Design Table Podcast

Product design workflows are changing fast and nobody has a clean answer for what to do about it.
In our first ever live episode, Tyler (in-house at a fintech SaaS company) and Nick (freelance product designer working with clients across the world) get honest about what modern design actually looks like right now.
Neither of us have touched a wireframe in months. We talked about why. And then we get a comment from a live viewer that made us thinking again about our choices.
What we cover in this episode:
🔸 Why wireframing is disappearing and what is replacing it
🔸 The real difference between in-house AI pressure and the freelance reality
🔸 Tool fatigue: when does adding new tools actually make you slower?
🔸 Nick's minimalist stack (Figma + Claude, nothing else) vs Tyler's workflow (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor, GitHub)
🔸 How design thinking holds up when clients have no patience for the process
🔸 AI changing the speed of design without changing the hard part
🔸 Whether it is still actually fun to be a designer right now
This was our first live episode. Thirty comments, four reposts, and a lot of real questions answered in real time.
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MORE ABOUT TYLER AND NICK
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

Everywhere we look, product designers are sick and tired of AI this, AI that.
It feels like every day, there is a new tool, a new workflow, a new “Figma is dead” post, a new vibe coding demo, and another person telling designers they are either 'cooked', obsolete, or about to become '10x'.
Reality is completely different. So try and relax!
In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick talk about whether AI is making product design more fun, less fun, or just more overwhelming.
They get into the current AI chaos around product design, vibe coding, designers touching code, Figma, Claude, Cursor, transcript-driven workflows, AI bloat, and the blurry line between prototypes, production, and things that only look real but secretly are not.
Nick shares his first real experiments with vibe coding, including using Claude to make an interactive prototype he could not easily show in Figma. Tyler shares why he has been trying to skip Figma, why that keeps falling apart, and why polished product design still needs taste, craft, spacing, typography, and all the tiny pixel-level decisions AI does not magically understand yet.
They also discuss the return of the builder-designer, why more designers may need to understand code again, and how AI is changing expectations around prototyping, collaboration, and product development.
The conversation explores the emotional side of AI too. The fear that craft is disappearing. The weirdness of everyone creating prototypes. The source-of-truth problem. The mental load of keeping up. And why the most useful AI workflows might not be flashy demos, but boring things like transcripts, summaries, prompts, and turning messy meeting feedback into actual next steps.
This episode is about staying useful in a design world that keeps changing, without losing your taste, your craft, or your mind because someone on LinkedIn discovered a new tool before breakfast.
In this episode you’ll learn:
🔸 Why designers should stop chasing every new AI tool
🔸 How to decide whether AI actually helps your workflow
🔸 Why vibe coding can be useful for exploring ideas
🔸 Where AI-generated prototypes create confusion
🔸 Why designers touching code still need to understand developer thinking
🔸 Why Figma is not dead just because someone made a shiny demo
🔸 How transcripts can improve prompts, workflows, and follow-up work
🔸 Why AI bloat can make communication feel less human
🔸 Why product design still needs taste, polish, and craft
Chapters:
0:00 - Trying to escape Figma with AI for a month
0:57 - Don't fall for the hype — filter by your own workflow
3:58 - Roles are flattening and the field moves 3x faster
6:12 - Going back to the generalist skillset
7:41 - The hidden gap: designers need a developer's mindset
9:35 - When everyone prototypes, what's a designer worth?
11:17 - Is design still fun in the AI wave?
16:53 - "I vibe coded a thing today"
21:33 - Five terrible AI ideas that led to the right one
23:27 - Transcripts as context: the real AI unlock
30:43 - AI-written messages kill human connection
34:07 - Quick-fire: will AI take your role?
35:25 - Stay positive, think for yourself
Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe
Resources to help you level up your design career:
Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audit
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit
Download the Product Design Blueprint
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint
Join our UX and product design community
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community
In need of support? Take a look at our resources
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn
More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white\
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

Two episodes of telling their career stories, and Nick and Tyler kept noticing the same thing: the lessons that actually mattered came from the rejections, the steps backward, and the ego traps nobody warns you about.
 
In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Nick and Tyler sit down for a third session to digest their two previous story episodes and pull out what they actually learned. No new hero's journey. Just two designers comparing notes on the messy, non-linear reality of building a career that lasts.
 
They get into luck and whether you can create your own, why eight months of rejection letters might mean it's time to step back instead of sending out 500 more applications, and how Tyler stumbled into web design through a newspaper ad for a trade program he wasn't even looking for.
 
