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Reflections from Config2025 and Where the Industry is Headed
I didn't expect to leave Config2025 thinking more about business models than buttons—but here we are. While everyone takes away something different from a conference like this, one undeniable shift stood out: the line between design and development is dissolving, and it's happening rapidly.
At Config2025, Figma made a bold statement with significant product launches: Figma Sites for seamless design-to-web experiences; Make for AI-driven prototyping directly within your canvas; Code Layers to transform designs instantly into editable React components; a new integrated CMS; Draw Mode for intuitive vector editing; and Buzz, a templating tool empowering non-designers.
Nearly 70% of vendor booths echoed this shift, pitching variations on "design-to-code without developers." Admittedly, these are polished "happy path" demos, and the pragmatic side of me remains cautious. Having built numerous products, I know the leap from prototype to production isn't trivial. But it's becoming increasingly clear that design tools are accelerating toward a future where such a leap is not only possible but practical.
This evolution isn’t entirely new—it mirrors the rise of the design technologist role. What's notable now is how quickly this cross-functional approach is spreading beyond design and engineering. Marketing, sales, and operations are all feeling the pull, driven by platforms and AI tools designed to put solution-building into the hands of those closest to the problem. For lean teams and startups, the ability to launch rapidly and iterate without a development bottleneck is incredibly compelling—and a clear signal of where the industry is headed.
The AI Layer and the Rise of Cross-Functional Creatives
Beneath the design-to-code narrative ran a deeper theme: AI isn't just another feature—it’s becoming fundamental infrastructure. Figma's AI-powered Make tool symbolizes this shift, changing the role of designers from purely visual creators to orchestrators of automated, predictive experiences. Conversations outside of Config, at gatherings like Stripe Sessions and casual meetups, reinforced this perspective. Designers are rapidly becoming facilitators and managers of AI-driven workflows. Fiverr CEO Micha Kaufman summarized it sharply below.
"What was once considered 'easy tasks' will no longer exist; what was considered 'hard tasks' will be the new easy, and what was considered 'impossible tasks' will be the new hard." —Micha Kaufman, Fiverr CEO
This isn’t mere alarmism—it’s a realistic assessment of how quickly our industry is transforming. A new type of professional is emerging: cross-functional creatives who blend design, operations, technical skills, and AI fluency to create value across multiple domains. They are the new full-stack builders, defined not by mastery of a single tool, but by adaptability, systems thinking, and a bias for momentum.
The Figma Suite Debate
With four new products introduced at Config—bringing the total suite to eight—Figma’s rapid expansion generated mixed reactions. Critics fear the platform risks becoming bloated and unfocused, reminiscent of Adobe’s expansive creative suite. Advocates, including myself, see potential. Figma's move positions it firmly in the enterprise space, offering flexibility through seat-based pricing and a collaborative ethos deeply embedded in web-native workflows.
Not every product will fit every team’s needs immediately—our team tried Figma Slides but found it lacking essential business guardrails, ultimately pushing us to Canva—for now... Yet the strength of Figma's strategy lies in experimentation. It’s less about monopolizing creativity and more about providing a flexible toolkit. Companies like Canva and Framer should be watching closely; Webflow, however, remains a mature and distinct platform.
Data is the New Design Language
If AI is now foundational, data is the compass directing design decisions. Talks from Grace Walker (Spellbook) and Becca Ramos drove home a crucial message: aesthetics alone aren’t enough. Walker’s story illustrated the hard truth that beautiful designs can fail spectacularly if they don’t perform. Ramos expanded this idea, advocating that designers embrace growth experiments to drive continuous improvement rather than chasing perfection.
This approach isn’t new to our practice at Tennis, grounded as we are in data visualization and data-driven UX. But Config2025 reinforced that this data-informed mindset is no longer optional—it's becoming the baseline expectation for impactful design.
Process is the Product
Amidst rapid technological change, Config2025 reassuringly highlighted one constant: process still matters deeply. Gabriel Valdivia articulated this effectively in his session on designing at startup speed, emphasizing momentum over perfection. His key points—lead with tangible artifacts, share early to foster collaboration, and communicate clearly—are foundational principles we've long embraced.
Process, more than pixels or platforms, defines a team’s value. Designers who prioritize operational thinking, effective collaboration, and robust design systems will excel in this changing landscape. Those who resist adapting may find themselves increasingly in the margins.
Signals from the Edge
Beyond tools and technology, several talks illuminated the evolving values underpinning good design:
- Madeline Gannon reframed robots as expressive collaborators, advocating thoughtful and playful automation.
- Augmental’s MouthPad^ demonstrated transformative accessible design, redefining inclusive human-computer interaction.
- Andy Welfle reinforced the significance of language as interface, reminding us that thoughtful copy shapes experiences as powerfully as visual elements.
- Ricardo Vázquez emphasized performance as a critical component of design quality—if it doesn’t load, it doesn’t matter.
These highlights underscore enduring principles: empathy, experimentation, inclusivity, and clarity remain central, regardless of technological advancements.
What Comes Next?
The overarching message from Config2025 is clear: Design is no longer merely a step within product creation—it has become the integrative process itself. This process now inherently involves data-driven decisions, AI-supported automation, rapid iteration, and cross-functional collaboration.
The traditional boundaries—web vs. product, content vs. interface—are dissolving. Everything we create is product-driven, and designers must either embrace this integrated reality or risk obsolescence.
For us at Tennis, Config2025 reaffirmed our belief that our greatest value lies in our strategic and operational thinking. Our role is to guide clients through these shifts, leveraging our curiosity and systemic approach to stay ahead of what’s next.
