Discovery
9 goals
PM works with stakeholders to understand business needs, customer pain points, and desired outcomes. Research validates the problem space.
AI Handles
- Synthesize survey data & usage patterns
- Map competitive landscape
- Generate research outlines from raw context
Human Leads
- Frame the right problem
- Conduct stakeholder interviews
- Apply judgment to what actually matters
“AI finds the haystacks. My researcher finds the needles.”
- Business requirements documented
- Technical constraints identified
- Research plan established
- Scope boundaries defined
- Stakeholder alignment confirmed
PM · UX Research · Engineering · Stakeholders
Convergence
12 goals
All stakeholders align on scope, constraints, approach, and timeline. Open questions are documented, and everyone leaves with clarity on next steps.
AI Handles
- Pre-meeting context synthesis
- Constraint mapping from technical docs
- Draft agenda from discovery artifacts
Human Leads
- Cross-functional alignment
- Reading the room & relationship building
- Real-time decision-making
“Alignment is a human act. AI can prepare the table — but can’t read the room.”
- Requirements reviewed & confirmed
- Design approach agreed upon
- Timeline and goals set
- Action items assigned
- Next touchpoint scheduled
PM · UX Design · UX Research · UX Engineer · Engineering · Marketing · Merchandising
Build
15 goals
UX Design creates solutions while UX Research validates assumptions. PM provides support and shields the team from scope creep.
AI Handles
- Generate 5-10 directions fast (“The Bad Build”)
- Code-based iteration via Claude Code
- Volume at near-zero restart cost
- Iterate against tokenized design system components
- Code to Canvas — working UI pushed to Figma as editable frames
Human Leads
- Creative direction — find sparks, cut noise
- Figma craft in flow state — starting from working UI, not blank canvas
- Novel solutions that can’t be prompted
“Volume is AI. Taste is human. The craft moment is where novel solutions emerge.”
- User flows and UI designs
- Research insights and validation
- Promotional assets (if applicable)
- Ad placements integrated
- Design system components used
UX Design Lead · UX Research · PM Support · UX Engineer · Marketing · Merchandising
Review & Handoff
19 goals
UX Engineer prepares dev-ready files and conducts handoff. Engineering reviews feasibility. All stakeholders approve before development begins.
AI Handles
- Generate functional prototypes & dev-ready specs
- Auto-document design decisions
- Bidirectional handoff — design context flows from Figma back into Claude Code via MCP
Human Leads
- Design QA & edge case review
- Stakeholder approval
- Catch what AI misses (“the seventh participant”)
“Real users break things AI can’t predict. QA is where judgment earns its keep.”
- Dev-ready specs and files
- Design QA completed
- Handoff meeting conducted
- All approvals obtained
- Open questions resolved
UX Engineer Lead · Engineering · UX Design · PM · Stakeholders
Post-Launch
9 goals
UX Research measures success metrics and collects user feedback. The team captures lessons learned and uses insights to inform future iterations.
AI Handles
- Monitor success metrics & detect patterns
- Synthesize user feedback at scale
- Generate iteration candidates from data
Human Leads
- Interpret what the numbers mean
- Make strategic iteration calls
- Document lessons for institutional memory
“AI shows you what happened. Humans decide what it means.”
- Success metrics monitored
- User feedback collected
- Post-launch research conducted
- Lessons learned documented
- Iteration plan created
UX Research Lead · PM · UX Design · UX Engineer
Product Manager · UX Design · UX Research · UX Engineer · Engineering Lead · Marketing · Merchandising · Stakeholders