“Data is the new oil,” as the saying goes, and for designers navigating the AI-driven agentic design era, it’s becoming the foundation of their craft. Leading voices in enterprise software design—Arin Bhowmick, Chief Design Officer at SAP, and Victoria Spaulding-Burford, VP of Product Design at Salesforce—emphasize that mastering data is no longer optional. It’s a critical skill for designing in a world where AI is reshaping the boundaries of what’s possible.
Bhowmick highlights the growing importance of data in design, noting, “Typically, designers don’t look into data; they focus on experiences based on use cases. But in AI, it’s garbage in, garbage out.” This underscores the high stakes of poor data quality, which can lead to flawed systems and compromised user experiences. Designers, he argues, must step up to understand data lineage, quality, and its implications for the systems they create.
Spaulding-Burford builds on this, calling data “the power of the agentic era,” and noting that while data isn’t traditionally a comfortable space for designers, it is now indispensable. “These models are incredibly complex, learning from interactions at every transaction,” she explains, pointing to the critical role designers play in shaping these systems to be both effective and ethical.
Both leaders stress that the role of the designer extends beyond crafting interfaces. Bhowmick challenges designers to embrace a broader perspective, saying, “You’ve got to understand the technology you’re designing for. To adopt, apply, and embed AI effectively, designers need to grasp how it works and its ramifications.” He also emphasizes the need for designers to act as a “moral compass,” ensuring that AI systems do more good than harm by asking hard questions about their potential impacts on users and society.
In addition to data literacy, systems thinking is another essential skill for designers in the agentic era. “End-to-end thinking is critical,” Bhowmick notes. “Sometimes we lose that while working on design. Designers need to see the bigger picture, from data input to user outcomes, and how all the pieces fit together.” This systems-oriented approach allows designers to address the complexity of AI-driven solutions, ensuring they are not only functional but also meaningful and impactful.
The implications for the design profession are profound. As Spaulding-Burford puts it, “The power of AI lies in its ability to learn and adapt, but that also means designers must step up to guide it responsibly.” By mastering data, understanding systems, and championing ethics, designers can secure their place in a rapidly evolving industry. In this new era, data isn’t just a resource—it’s the cornerstone of creativity and innovation, enabling designers to create agentic experiences that are as intelligent as they are human-centered.
