Cloud.ru designer explains how AI tools pushed Figma aside in interface design

A Cloud.ru product designer who builds interfaces for AI agents described on Habr how he used AI tools to create a security review section from scratch for one of the company's products. That job would previously have taken about a week and a half. With AI, he got the mockups to an approved flow in three working days.

Why there's no longer a choice between Figma and AI

The author pushes back on the soft framing that "AI hasn't replaced anything, it just offers new possibilities." In his view, the word "can" leaves a loophole: it implies designers still have a choice between adopting new tools and working the way they're used to. In practice, there is no choice. This isn't about anyone doing worse work. If a colleague next to you covers the same ground noticeably faster with new tools, the speed gap will get noticed sooner or later, first by the team and then by the market.

Cloud.ru is actively rolling out AI tools, and the company's designers routinely share practices: what worked and what didn't. The article is written as a breakdown of personal experience, showing where things actually worked and where they hit a dead end.

What the real case showed

• The author is a Cloud.ru product designer who specializes in interfaces for AI agents
• The task: build a security review section from scratch for one of the company's products
• Previously, this kind of work would have taken about a week and a half
• With AI tools, the designer got the mockups to an approved flow in three working days
• In the article, he walks through, step by step, where AI shortened the path and where it forced him to explain everything by hand

The author stresses that the piece is not meant to promote specific tools. Instead, it's an honest breakdown for fellow designers who are still watching AI from the sidelines: which parts of the process actually speed up, and which still require manual work and explanations in natural language. He says the article is structured as a step-by-step walkthrough of a specific project, not a general survey of the AI design tools market.

What it means

The case shows that for product designers, the question is no longer whether to try AI tools but when to build them into their workflow. Otherwise, the speed gap with colleagues who have already done so will become visible both inside the team and on the job market.

FAQ

What exactly did the designer do with AI?

He designed a security review section from scratch for one of Cloud.ru's products and got the mockups to an approved flow.

How much time did AI save on this task?

Work that would previously have taken about a week and a half fit into three working days with AI tools.