Why AI?
AI is speeding ahead like a rocket. What began with silly image generators has evolved into powerhouse tools that can whip up logos, celebrity-endorsed videos, and yes, even funnier images if you fancy. While many are aware of AI, few grasp its potential for them or their businesses. This blog post is for UI/UX/Product Designers—whether you're aspiring, employed, freelancing, or hustling at a startup. If you're a Designer, stick around. If not, you'll at least have something to impress your Designer friends with.
Uizard and GalileoAI: The Rundown
Both Uizard and GalileoAI are packed with features to make a Designer’s life easier.
Uizard’s Offerings:
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Prototyping
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Templates (plus the option to start from scratch without AI)
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Responsiveness
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Export to code (CSS and React)
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Team comments
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Animations
GalileoAI, on the other hand, focuses on doing AI really well, offering only Responsiveness from the list above but shining in simplicity and AI integration.
What is Uizard?
Uizard is a web-based tool for creating websites and apps. It stands out with features like code export, making it perfect for app developers. Uizard’s extensive features make it feel like a new product in your toolkit rather than just another tool. Notably, the ‘Autodesigner’ feature lets you start with a few screens based on a simple prompt.
Unique Value Proposition
Uizard’s templates and components (buttons, calendar pickers, tabs, alerts, etc.) help you hit the ground running. Its AI features include:
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Generate from Screenshot: Upload any image, hand-drawn or high-fidelity, and Uizard will create a corresponding design.
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Generate from Prompt: Type a prompt and get a design based on your specifications (artsy, techy, dark, light, etc.).
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Generate from Theme: Upload images to create a custom theme. While it’s not perfect, it’s fun and useful.
Target Audience
Uizard is ideal for UI/UX/Product Designers and Developers, whether you’re experienced in coding or design. Secondary users include Product Managers, Marketers, Developers, and Consultants who often collaborate with Designers. Freelancers will appreciate the freedom to create as they wish.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
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User-friendly
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Feature-rich
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Flexible pricing
Cons:
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A learning curve if you’re used to Figma
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Limited to one breakpoint in AI tool
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Only five screens to start
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No Figma export
What is GalileoAI?
GalileoAI is a web-based design tool focused solely on AI-powered design. Unlike Uizard, it doesn't export code but offers a ChatGPT-like experience. It requires a subscription but provides three example projects to get you started.
Unique Value Proposition
GalileoAI feels like an add-on to your life rather than a new tool to master. Its standout features include:
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ChatGPT-like Interface: Simple and intuitive.
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Real-time AI Interaction: Continuous assistance, making you feel guided.
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Ease of Use: Perfect for daily Figma users.
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Export to Figma: Easily copy designs to Figma with one click, complete with auto-layout.
Target Audience
GalileoAI is designed for UX/UI/Product Designers, particularly those who use Figma daily. Developers might find it useful if they dabble in design, but it’s primarily for designers seeking simplicity and integration into their workflow.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
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Seamlessly integrates into daily workflow
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Minimal onboarding
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Focused on AI design, no unnecessary features
Cons:
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Higher cost than Uizard
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No tablet breakpoint
What Else Is Out There in Design for AI?
In this piece, I've covered Uizard and GalileoAI, both excellent tools for dipping your toes into AI-driven design. Curious about other tools that can amp up your day-to-day design game? While I’ll dive into those in future posts, Midjourney deserves a shout out right now.
Midjourney is a top-notch tool for creating images. Yes, just images. If you're a UI designer like me and find image creation a chore, Midjourney is a lifesaver. Whether it's for a landing page or an onboarding experience, this tool has you covered. There are free alternatives like Adobe Firefly, DALL-E, Microsoft Bing Image Creator, and Stable Diffusion, but Midjourney stands out. It costs $8 a month on the low end, but it's worth every penny. I'd recommend subscribing for a month, then canceling if you don't need it continuously.
Here’s a real-world scenario: I needed images for a law firm design—think serious, elegant, human, and classy. I prompted Midjourney with “pen and ink illustration of a lawyer and her client in a modern law firm office --ar 4:3”. The result? High-quality, professional images I couldn't create myself, saving me at least $100 and two days of hiring and iterations.
Midjourney is the best model out there because it:
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Produces high-quality results
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Is more reliable than other models
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Has a wealth of features (easy to use, I promise!)
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Boasts an extremely helpful community
While it's currently available only on Discord- albeit a web app in beta is available to you if you’ve prompted Midjourney at least 100 times within Discord- the Midjourney community is incredibly supportive and responsive.
Stay Updated with AI in Design
To stay on top of AI in design, follow these accounts on X:
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Nick St. Pierre
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Anthony Hobday
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Mizko (check out his YouTube channel too)
Final Thoughts
If I had to choose, I’d go with GalileoAI. It’s user-friendly and fits seamlessly into a designer's workflow, especially if you're a regular Figma user. Its intuitive design and low barrier to entry make it a joy to use. GalileoAI provides inspiration, not full-on solutions, which is perfect for those times when you need a creative spark but still want to assemble the components your way.
For example, I spent 12 minutes searching for inspiration on a profile page for ceramics before I “gave up,” which really means I just defaulted to the usual profile page experience. With GalileoAI, you get that much-needed inspiration quickly, and the option to export to Figma is a great starting point for new designers, but I prefer to fine-tune and assemble the components myself.
GalileoAI and Uizard both bring AI to design, but GalileoAI feels more intuitive and supportive, offering inspiration rather than full solutions. While the time savings might be small, the ease of use and integration make it worthwhile.
In conclusion:
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AI tools are great for exploring new design alternatives.
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They’re best used as starting points rather than complete solutions.
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AI still has a way to go, but even a 5% time saving is valuable.
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GalileoAI and Uizard improve the quality of life for designers, providing much-needed inspiration and support.