Nick talks through coaching two people at very different stages, and the hard call of telling someone their skills aren't ready yet instead of just fixing their CV. Tyler shares the ADPList portfolio-review strategy, treating mentor feedback like research data, and why comparing yourself to a 20k-follower influencer is the fastest way to feel like you're never good enough.
 
They also dig into the "I'll show them" drive that pushed both of them forward after getting let go, why it's a double-edged sword, and how it shows up as the 97-out-of-100 perfectionism trap (the Loom recorded 25 times, the Lighthouse score that ruined an afternoon). And they close on the mental tax of staying current in an industry that reinvents itself every five minutes, especially now with AI.
 
This episode is about surviving the messy middle of a design career, knowing when to step back to leap forward, and remembering that your only real competition is your past self.
 
In this episode you'll learn:
🔸 Why luck in a design career is mostly preparation meeting opportunity
🔸 When to stop applying and go back to sharpen your craft instead
🔸 How to use free mentor sessions as portfolio research
🔸 Why comparing yourself to influencers quietly wrecks your confidence
🔸 How the "I'll show them" mindset can fuel you and burn you
🔸 The perfectionism trap of chasing 100 when 97 is already done
🔸 Why hating your old work is actually a sign you're improving
🔸 The mental tax of staying current as AI reshapes design
 
⏱ Chapters
00:00 What's the difference between 97 and 100?
00:43 Why a third recap session
01:32 Is a design career all about luck?
02:09 Creating your own luck after 8 months of rejection
03:12 The hero's journey and the bright-eyed junior myth
03:50 Taking a step back to leap forward
04:38 Handing out demo reels and getting rejected by mail
05:14 When 300 applications get you nowhere
06:10 How Tyler chose what to go back and study
06:44 The trade school stigma and the newspaper ad
08:13 Are they ready, or just presenting it wrong?
08:57 The danger of improving your portfolio forever
09:47 Replicating designers you admire to find your style
10:20 Progress you can't see in the moment
11:26 The day-to-day of a demotivated job hunt
11:36 Using free mentors as portfolio research
12:45 Coaching two people at very different stages
13:59 The hard call: skills first, applications later
14:54 "I'm not good at math" vs "not good yet"
15:28 Compare yourself to your past self, not influencers
17:03 Reopening an old file and cleaning up your own mess
18:15 Hating your old work means you're getting better
18:43 Resilience after being let go early on
19:21 Shame, rent, and the reasons you keep going
20:53 The volatility and thrill of startup design
21:23 Being told you can't build your own thing
22:30 The itch to build your own thing
23:12 The "I'll show them" superpower and its double edge
24:55 The 97-out-of-100 Lighthouse trap
26:53 Recording the same Loom 25 times
28:47 The performance tax of staying up to date
29:49 Why design feels harder than ever with AI
30:18 Everyone's journey is different
30:44 Get all the help you can: reviews, community, mentors
Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe
Resources to help you level up your design career:
Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audit
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit
Download the Product Design Blueprint
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint
Join our UX and product design community
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community
In need of support? Take a look at our resources
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn
More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white\
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

