Ui/Ux

UX Designers vs. AI in Oman: Who’s Really in Control?

Javeria Muqtadir

The Short Answer? Yes, but Only If We Stop Learning

AI now can create entire design screens with a single prompt. That’s impressive — even scary — if you're a designer like me.

As a UX designer working across multiple teams at Rihal, a tech-driven company, I’ve seen how quickly AI has entered our workflows. From wireframing to designing full UI screens, AI can now generate MVPs or prototypes in seconds.

But What’s the Catch?

It all depends on the prompt — on what you ask. But it doesn’t always build what’s right.

Prompting vs. Understanding

AI is an excellent automation tool. It builds wireframes, writes copies, and even generates ideas. But to get usable results, you need to know what to ask — and that comes only from genuine experience.

If you ask an AI tool to “Build this app” or “Create a wireframe for a SaaS homepage,” you’ll get something that looks decent. But:

  • Is it scalable?

  • Does it align with business goals and technical needs?

  • Does it solve real user problems?

  • Does it follow actual user journeys?

Most often, the answer is no. AI doesn’t understand consequences — it gives you what you ask for, not necessarily what you need. The iterations we go through while designing — based on real input and deep analysis — can’t be replicated by AI.

The Real Role of AI in UX

So how does our design team in Oman use AI? At Rihal, we’ve embraced this principle:

Automate the boring parts, not the human ones.

1. Using AI for Proposal Analysis

When we receive technical proposals from clients, we use GPT to extract key tasks, user flows, and design requirements. This helps us:

  • Create a clear blueprint early in the project

  • Estimate design scope and timeline

  • Identify high- and low-impact design areas

This stage alone saves hours of manual reading — so we can kick off faster and with clarity.

2. Wireframing with Tools Like UX Pilot and Relume

AI tools like Relume and UX Pilot help us bypass low-impact tasks, such as:

  • Generating content blocks and layout options

  • Applying client brand styles (colors, fonts, spacing)

  • Recommending common UX patterns

These are great time-savers, but they don’t replace us. We still decide:

  • Which layout fits the brand best

  • Which sections need priority

  • How the wireframe fits the user’s journey

3. Smarter Client Collaboration

Tools like Circleback (and our in-house solutions) automate meeting notes and summarize client feedback. With these tools, we can:

  • Stay focused during discussions

  • Ensure feedback is never lost

  • Revisit and refine designs more easily

No more typing every point or turning notes into insights manually.

4. Figma’s New AI Features

Figma’s AI tools — especially with recent updates — have made rapid prototyping more accessible. We now use:

  • Figma Make to turn prompts into prototypes, ideal for early-stage exploration

  • Figma Buzz to generate branded assets using existing style guides

These tools help with:

  • Low-fidelity idea generation during sprints

  • Exploring multiple design directions quickly

  • Accelerating research, ideation, and refinement

But again, they don’t replace our creativity — they simply give us more room to use it.

The Final Touch: Human Understanding

The most critical part of any UX project still requires a human perspective:

  • Understanding business and cultural context

  • Following specific accessibility standards

  • Designing for real users in Oman

  • Optimizing for usability, SEO, and developer handoff

  • Building real relationships with clients

No AI — no matter how advanced — can replace this level of empathy, accuracy, or cultural understanding.

Upskill or Be Replaced

AI will replace the designers who don’t evolve.

But it will empower those who do.

Designers who:

  • Understand the full product cycle

  • Speak the language of developers and clients

  • Use AI as a productivity partner

At Rihal, that’s exactly what we aim for — using AI as an assistant, not a replacement.

Final Thoughts

AI is not the enemy. Ignoring it is.

If you’re a UX designer in Oman — or anywhere — the question isn’t if AI will take your job.

It’s whether you know how to use it well enough to do your job better.

Stay curious. Stay critical. Keep learning.

Now more than ever, expanding your skills into areas like motion design, 3D modeling, or development isn’t optional — it’s necessary. Let AI handle what slows you down, so you can focus on what really matters:

Designing experiences that work.


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