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AI Mentions & Sources Report for Design Tools

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About nngroup.com (Academic)

This page provides details about nngroup.com (Academic) which was ranked #2 out of 170 in the list of sources (16 citations (7.3% share)) in answers from AI models (Perplexity Sonar (with search) (latest), Anthropic Claude Sonnet (latest), OpenAI ChatGPT Latest, Google Gemini Flash (latest), X.AI Grok (latest)) when they were asked the following 1 question: "What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space." on Dec 30, 2025 by AI Chat Watch. This source is referenced for brands: Figma, Adobe, Canva, Sketch, Framer +4 more.

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Pages from nngroup.com (3 links)

URL Path Citations Position
/articles 0 N/A
/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 15 41.2
nngroup.com 1 72

Brands Referenced By This Website (9 brands)

Brand Voice Mentions
Figma Figma 100% 43
Adobe Adobe 63.7% 48
Sketch Sketch 18.7% 17
Canva Canva 12.8% 12
Framer Framer 8.1% 9
Penpot Penpot 7.9% 10
Nielsen Norman Group Nielsen Norman Group 5.1% 9
Don Norman Don Norman 2.1% 4
IDEO IDEO 0.9% 3

Citations from AI Responses

Perplexity Sonar (with search) (latest) (5 citations)

What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.

[...] ngwizard.com/online-graphic-design-software/)[The Best Graphic Design Tools in 2025 (Free and Paid)](https://strongweb.net/best-tools-for-graphic-designers-in-2025/)[Best UX/UI design tools in 2025 | SquarePlanet - HYPE4.Academy](https://hype4.academy/articles/design/best-ux-ui-design-tools-in-2025)[AI Design Tools Are Marginally Better: Status Update - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2/)[Free Design Tool for Websites, Product Design & More - Figma](https://www.figma.com/design/) Other standouts include **Visme** (AI-enhanced templates for marketers), **Sketch** (Mac-focused UI design), **Spline** (3D modeling), **Builder.io** (code-exporting prototypes), **Octopus.do** (sitemappin [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] rongweb.net/best-tools-for-graphic-designers-in-2025/)[5 Must-Have AI Design Tools in 2025 (Create Images ... - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dH8GaDPsVU)[Best UX/UI design tools in 2025 | SquarePlanet - HYPE4.Academy](https://hype4.academy/articles/design/best-ux-ui-design-tools-in-2025)[AI Design Tools Are Marginally Better: Status Update - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2/) | Category | Top Tools | Key Strengths | Pricing Notes | |----------|-----------|---------------|---------------| | Graphic Design | Canva, Visme, Adobe Express, Photoshop, Illustrator | Templates, AI features, professional retouching | Free tiers; Pro from $12.99/mo (Canva), subscription (Adobe) [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] effects, image gen | Varies; subscription-based[The Best Web Design Tools of 2025: The Top 10 - Lightflows](https://www.lightflows.co.uk/blog/the-best-web-design-tools-of-2025-the-top-10/)[5 Must-Have AI Design Tools in 2025 (Create Images ... - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dH8GaDPsVU)[AI Design Tools Are Marginally Better: Status Update - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2/) | Official sites: [Figma](https://www.figma.com/design/), [Canva](https://www.canva.com/), [Adobe Illustrator](https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html), [Adobe Photoshop](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html), [Adobe Express](https://www.adobe.com/express/), [Framer](https://www. [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] esign Tools in 2025 (Free and Paid)](https://strongweb.net/best-tools-for-graphic-designers-in-2025/) ### Recognized Experts and Thought Leaders Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) provides authoritative evaluations of AI tools, praising narrow-scope features in Figma and Midjourney for practical adoption.[AI Design Tools Are Marginally Better: Status Update - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2/) Blogs from **HYPE4 Academy** and **Raw.Studio** offer expert picks like Sketch and Penpot for privacy-focused workflows.[Best UX/UI design tools in 2025 | SquarePlanet - HYPE4.Academy](https://hype4.academy/articles/design/best-ux-ui-design-tools-in-2025)[Top 30 AI Tools For Designers In 2025 - Ra [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] rongweb.net/best-tools-for-graphic-designers-in-2025/)[5 Must-Have AI Design Tools in 2025 (Create Images ... - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dH8GaDPsVU)[Best UX/UI design tools in 2025 | SquarePlanet - HYPE4.Academy](https://hype4.academy/articles/design/best-ux-ui-design-tools-in-2025)[AI Design Tools Are Marginally Better: Status Update - NN/G](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2/)[New UX/UI Tools You Need to Try! + AI Design Tools - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ixIV656X0) Open-source **Penpot** and cross-platform **Lunacy** appeal to budget-conscious users; **GIMP** and **Affinity Photo** as free/one-time alternatives.[The Best Graphic Design Tools in 2025 (Fr [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

Anthropic Claude Sonnet (latest) (2 citations)

What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.

