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METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:From Maker to Orchestrator: Navigating the UI/UX Designer Role
  Shift in AI-Augmented Design Practices
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:paper-session-1-ai-expertise-and-changing-practice-from-maker-to-orches
 trator-navigating-the-ui-ux@britchi.uk
DTSTAMP:20261014T154232Z
DTSTART:20261102T115000Z
DTEND:20261102T120000Z
SUMMARY:From Maker to Orchestrator: Navigating the UI/UX Designer Role Shif
 t in AI-Augmented Design Practices
DESCRIPTION:BritCHI 2026 · Paper Session 1: AI\, Expertise and Changing Pr
 actice\nCheung\, Lee\nGenerative AI is reshaping digital design\, yet how 
 practitioners integrate these tools into professional workflows remains un
 derstudied. Through 13 expert interviews\, complemented by contextual inqu
 iry with a subset of participants\, we examine how UI/UX designers describ
 e and demonstrate their use of AI prototyping tools during the realisation
 /implementation-facing stages of the design process. Our findings suggest 
 a shift in reported practice: designers describe moving beyond divergent i
 deation to using AI for convergent\, implementation-facing work. With the 
 emergence of vibe coding\, where designers leverage code-aware agents to p
 articipate more directly in codebases\, participants described their role 
 evolving from visual ”makers” towards technical ”orchestrators” of
  AI outputs. This shift has implications for the traditional design-engine
 ering divide\, pointing towards an emerging hybrid ”product engineer” 
 role capable of contributing functional code. We discuss friction points i
 n this reported workflow and derive implications and guidelines for future
  AI tools\, workflows\, and designers’ roles that prioritise inspectabil
 ity and closer code-based collaboration.
LOCATION:Brunel University London\, Kingston Lane\, Uxbridge UB8 3PH
URL:https://www.britchi.uk/programme/schedule/paper-session-1-ai-expertise-
 and-changing-practice/
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