Petr Kameník, COO at PUXdesign: “It is important for designers to learn a new skill: prompt generation”

Unless you work in web development, we’re willing to take a bet that you barely think about the design of sites you visit. About how they flow, the visual cues, how they move you from one page to another. Petr Kameník, COO at web agency PUXdesign, thinks about it all the time – and if you read through to the end of this interview you will gain incredible insights into modern web development.

Now, we’re not claiming that you’ll become an expert. Petr has built up his knowledge of UX design, e-commerce and online marketing over 15 years, and it shows. But what’s also obvious is that things are changing, and that the growing suite of AI tools is becoming just as important as, say, Adobe’s suite of creative apps.

“For websites, I couldn’t imagine working without a tool like Figma, or more broadly, the Figma environment,” Petr told us. “It is a single platform that can be used for the entire design process, is excellent for collaboration, and offers very fast onboarding for people who are part of the wider design team.”

But if you think AI can do the whole job then think again. “When it comes to creating wireframes, we have noticed that AI tends to produce the ‘average’ of a large number of sites,” said Petr. “While the design and layout of the elements might be acceptable, the results often require significant adjustments for real-world use.”

Our thanks to Petr for his time and for sharing his valuable expertise. We know that PUXdesign will soon launch a product for smart product portfolio management using AI, and that Petr is the lead product owner; judging from his in-depth knowledge, we suspect it will save PUXdesign’s clients a huge amount of time.

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When thinking of your creative process, at what point does technology come in? What role does it play in different stages, from concept to final design?

Throughout the process, we strive to involve user research and customers to minimise the risk of the design not being effective from both practical and business perspectives. At this stage, we already utilise tools and AI to prepare data, process interviews and handle other aspects of the research. In this phase, we focus on identifying key opportunities for the initial design discussions.

Next, we proceed with the design itself, where the Figma tool plays a central role, encompassing all subsequent design phases. This includes creating the information architecture, conversion paths, information distribution across different sections of the site, application prototypes and the final design. Here, we enhance the process with additional AI-enabled tools, especially to expedite the preparation of references and suggestions for standard parts of the application, sample page texts and more. We also use generative AI tools for the final design, particularly for mood boards, as they are quicker than manually searching for suitable sample images.

The final stage involves helping to deliver the content to the completed app and website. At this point, we use AI to support copywriters, refine content graphics and handle translations.

AI tools can save us a considerable amount of time, but they still function as assistants to designers and copywriters, and their outputs need to be reviewed.

Recently, we have seen more instances where we assist companies in adopting and integrating these tools and processes into their internal workflows. In these cases, we take on a slightly different role, engaging a broader group of designers and stakeholders from the client side and collaborating on the design. Then we moderate the process and provide ongoing training within the company.

What was the most challenging project you’ve worked on in which technology played a critical role?

An interesting project from this perspective was the design and implementation of an e-commerce solution for the EMEA region, which was rolled out to 14 countries in a short period of time. This solution replaced a previous system that had not been commercially successful, necessitating a complete revision.

The first step involved a comprehensive audit of the application and processes, including modifications to the basic web walkthrough, designing a new user interface, and moving through to the actual implementation and subsequent marketing efforts.

Focusing on the initial design phases, several stakeholders from different countries and teams were involved to ensure the application was tailored to the needs of each country and their specific local products. The common goal was to build an internal team that would go through the entire design process, learn the various steps, and be capable of managing the project with us in the long term. Simultaneously, there was very little time for implementation. The key factors were strong collaboration and the efficient preparation of documents for usability testing, which took place essentially around the clock.

The role of the collaboration tool was well taken care of by Figma and FigJam, and the AI tools for generative content to quickly prepare texts for prototypes (ChatGPT, Jasper.ai) were also very helpful. We also prepared syntheses of interview data in this way (ChatGPT).

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How has technology changed the way you collaborate at work? And in your view, has it improved or worsened navigating creative differences with clients or team members?

Technology has been deeply integrated into the design process since the very beginning. Given the complexity of today’s processes and the number of roles involved, collaboration has become a fundamental necessity. It is quite common to have multiple people from both the client side and our design team working together, iterating on the design collectively.

Functional prototypes also play a larger role as they are user-tested and require quick content adjustments. Nowadays, a site that undergoes initial user testing closely resembles a finished product, with iterations mainly focusing on details, specific features, and customer flow – such as sequencing information and ensuring usability.

Today, we expect all collaborations to occur within design tools, allowing projects to iterate within a single environment – from research and wireframes to mood boards, testing, final design, and eventually content and content graphics (schematics, images, etc.).

These capabilities significantly speed up the entire workflow and keep everything clearly organised in one place. This clarity benefits key team members on the client side as well, helping to maintain their focus and allowing us to concentrate on the most essential issues and challenges within the design.

What trends in graphic design are you most excited about right now, and where do you see the industry heading?

In this case, I anticipate a more regional approach, with a focus on websites and e-commerce. I have observed the field of web design mature and shift towards a more technical and functional discipline. It is no longer about the originality of the solution but rather about minimising the risks associated with misunderstandings in design. People have become accustomed to using websites daily, and as a result, the role of design is evolving. The user’s already established expectations of how various elements should function play a significant role.

Therefore, design patterns and their proper use are crucial. We also focus on finer details – the design must be meticulously planned down to the level of element animations, all possible states, and so on, to ensure clear feedback to the user.

Another important factor is the rationality of the design, ensuring that the final product can be efficiently produced and, more importantly, managed in the long term. The creation of a Design System is essential in this regard. Additionally, most projects are more complex than they used to be, and customers often interact with multiple systems throughout their journey. It is important to provide them with a consistent visual environment so they can quickly orient themselves.

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With the rise of AI and automation in design, how do you see the role of a graphic designer evolving in the next few years?

The involvement and development of AI will undoubtedly speed up most design processes. I can already see the benefits at various stages. In most cases, AI acts as a personal assistant, saving time. A good example is in preparing data for workshops, finding references, synthesising interview data, and so on. We also utilise AI to assist with the actual design, particularly for routine elements – such as designing forms or certain dialogues.

However, the role of the designer remains absolutely essential, and I honestly can’t envision AI delivering a complete, finished and fully usable design anytime soon.

It is therefore important for designers to learn a new skill: prompt generation. They need to generate an idea, describe it and articulate it effectively. The advantage is that AI can provide quick validation and feedback, which significantly speeds up sub-iterations where inspiration is needed to determine if a suggestion might work.

When it comes to creating wireframes, we have noticed that AI tends to produce the “average” of a large number of sites. While the design and layout of the elements might be acceptable, the results often require significant adjustments for real-world use.

What tools or software do you find indispensable in your daily work, and why?

You get used to these tools quickly, and frankly, I wouldn’t want to work without them now that I know they exist and can help me with routine tasks. Here, we are talking about tools for quick copy support, longer text processing, data synthesis, reference tracking, and others where their assistance is highly valuable. These tools are not absolutely essential, but they do save a lot of time.

For websites, I couldn’t imagine working without a tool like Figma, or more broadly, the Figma environment. It is a single platform that can be used for the entire design process, is excellent for collaboration, and offers very fast onboarding for people who are part of the wider design team. It also provides a comprehensive and convenient output for colleagues who then integrate the graphics into the actual site.

For DTP and general design, we still use Adobe tools, which have been the standard for a long time.

Given the global distribution of our team today, a communication platform and document management system are essential. We use MS Teams as part of the O365 suite, and I can’t imagine working without it anymore either. We are happy to meet in the office, but thanks to this (and similar tools), it’s possible to work just as effectively in a fully remote setup.