Design Systems - AI and Design Systems: What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)

Learn what actually works when using AI with design systems. This video breaks down real workflows using tools like Anthropic’s Claude AI, Figma, and design tokens to help you go from idea to production without the usual AI fluff. We cover where AI helps, where it fails, and how to structure prompts, components, and systems so outputs are usable in real product design. You’ll see how to use AI for ideation, UI generation, system thinking, and refining components that can actually ship. If you're a product designer, UX designer, or UI designer trying to build faster without breaking your design system, this is a practical guide to using AI in real workflows. 🔗 KEY LINKS 📣 JOIN THE COMMUNITY: https://uicollective.co/ ❎ Follow me on X: https://x.com/KirkMDesign Why Join UI Collective Academy? Get access to premium courses, premium downloads, and so much more on the way (I am largely building this solo...trying to make design education available for all, support goes a long way!) ↪️ Need a design system? (also included in the academy): https://collectivekit.co/ 🔗 OTHER SYSTEM VIDEOS TO WATCH Build a Design System: https://youtu.be/opTANvl9G1g Complex Design System & Figma Variable Setup: https://youtu.be/L-tpK7Eeuow Claude Design Video: https://youtu.be/eXlSgQmz02E 🔗 MORE LINKS Let us build or fix your design system: https://designsystemlabs.co/ 📣 Save 20% on the Annual Mobbin plan: http://mobbin.com/uicollective Google Stitch: https://stitch.withgoogle.com/ Claude Design: https://claude.ai/design [email protected] 0:00 An Introduction 0:41 Can AI Build Your Design System 2:02 Generating Buttons with Claude Design 4:19 Figma MCP + Claude Skills Connection 6:16 Pushing Components to Figma 6:44 Reviewing Output in Figma 8:14 Component with Atom Components 10:01 Reviewing Complex Component Output 11:08 Workflow Limitations to Consider 14:26 Design Tokens & Figma Variables 17:52 My AI Design System Workflow 18:46 Training AI on Design Tokens 23:11 Reviewing Claude Skill 24:03 Training AI on Our Design System Components 27:50 Reviewing Components Claude Skill 28:34 Claude Design and Design System Limitations 31:51 Better First Time AI Design Outputs 33:02 Design System Research with Mobbin 34:50 Building Components in Claude Code 38:56 Reviewing Figma Design System Components 40:40 Audit Design System Skill 41:38 Outro