Most product designers want to have the clean career story. First, you go to school. You build a portfolio and get hired. Then you get promoted and become a senior product designer. Post something painfully inspirational on LinkedIn about “the journey” and you're there.
Cute, but Tyler’s path was not that.
It started with trying to get into animation. He soon realised the job market did not care about his art school confidence, so he had to go back to learn graphic design, web design, and coding landing pages. After, he started mailing resumes like it was the stone age and slowly figuring out how to turn all those skills into an actual product design career.
So… how do you build a long-term design career when the industry keeps changing every five minutes?
In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Nick interviews Tyler about his 16-year journey in design, from animation school and trade programs to web design, e-commerce, agency work, AI products, design leadership, layoffs, and eventually becoming a principal product designer.
Tyler shares what he learned from being a designer who could code before that was cool, asking for raises, leaving jobs when growth stalled, getting let go twice in one year, spotting red flags in companies, and finding a role where mentorship, product strategy, and modern design work finally came together.
We also get into AI, vibe coding, designers opening pull requests, why the builder-designer might be making a comeback, and why the core thinking behind product design still matters even when the tools change.
This episode is about surviving the messy middle of a design career, staying useful as the industry shifts, and not letting one bad job, one layoff, or one weird CEO turn your career into a smoking pile of career anxiety.
In this episode you’ll learn:
🔸 How Tyler accidentally moved from animation into web design
🔸 Why early career confidence can disappear fast in the real job market
🔸 How coding helped Tyler stand out as a designer
🔸 Why staying current matters more than clinging to one process
🔸 How to ask for raises when you can actually back it up
🔸 What layoffs taught Tyler about career risk
🔸 How to spot red flags before joining a company
🔸 Why AI and code are changing the product design role again
⏱ Chapters
00:00 Why the design industry feels unstable right now
02:00 Tyler’s accidental start in design
04:30 When art school confidence meets the job market
06:20 Learning graphic design, web design, and code
08:00 Why old skills still show up later in your career
10:11 Going into monk mode to get better
12:13 Landing the first internship
14:06 Applying for the first real design job
16:15 Negotiating salary before knowing what you’re worth
19:16 Struggling in the first job
21:14 Becoming the only designer
23:44 Designers who code and the builder-designer comeback
25:39 Leaving a job to keep growing
29:38 Taking a pay cut to learn something new
32:18 Spotting company red flags
34:38 Moving from web designer to UI/UX designer
36:23 Agency work, AI, and design leadership
40:30 Asking for a $15,000 raise
43:03 Fighting for user research
44:21 Becoming a solo product designer
47:00 Building trust with engineering
48:30 Getting let go after four years
51:54 Updating the portfolio after a layoff
54:04 Joining a sinking ship
58:21 Getting let go twice in one year
59:19 Finding green flags in the next role
01:01:05 Why designers may need to touch code again
01:03:59 What designers should do to stay relevant
01:06:23 Why your only real competition is your past self
Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe
Resources to help you level up your design career:
Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audit
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit
Download the Product Design Blueprint
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint
Join our UX and product design community
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community
In need of support? Take a look at our resources
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn
More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld

Lots of product designers dream about going freelance. No boss. No performance reviews. And you decide where and when you work.
And then reality shows up.
No guaranteed paycheck. No HR department. No sales team. No legal department. No one magically handing you clients because you updated your LinkedIn headline to “freelance product designer.”
So… how do you actually become a fully booked freelance product designer making six figures without setting your career on fire?
In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler interviews Nick about his full journey into product design. From discovering UX by accident during an internship, to losing early jobs, to slowly building enough confidence, visibility, and client demand to go freelance full time.
Nick shares that he is now a full-time freelance product designer in the Netherlands and has been fully booked with design projects for as long as he can remember.
We talk about design education, internships, getting your first job, startup chaos, consultancy life, salary negotiation, writing online, building a network, and the uncomfortable moment when you realize your employer is charging a lot more for your work than you are actually taking home.
Nick also shares why freelancing is not just “doing design without a boss.” It is sales, visibility, taxes, client relationships, risk management, delivery, and learning how to stay useful in rooms where your future clients already hang out.
This episode is about the messy, non-linear path into product design and what it actually takes to build a freelance design career with more control, more ownership, and slightly fewer surprise layoffs.
In this episode you’ll learn:
🔸 How Nick accidentally discovered UX through an internship
🔸 Why real design work moves faster than school projects
🔸 What losing early jobs taught him about control
🔸 Why freelancing started as a small side income
🔸 How writing online helped Nick build visibility
🔸 Why joining non-design communities can help you find clients
🔸 What designers should know before going freelance
🔸 Why luck matters more than most career advice admits
⏱ Chapters
00:00 Nick’s 11-year journey in product design
01:44 Discovering UX by accident
03:13 Landing the first design internship
06:30 Learning more in two weeks than two years of school
08:18 The shock of real-world project timelines
10:43 Design thinking versus real-world design work
12:00 Getting the first in-house design job
16:46 Losing a job and realizing how little control you have
20:02 Joining a startup as the first designer
23:44 Losing confidence after two jobs ended
24:19 Writing online and helping other designers
27:49 Moving into consultancy
32:00 Discovering the business side of design
34:46 Making the jump toward freelance
38:19 Building visibility and finding clients
41:40 The smartest way to get freelance work
46:08 The role of luck in a design career
49:05 Why freelancing worked out for Nick
Subscribe to The Design Table Podcast
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/subscribe
Resources to help you level up your design career:
Get your portfolio and career strategy reviewed with a Design Table Audit
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/design-table-audit
Download the Product Design Blueprint
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/product-design-blueprint
Join our UX and product design community
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/products/ux-and-product-design-community
In need of support? Take a look at our resources
https://www.designtablepodcast.com/learn
More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld