Figma Design Lead Raises Bar for Job Candidates in AI Era

The bar is shifting mid-cycle. Designers who mastered Figma's core features over the last few years now face a new skill requirement layered on top: knowing when to use AI and when to override it. Levin framed the change as a natural evolution, not a revolution.

"The tools themselves don't do the work," he said. "The thinking still has to be there."

For hiring managers, the implication is direct. A portfolio that shows AI-assisted work – refined, not just generated – signals a candidate who can keep pace as the industry standard moves. Levin's own team at Figma, which builds the design software many of these candidates use, is watching closely.