Design tools I'm watching
A curated collection of tools shaping how we design. Some I use daily, others I'm keeping an eye on as they evolve.
Napkin.ai
Turn text into visuals instantly. AI-powered tool that transforms your ideas into diagrams, flowcharts, and illustrations.
Microsoft Clarity
A free, easy-to-use tool that captures how real people actually use your site. Features session recordings, heatmaps, and ML-based insights.
Pencil
Design on canvas, land in code. Two-way integration that brings designing into your IDE and syncs code changes back to design.
Stitch
Prompt your way to polished UI. Google's AI design tool turns text and image inputs into complete interface designs and production-ready frontend code, powered by Gemini.
Emergent
From idea to app, no code required. AI-powered platform that lets anyone build full applications through natural language, removing the programming barrier entirely.
Outset
Scale qualitative research with an AI moderator. Conducts and synthesises user interviews autonomously, so you get deep insights without the manual overhead.
Fusion
One platform for design and code. Connects Figma, GitHub, and AI so teams can go from visual design to production-ready components and back, with full design-system fidelity.
Maze
Research at the speed of product. Run prototype tests, surveys, interviews, and card sorts in one place, with AI that auto-surfaces themes and actionable insights.
Dovetail
Turn scattered customer feedback into a single source of truth. AI-powered platform that ingests calls, tickets, and surveys, then auto-classifies themes and surfaces trends.
TheyDo
Map every customer journey, align every team. AI-powered journey management platform that unifies fragmented insights across the enterprise into a shared experience view.
Optimal Workshop
Validate designs before you build. UX research platform for card sorting, tree testing, and prototype testing with access to millions of participants worldwide.
Marvin
Your AI-native research repository. Centralises interviews, surveys, and feedback, then lets you query your entire customer knowledge base in natural language.