Can AI really do UI work?

Yes, emerging technology known as text-to-image (T2I) AI can create images from words. This means an AI can attempt to produce UI work if we prompt it properly. And at the very least, it can produce inspiration for our work.

What about UX work?

Unfortunately, T2I AI models are image generation models. They can’t serve as a way to produce good UX work. Although the outputs might have good UX principles (since it is based on existing images) it’s a dice roll. Ultimately, it's always best to use your own knowledge of UX principles regarding screen design.

AI can help with UX work though. ChatGPT can provide knowledge and feedback about user experience. I will cover how to use ChatGPT for UX design in a future article.

What AI can do this?

The two T2I offerings I’ll be covering are Midjourney and Dalle2. They all act on the same premise but were developed by different groups.

Midjourney has one of the best models right now and a subscription-based price plan. While Dalle2 is created by OpenAI a leader in this space and the backing of Microsoft. Dalle2 has a credit system that essentially allows you to pay per prompt. Let’s get comparing!

How should I prompt it?

Experimentation is key with T2I technology (that’s why I pay for Midjourney but not Dalle), so there is no solved, optimal way to prompt. So although I can’t give you a clear answer, I can pass along some of what I have learned.

There are two ways you can prompt:

1. Sentence(s) format. Similar to how you would describe it to a person. Example: The user interface of a therapy app made in Figma with a flat vector style, trending on Dribbble.
2. Tokenized format. This is listing out the elements you want in your image. Example: therapy app, flat vector, Figma, dribbble, user interface

Generally, the tokenized format works better as it cuts out unnecessary words for the model to process. Although sometimes, the sentence format is helpful to describe the relationship between words to the model.

Let's test out the two different formats as well as a few other tips to compare Midjourney and Dalle2.

Round 1: Sentence-based prompting

For our first test let's use the sentence-based format for our prompting to compare the two AI models.

Prompt: “therapy app, flat vector, Figma, dribbble, user interface, Behance, tech, clean, 2022, best of app store, award-winning design”

Round 1 Analysis

Midjourney blew Dalle2 out of the water in this round for me. Although some elements of the Midjourney images are scuffed, it is still a comprehensive image. Meanwhile, the Dalle2 results are rather… disappointing. When it comes to AI in its current stage I like to use the “squint” test while evaluating the model’s outputs.

The “squint test” is if I squint my eyes (or unfocus my vision) can I see this belonging in its context? For me, if I squinted my eyes I could picture the Midjourney results being on my dribble feed. The same cannot be said for the Dalle2 results.

I’m giving the win to Midjourney for round 1!

Round 2: Tokenized Format

For our second test let’s use the tokenized format. I’ll also add some more words to get results closer to the vision I have in my head.

Prompt: therapy app, flat vector, Figma, dribbble, user interface, Behance, tech, clean, 2022, best of app store, award-winning design, blue and white color scheme

Round 2 Analysis

This round is closer when it comes to the squint test, but nonetheless, Midjourney appears as a clear winner. Midjourney is starting to produce some really impressive results and the Midjourney screens could actually be used for inspiration for your UI work. Midjourney produced some good color palettes and art to draw inspiration from.

The round 2 winner is Midjourney.

Round 3: The Chris Lüders Special

For round 3 let’s try the Chris Lüders’ Special. German-based UX designer Chris Lüders’ tweeted out the best UI prompt framework I found on the internet.

His template prompt follows the tokenization format and goes as such:

high-resolution interface, [XYZ]-themed application interface, UI design, mobile app, iPhone, iOS, Apple Design Award, usability, single screen, flat colors, Helvetica, native app, design, user interface, Figma, Apple Store, Dribbble

Let’s try it out!

Prompt: high-resolution interface, [xyz]-themed application interface, UI design, mobile app, iPhone, iOS, Apple Design Award, usability, single screen, flat colors, Helvetica, native app, design, user interface, Figma, Apple Store, Dribbble.

Wow! There were some really beautiful results here. Let’s try replacing [xyz]-themed with therapy-themed and see what happens.

Round 3 Analysis

This round was not close. Midjourney absolutely blew Dalle2 out of the water. Midjourney had some really pretty results that could provide great inspiration for your next UI project.

Interestingly, I found more inspiration from the [xyz]-themed results than the therapy-themed results on Midjourney. Perhaps a lesson that sometimes broadness can be beneficial. That being said if I was looking for inspiration for a therapy app, the therapy-themed prompt does provide more fitting inspiration.

The round 3 winner is Midjourney.

And the winner is…

Midjourney! In every round, Midjourney outperformed Dalle2 significantly.

If you are interested in using Midjourney here is their quick start guide.

If you are interested in using Dalle2 you can do so here.

Thanks for reading

Please comment if you have any tips for using Midjourney for UI/UX design. I would love to learn more! Is there anything else you are curious about that you’d like me to write about? Let me know in the comments as well.

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