Design Gist

Design Gist

Enny and Elsy explore how cultural factors influence the design process, particularly in the context of designing for African users.

  1. 6D AGO

    In the era of AI-assisted design

    We're looking at AI-assisted design today. We talked about how the 'designer' title has evolved and how to design with AI without losing your creative voice. Plus, we're breaking down the brand designer vs. product designer debate that blew up on Naija design Twitter few weeks ago. We're also giving you a free design system template to start designing with AI today. 👍 Product Thumbs Up: Dayo Cyrus on Instagram@wearegst and their influence on graphic designers making infographics relating to Nigerian corruption👎 Product Thumbs Down: Microsoft Excel redesigniOS Photos collectionApple Magic mouse (yes, still)The Evolution of Design Tools Mini history lesson: how the term "designer" came to beHow fast new tools are being shipped right nowTools We're Watching: Claude CodeFigma's Vectorise toolRemotionChatGPT's Atlas2026 Design Process & Toolkit with AI How it differs from the traditional design processWorking with AI on side projects vs. in big teamsThe hidden costs and trade-offs nobody talks aboutBypassing developers: building real apps, not just prototypesWhy you need to pass your design philosophy to AI before anything elseIs AI-Assisted Design Anti-Creative?We tackle this question head-on with personal experiences and honest takes. Brand Designers vs. Product DesignersWe break down the debate that took over Naija design Twitter a few weeks ago. Hot takes included. 🎁 Free Template: Design Philosophy for AI ToolsWe're sharing our framework for feeding your design philosophy to AI so you can actually build things that match your vision. Download it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uCvDScQATh6JAFtBWgYD-Z3Z51HI2BK_2rAelzamusM/edit?usp=sharing Follow us on Instagram: @designgistpod © 2026 Design Gist Podcast

    1h 41m
  2. JAN 18

    The UX of Flying (Air Peace) to Nigeria

    In what is actually the 31st episode of the Design Gist podcast, we yap about the user experience and customer experience of flying, particularly with Air Peace, a Nigerian airline. We discuss the various phases of air travel, from pre-booking to post-flight, highlighting the importance of design in each of those stages. And the conversation opens up the frustrations and challenges faced by travellers, especially when dealing with third-party booking sites like Trip.com, which can complicate the experience due to misinformation. We share personal anecdotes about our travel experiences, emphasising the need for better communication and user-centred design in the airline industry. We recounted a series of frustrating events, including a lack of clear signage at inaccessible airports, the chaotic atmosphere during baggage claim, unending in-flight delays.... Chapters (00:00) Intro (02:19) Discussing User Experience in Air Travel (14:34) Exploring the Phases of Air Travel (20:18) The Importance of Design in Travel (24:07) Traveling Troubles: A Personal Experience (25:39) How important is Information in Air Travel (30:37) Misinformation from Online Travel Agencies (36:00) The Importance of Transparency in Booking (48:15) Dark UX Patterns in the Travel Industry (51:02) Frustrations with Ticketing and Travel Apps (54:16) Navigating Airport Signage and Wayfinding (01:01:08) Cultural Differences in Customer Service (01:12:45) In-Flight Experiences and Service Quality (01:13:53) Understanding Customer Service Expectations (01:17:05) Anecdotes from the Airline Experience (01:20:05) Critique of Air Peace and Service Failures (01:29:59) The Need for Design Overhaul in Nigerian Air Travel (01:37:51) Innovations in Travel Tech (01:39:10) Customer Experience in Nigeria (01:40:33) Social media gist 01:55:00) In closing

    1h 56m
  3. 10/26/2025

    Can AI replace UX Writers? We put 4 tools to the test

    In This Episode Part of our ongoing series testing whether AI can actually handle UX jobs. Why Writesonic and Copy.ai didn't make the cutWhat makes Frontitude stand out for UX writingThe real limitations we found even in the best toolsOur honest take on the future of UX writing as a specialty We're back with our AI tools testing series! After hitting some technical snags with the first one - UX research episode - we jumped straight into testing AI tools for UX writing, and the results were eye-opening. What We Tested We started with 4 tools—Claude, Writesonic, Frontitude, and Copy.ai—but quickly narrowed it down when two proved unusable for serious UX writing work. The Verdict The Frontitude plugin came out on top for UX writing tasks, showing real promise for the field. But here's the catch: even the best tool still needs human oversight and fine-tuning. The Big Questions Where does UX writing actually belong: product teams or marketing?What's the career risk of being "just a UX writer" as AI capabilities grow?Are we looking at augmentation or replacement? Chapters (00:00) Intro and catch-up (07:38) Product thumbs up/down (24:59) Onboarding the 4 AI tools (40:51) Understanding marketing and UX writing (42:08) Copy.ai's confusing onboarding flow (50:05) Testing error scenarios with Claude (1:00:41) Testing error scenarios with Frontitude (1:07:12) Comparing both on the error scenario (1:12:41) Testing navigation labels with Claude (1:15:35) Why AI cannot replace human designers just yet (1:20:43) Testing navigation labels with Frontitude (1:23:00) Comparing both on the navigation label scenario (1:24:17) Ranking the AI tools for UX writing (1:27:00) The role of UX writers in the industry (1:30:34) Adapting to AI as a UX Writer (1:36:36) The future

    1h 44m

About

Enny and Elsy explore how cultural factors influence the design process, particularly in the context of designing for African users.