Antonija and Vitali catch up after a weird week in tech, starting with Figma’s unexpected “villain arc” and all the drama around Dev Mode. They dive into how it’s pissing off both designers and developers—and what it says about Figma’s direction lately. Then things get a little existential as they chat about the future of capitalism, burnout, and the weird pressure to constantly innovate. It’s one of those episodes where we laugh a lot, rant a bit, and accidentally unpack our late-stage tech anxieties.

What We Talked About

• AI is eating our jobs? Or is it just making everything more annoying?

• Ethics in design: Can you really be a “good” designer while working for a business that just wants $$$?

• The “no experience” job market paradox: Should you just apply and let them say no? (Yes, duh.)

• Antonija’s app launch fail: Spent months coding, launched it, login was broken. 😭

• Cursor & AI coding tools: Are they making us smarter or dumber?

• Big Tech’s mask-off moment: DEI efforts gone, profit-chasing in full force.

• Design system geekery: Boolean vs. dropdown properties – the war rages on.

• Why Bootstrap’s 10px grid makes us irrationally angry.

• The power of being nice: A LinkedIn chat from two years ago came full circle. 🥹

In this episode, we’re getting into why UX tends to go downhill as companies get bigger, how AI is shaking up design and coding, and what’s going on with Arc now that The Browser Company is switching gears. We chat about Figma’s growing pains, the AI tools that are making work faster (and maybe more fun), and why designers need to think beyond just pixels. Plus, we’re sharing some must-try apps that are seriously changing the game.

Topics Discussed:

• ​Why big companies struggle with UX and innovation
• ​ AI-powered design and coding tools: Cursor, V0, Bolt.new, Replit
• ​ The browser wars: What’s next for Arc?
• ​ The role of Figma, Blender, and Auto Layout struggles
• ​ Why startups often fail and how AI might change that
• ​ The best tools for video and photo editing on iPhone

Must-Try Apps:

🔹 Cursor – AI-powered coding assistant that speeds up development

🔹 V0 by Vercel – AI code generator for building React components

🔹 Bolt.new – AI-powered UI generator, similar to V0

🔹 Replit – Cloud-based IDE for AI-assisted development

🔹 MacWhisper – Local AI transcription for Mac

🔹 Fireflies.ai – AI meeting transcription and note-taking

🔹 Kino – High-quality iPhone video recording with Apple Log support

🔹 Halide – Advanced iPhone photography app for pro-level shots

🔹 BlueSky – The Twitter alternative with an open API

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Join Antonija and Vitali on Design Party as they dive into enhancing designer value by understanding developer needs, improving workflows, and fostering collaboration. They discuss the importance of holistic evaluation, the pitfalls of handoff, and the human aspect of teamwork. Discover insights on design tools, the future of prototyping, and why learning basic coding can transform your design career. Tune in for practical tips and engaging discussions!

In this episode, we dive into the unexpected controversy surrounding .io domains as the UK's handover of Indian Ocean territories to Mauritius raises questions about their future by 2030. We then explore Figma's new UI3 update, discussing its mixed reception among designers, the surprisingly useful AI features (currently free but becoming paid in 2025), and ongoing usability challenges with the new interface. The conversation wraps up with a candid wishlist for design innovation, including ideas for customizable workspaces, quick action menus, and better integration for non-designer roles.

In this episode of Design Party, Antonija and Vitali dive into the hot topic of AI in design. They discuss Figma's new AI features and the excitement around its Slides tool, expressing concerns about AI potentially stifling creativity by reusing existing designs. The hosts also touch on Canva's significant price hike due to new AI features and worry about the future of Affinity's products after its acquisition.

In this episode Helena and Antonija are commenting the dramatic Adobe and Figma divorce. As this is the last episode of the year we are taking some time to chit-chat about 2023.