A UX lead at an unnamed company solved design quality variance across their team, and the method is not what most managers expect. The skills they once dismissed, likely systems thinking, documentation discipline, and structured critique, became the most expensive capabilities to replicate once AI tools flattened baseline execution.
The article is worth reading in full because the argument is structural, not motivational. It does not tell designers to work harder. It identifies which specific competencies now determine output ceiling when everyone has access to the same generative tools, and why those competencies were historically undervalued in hiring and performance reviews.
The implications are immediate for anyone managing a design team in 2025. If your team ships inconsistent quality today, this piece names the exact gap. If they ship consistent quality, it forces the harder question: consistent at what level, and what comes next when the tools improve again.
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