide users to specific outcomes. As designers, we spend countless hours making these options discoverable and intuitive.
But consider ChatGPT. Its interface is essentially a single text-input field, yet it can effortlessly perform tasks traditionally handled by dozens of specialized apps. In my own day-to-day use, this simple interface has replaced or supplemented:
- Nutrition and exercise coaching
- Medical advice
- Life coaching
- UI/UX mentorship
- Copywriting and editing
- Marketing & social media expertise
- Writing partner and brainstorming
Yet, the visual UI remains incredibly simple and task-agnostic.
This clearly demonstrates a critical shift: AI-powered interfaces don’t need to pre-anticipate every user path. They react dynamically and contextually, driven by user input rather than predetermined flows.
This shift is already happening. Large language models and AI-driven assistants are redefining how we access services, replacing tap-through flows with conversational or intent-based interactions.
Task-Based, On-Demand UI: A New Paradigm
The rise of AI-driven interactions means interfaces will become increasingly minimal and contextual. Instead of a static navigation menu and a cluttered screen, the app interface will simply adapt based on the user’s current goal or task.
For example, think about getting a Lyft:
- Traditional UI: You open the app, tap through menus, choose a destination, pick from various ride options, confirm a driver, and track your progress. Each step is clearly defined visually.
- Future AI-driven UI: You say or type, “I need a ride to downtown in 10 minutes.” The app instantly offers two or three optimized choices based on your past behavior, location, preferences, and real-time conditions. You simply tap to confirm.
The entire complex navigation structure disappears, replaced by a context-sensitive, intuitive interaction.
Why This is Good News for Designers
Yes, AI will reshape UI — but it’s not about removing jobs; it’s about changing the type of work we do. As AI increasingly handles layout generation, visual consistency, and even Figma-level fidelity, the role of a product designer becomes more strategic. You’ll spend less time pushing pixels and more time shaping user intent, designing adaptive systems, and guiding AI to reflect the right tone, accessibility, and usability patterns.
Product designers won’t disappear — they’ll evolve into systems thinkers, task framers, and interface architects.
Instead of meticulously crafting layouts and managing hundreds of screens in Figma, we’ll focus more on:
- Contextual UX strategy: Anticipating user needs and creating thoughtful, task-oriented experiences.
- User psychology: Understanding and designing around real, nuanced human behavior and trust.
- Empowering experiences: Ensuring users feel in control, empowered, and supported by clearly communicated AI interactions.
Rather than losing our roles, we’ll be freed to focus on higher-level tasks and deeper creative problem-solving.
How Designers and Founders Should Adapt Now
Here are immediate, practical steps to prepare for an AI-driven UI future:
1. Start thinking in tasks, not screens
- Shift your mindset from creating static screens to facilitating user tasks.
- Clearly define the primary tasks your users want to achieve and simplify interfaces around these core tasks.
2. Use AI daily in your workflow
- Regularly experiment with tools like ChatGPT to understand firsthand how AI impacts your interactions and problem-solving approach.
- Observe which tasks you intuitively turn to AI for and how the interface helps or hinders your experience.
3. Simplify your design approach
- Remove unnecessary visual complexity from your designs now. Ask yourself, “Could this interface be simpler if it were fully personalized?”
- Experiment with radically minimal UI concepts centered around clear user input and output.
4. Focus on empowering clarity
- Consider how your UI communicates to users what actions are possible and available at any moment, rather than overwhelming them with static options.
- Think about leveraging user habits, context, and timing to dynamically surface tasks.
Final Thoughts: Embrace, Don’t Fear, the Shift
As product designers and founders, we’ve always adapted to new technologies. We’re not designing the same interfaces we did 20 or even 10 years ago — and that’s good. Each evolution makes our interactions with technology more human, more intuitive, and more seamless.
AI-driven UI is just the next logical step. Instead of fearing it, we should embrace it, lean into our strengths as empathetic designers, and lead this shift with creativity and optimism.
Source: Tyler Andersen
https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/how-ai-will-fundamentally-change-ui-design-90c9c485038e