Web design is going through a big change because of something called artificial intelligence (AI). AI has the potential to revolutionise the industry, streamlining processes, and delivering personalised experiences. 

However, it is important to address a common misconception: the belief that AI alone can replace the need for human designers. 

In this article, we will explore how AI could change web design while highlighting the indispensable role that human designers play in the process.

AI as an Efficiency Booster

One of the key benefits of AI in web design is its ability to act as an efficiency booster. AI can streamline repetitive tasks, automating certain design processes and saving significant time and effort. 

For example, AI can use lots of information and figure out how websites should look, like where things should go, what colours to use, and what kinds of writing styles to use. This not only speeds up the design process, but also provides designers with a starting point for their creative work.

However, even though AI can do some things automatically, it's still important to have human designers. They know how to make the designs even better and can make sure the designs are special and match what the client wants. Human designers have a special artistic sense and understanding that AI doesn't have.

Crafting Unique and Engaging Experiences

Web design is not just about making things look pretty. It's about creating special and exciting experiences for people who use websites. 

Human designers possess a deep understanding of the user's perspective, enabling them to connect with users emotionally. They have the empathy and creativity to design websites that resonate with the target audience.

We even asked our web designers about why clients should still use human web designers over AI and they said, 

“Web designers give designs a "human touch" that allows us to connect with our end-users on an emotional level when necessary. This is not something AI or machinery can fully replicate.” - Gem

“Web designers are creative by nature, so they find innovative solutions to problems. Clients often value the human touch in design. They want to work with designers who understand their needs and create special solutions other than AI that only creates based off of existing work to produce results.” - Wella

To add more context, here’s what Stephen, owner of SMK Creations, has to say, 

"We have got years of experience in building lead generation websites to know how to build websites that work! We know how the user thinks and what we need to do to create the emotion to make them want to engage with the website - and that's what AI doesn't do.”

Also, human designers are really good at making websites easy to use. They know how people move around websites and can make everything simple and clear. They think about how people will use the website and make it easy for them to find what they need. This makes it easier for people to use and enjoy the website.

Not only that, human designers are like masters of telling stories through websites. They know how to use pictures and words to make a website feel exciting and interesting. 

Imagine if there's a website about a cool movie. The design can show you scenes from the movie and make you really excited to watch it. Human designers can make the story of the movie come alive and make you want to explore more on the website. AI can make things look nice, but it can't do that same storytelling magic.

Design That Goes Beyond Just Making Things Look Nice

Web design is not just about making things look pretty; it's about creating special and exciting experiences for people who use websites.

One key aspect that sets human designers apart is personalisation. 

They go beyond what AI can offer by considering their preferences, needs, and behaviours to create websites that provide a unique and tailored experience. 

They connect with users emotionally, designing websites that hit all the right notes and resonate with them. That's a level of personal touch that AI struggles to replicate.

Sure, AI can lend a helping hand by speeding things up and suggesting some initial design concepts. But human designers bring their own magic to the mix – their creative spark, empathy, and deep understanding that goes way beyond just making things look nice. And that's what truly counts for the users.

To give you a better picture, we tried generating a law firm website using AI website builders:

Our designers’ feedback:

“Spacing is off for a lot of the text and content. The colours don't show the company's personality and the imagery doesn't give off a vibe that's ‘trustworthy’.” - Gem

“The elements such as layout, text, and color blocks have no creativity at all, making users easily bored. It lacks brand and personality to keep the user engaged.” - Wella

Our designers’ feedback:

“In terms of layout, this is better than the first but the imagery is too generic. These are exactly the type of images we usually avoid using for law-related websites.” - Gem

“Selecting the correct imagery is important in the UX and UI processes since it helps the users connect to the brand’s identity. As we can see, the images used are staged making it unrealistic or fake.” - Wella

Our designers’ feedback:

“The font face used on the headings are hard to read. Again, there's the use of generic images that seem to be the pattern for these AI-generated websites. Some text blocks take up more than the size of the desktop screen which is a generally bad UX design practice.” - Gem

“Using buildings for corporate websites has nothing to do with the user. It takes away what the website is all about. It also lacks the unique flair and is obviously an outdated design.” - Wella

Collaboration: The Power of Human and AI Partnership

Instead of thinking that AI replaces human designers, it's better to see it as a helpful tool that makes designing easier. 

When human designers team up with AI, they can harness the power of both worlds. 

AI algorithms are great at crunching lots of data, finding valuable insights, and spotting patterns that humans might miss. This information becomes a great starting point for designers, helping them make smart decisions based on solid data.

Importantly, this partnership between humans and AI doesn't diminish the role of human designers. Instead, it makes them even better and more capable of creating beautiful designs that people love.

So, the future of web design is all about humans and AI working together. It's not about one replacing the other, but using their strengths to create websites that are even more amazing and user-friendly.

So… Is AI Going to Replace Stephen and His Team?

Now, let's address the burning question on everyone's mind: Is AI going to swoop in and replace SMK? 

AI might generate designs quickly, but can it crack a clever joke or engage in friendly conversation with clients? 

We don't think so! 

What sets us apart from AI is that we truly care.

You see, AI doesn't have feelings or emotions. It doesn't care if a website isn't working properly. It simply follows its programming.

But we care a lot by reaching out to the client to ensure everything is running smoothly when a website goes live.

We constantly track and test things to ensure the website is doing what it's supposed to do, even if the client doesn't notice all these efforts done behind the scenes.

We check the website using tools like Google Analytics to make sure it can be easily found. Also, we manually inspect the website to ensure its ranking on Google. 

We take all these extra steps that AI doesn't.

Most importantly, if something isn't working, we care by taking measures to fix it. We have discussions with the client, make suggestions, and find ways to improve. 

AI can't do that. AI is like a builder that launches a project and then forgets about it.

So, you can rest assured that our human touch and creativity are safe from AI's grasp. 

While AI can be helpful in some areas of web design, it can never replace the special skills and care SMK Creations bring. We'll continue to impress our clients with our wit, creativity, and effective solutions.