UX Designers: Shaping the Future of User-AI Interaction, Reveals Amélie Poirier (Niji)

In 2026, the UX designer’s role is undergoing significant transformation. The rise of AI is reshaping the field: blurring traditional distinctions, broadening required skills, and elevating the designer’s role to a more strategic level within product teams.

But what educational path should one follow to pursue a career in this field? What tools should one master? And what are the career opportunities available to those entering UX design? Amélie Poirier, who serves as the lead designer at Niji, shares her insights on the evolving profession and offers practical advice for building a robust career.

Training in UX Design

What characterizes the UX designer role in 2026? What does this role specifically involve today?

By 2026, the role of a UX designer is no longer just about creating attractive interfaces. It now involves designing intelligent systems that can autonomously interact with users. UX now extends beyond screens to how humans and machines understand and work with each other.

Today, we talk about “agentive UX”: an approach where the user sets goals, and AI agents take care of the rest. They plan and execute actions in the background, eliminating the need for constant oversight.

In this context, the designer’s role changes. They must primarily establish trust so that the user understands what the AI is doing and can anticipate its actions. They need to allow for intervention, correction, or cancellation as needed. And they must clarify responsibilities, ensuring it’s always clear what is handled by humans and what is managed by the machine.

Ultimately, the UX designer becomes less of a mere interface creator and more of a true architect of the relationship between the user and artificial intelligence.

UX designer, UI designer, UX/UI designer: Do these distinctions still make sense in 2026, or does the market now expect profiles that master the entire discipline?

Indeed, the traditional distinctions between UX designer, UI designer, and UX/UI designer are becoming less relevant. The industry now speaks more of a Product Designer, a hybrid profile adept at navigating various skills.

AI is transforming our professions by making designers more interdisciplinary: it encourages us to delve into technical areas and to experiment with new approaches effortlessly.

Our expertise is becoming more holistic: a designer is no longer defined by a single discipline, but by their ability to understand and orchestrate a broad ecosystem of tools and knowledge.

In my view, AI amplifies our roles and broadens our scope of action.

What technical skills and soft skills are essential to succeed in this field?

To be a designer in the broadest sense, one needs to balance logic with intuition. It’s essential to observe and understand users like a researcher, organize information like an architect, and craft seamless experiences using tools like Figma.

However, technique alone is insufficient: without empathy to sense needs, without critical thinking to challenge ideas, and without communication skills to persuade and collaborate, design remains superficial.

A good designer does not merely create interfaces; they design meaningful, useful, and sustainable experiences!

Which profiles are most successful in this discipline? Is a technical background necessary?

To me, the most successful profiles are those that are highly curious, enjoy exploration, and are agile in their approach. They also have a strong ability to adapt to different contexts and sectors.

Interpersonal skills are incredibly important. Being comfortable with communication helps to easily connect with various professions: designers, developers, product managers, and business analysts.

Amélie’s advice:

Being able to engage with technical profiles is crucial. Understanding their constraints is necessary to collaboratively build solutions that truly bridge design and technology.

Amélie Poirier

Lead Designer, Niji Agency

What tools, languages, and/or methodologies should a UX design expert absolutely master to succeed in this field?

Today, there are numerous tools on the market, making it hard to single out just one.

We increasingly hear about AI-based workflows in their entirety. For instance, you can connect Figma’s MCP with other MCPs, such as Claude’s, and then integrate all of this into a code editor. And that’s just one example among many.

These workshops are crucial because they directly involve the end users in the design process, whether to define needs or to imagine solutions. This participative approach stimulates team creativity and fosters innovation.

Having users and designers work together really helps to better understand expectations, even those that are not explicitly stated. Ultimately, this definitely facilitates the adoption of the interfaces we design.

What educational path would you recommend for someone aspiring to become a UX designer? How can one effectively train?

I would recommend pursuing a degree in applied arts. As examples, schools such as the National School of Industrial Creation (ENSCI) or the Nantes Atlantique School of Design are excellent references.

Beyond initial training, it’s crucial to continue learning throughout one’s career through projects. Initiatives like Le Laptop are particularly valuable in this regard.

At Niji, we have a Niji University, based on a very practical approach: learning directly through projects, developing skills mission by mission. The company thus provides its staff with the necessary means to continuously train.

Finding training programs in UX design

What are the possible career opportunities in UX design?

Career opportunities for a designer, broadly speaking, are quite diverse. Traditionally, one can work in agencies, startups, or large corporations, on digital projects such as websites, mobile apps, or software platforms.

The role can also evolve into more strategic positions: UX researcher, product designer, design strategist, or even UX lead and design manager. Some may choose to specialize in accessibility, UX writing, or service design (service design).

Ultimately, the profession remains very cross-disciplinary: a designer works closely with developers, product managers, marketing, and business teams. This opens up many possibilities, depending on one’s skills and interests.

At Niji, we recruit profiles at level C1, with a strong aptitude for current tools: designers capable of integrating AI into their workflow (up to 60% of tasks augmented) and mastering tools like Figma comprehensively.