Recap: Config 2026

Every year, Config offers a snapshot of where our industry is headed. This year's conference brought designers, developers, and creative thinkers from around the world back to San Francisco to explore the latest tools, ideas, and ways of working, and, as always, our team came home with plenty to reflect on.

As we wandered from session to session, one idea kept surfacing in different forms:

As AI continues to reshape how we design, the real opportunity isn't in handing over the work. It's in sharpening the uniquely human skills that technology can't replicate, judgment, curiosity, taste, and the willingness to embrace an imperfect creative process. Whether speakers were sharing stories about redesigning systems at scale, building products that adapt to new technologies, or finding unexpected career paths through creative exploration, the message was remarkably consistent: the future of design belongs to people who keep learning, experimenting, and making with intention.

These are a few of the ideas we're bringing back with us from Config 2026.

AI is elevating the importance of design judgment, not replacing it.

Across several sessions (Anthropic, Meta, Figma, Spotify), a common theme emerged: as AI gets better at generating interfaces and content, the value designers bring is shifting toward higher-level thinking like defining systems, language, and quality. Regardless of the tools we use, great products are still built through thoughtful judgment. That was one of the most encouraging themes of the conference.

Strong systems create better outcomes than polished artifacts.

Whether it was Spotify discussing platform-specific design, NASA showing how low-fidelity work leads to higher-quality feedback, or Google talking about the future of generative interfaces, I kept hearing the same message: invest in systems, workflows, and iteration over perfection. Designing for people (and now AI) means creating flexible foundations rather than chasing one-off solutions.

There’s power in going back to the basics.

Hearing how Ben Shown and Megan Greco tackled redesigning NASA.gov by designing at scale and navigating stakeholder alignment was fascinating. My biggest takeaway was the power of going back to the basics, using low-fidelity designs to help everyone focus on the core experience before getting caught up in visual details. It's a reminder I want to bring into my own work.

Follow your curiosity.

Lauren Hom’s talk, “Managing Multiple Creative Passions in a World That Tells You to Specialize” was an inspiring reminder that career paths don't have to be linear. Instead of staying on the path she "should" have followed, she leaned into the work that genuinely excited her, opening doors to opportunities she never expected. It was a great reminder that sometimes following your curiosity is the best career decision you can make. 

Embrace the messy journey of making.

“Ready for the World” by Vicki Tan was a reminder that meaningful work rarely comes from getting it right the first time. She shared her journey of using Figma to create an illustrated book, embracing thousands of iterations, learning entirely new skills, and trusting the messy creative process along the way. My biggest takeaway was that, especially in a time of constant new tools and AI advancements, the real challenge isn't learning the tools but rather it's overcoming self-doubt and trusting the process.

Humans create work that truly resonates

“Death of the Finished State” by Brent David Freaney stood out to me because it was not only highly entertaining, starting with his fascination with the reality show The Real World and how a necklace unexpectedly connected him with one of its cast members, but it also highlighted a powerful theme: taste is the differentiator. Brent walked through the creative process behind Charli XCX's Brat album cover, sharing how five months of exploration ultimately culminated in the team signing off on an export error that became one of the most recognizable album covers. It was one of the strongest examples of the limits of AI when it comes to cultural intuition, creative judgment, and the human taste required to create work that truly resonates

Figma Agent could open new doors for designers.

I came in with skepticism on Figma’s ability to stay at the front of AI enabled design, and im walking away with true enthusiasm and optimism. Especially around Figma Agent. Figma has brought the ability to design with help of AI directly on the canvas. Time will tell if it becomes a standard in our design process, but the team is already playing with the new tools and loving them so far.

Get your hands dirty with a craft that takes you offline and out of your screen.

Invest time into side projects and craft outside of digital design. This is something that hit me while at CONFIG with some of the great talks. Hand crafted projects (Hand lettering, painting, cooking, etc) refresh our mind and help us have a unique perspective when back in our daily work. I know I'll be back to drawing and tattooing after hearing some of the creative journeys in this year's talks.

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AI will continue to transform how we work, but it also makes the human side of design more valuable than ever. The ability to think critically, exercise good judgment, stay curious, and create with intention will continue to set great designers apart. More than any new feature or product announcement, that's the idea we're bringing back with us: keep learning, keep making, and don't be afraid of the messy, imperfect process that leads to meaningful work. The tools will continue to evolve, but the people behind them will always be the ones shaping what comes next.