[...] rator 6. **[Aaron Draplin](https://draplin.com)** - Graphic designer, founder of DDC 7. **[Paula Scher](https://www.pentagram.com/about/paula-scher)** - Partner at Pentagram 8. **[Tobias van Schneider](https://www.vanschneider.com)** - Designer and entrepreneur ### Design Educators & Writers 1. **[Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com)** - UX research and consulting firm (Don Norman, Jakob Nielsen) 2. **[Luke Wroblewski](https://www.lukew.com)** - Product director, design thought leader 3. **[Jared Spool](https://www.uie.com)** - Usability expert, Center Centre founder ## Promising Startups & New Market Entrants ### Emerging T [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] uman Interface Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/)** - Apple's design standards 3. **[Microsoft Fluent Design](https://www.microsoft.com/design/fluent/)** - Microsoft's design system 4. **[Laws of UX](https://lawsofux.com)** - Collection of UX principles 5. **[NN/g Articles](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/)** - Nielsen Norman Group research This comprehensive overview represents the current state of design tools and ecosystem as of 2024. The field continues to evolve rapidly, especially with the integration of AI capabilities into design workflows. [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

OpenAI ChatGPT Latest (5 citations)

What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.

[...] ion-design.org/) - [IDEO U](https://www.ideou.com/) - [UIE](https://www.uie.com/) (UX training/events/content) --- # Recognized experts & thought leaders (practical + influential) - [Don Norman](https://jnd.org/) (human-centered design; also see [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) (usability; [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) (design leadership/product design) - [Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/) (design systems) - [Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarcotte.com/) (responsive web design) - [Vitaly Friedman](https://www [...]

nngroup.com December 30, 2025

[...] ](https://www.ideo.com/) - [frog](https://www.frog.co/) - [Pentagram](https://www.pentagram.com/) - [AKQA](https://www.akqa.com/) - [Huge](https://www.hugeinc.com/) - [Accenture Song](https://www.accenture.com/us-en/services/song-index) ## Training, UX research benchmarks, and guidance providers - [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/) - [Baymard Institute](https://baymard.com/) - [Interaction Design Foundation](https://www.interaction-design.org/) - [IDEO U](https://www.ideou.com/) - [UIE](https://www.uie.com/) (UX training/events/content) --- # Recognized experts & thought leaders (practical + influential) - [Don Norman](htt [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] [Interaction Design Foundation](https://www.interaction-design.org/) - [IDEO U](https://www.ideou.com/) - [UIE](https://www.uie.com/) (UX training/events/content) --- # Recognized experts & thought leaders (practical + influential) - [Don Norman](https://jnd.org/) (human-centered design; also see [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) (usability; [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) (design leadership/product design) - [Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/) (design systems) - [Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarc [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] .com/) (UX training/events/content) --- # Recognized experts & thought leaders (practical + influential) - [Don Norman](https://jnd.org/) (human-centered design; also see [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) (usability; [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) - [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) (design leadership/product design) - [Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/) (design systems) - [Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarcotte.com/) (responsive web design) - [Vitaly Friedman](https://www.vitalyfriedman.com/) ([Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashi [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

[...] ps://www.reddit.com/r/userexperience/) **Group chats** - [Designer Hangout](https://www.designerhangout.co/) (Slack community) - [Design Buddies](https://designbuddies.community/) (Discord community) --- # Influential publications & media (tools, practice, and craft) **UX/UI & product design** - [Nielsen Norman Group Articles](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/) - [Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/) - [A List Apart](https://alistapart.com/) - [UX Collective (uxdesign.cc)](https://uxdesign.cc/) - [Boxes and Arrows](https://boxesandarrows.com/) - [Baymard Institute Articles](https://baymard.com/blog) - [Interaction Design Foundation Libra [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

Google Gemini Flash (latest) (1 citation)

What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.

[...] ):** A global design firm known for pioneering "Design Thinking." * **[Frog Design](https://www.frogdesign.com):** A leading global creative consultancy. * **[InVision](https://www.invisionapp.com):** While their toolset has evolved, they remain a key player in design workflow management. * **[Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com):** The gold standard for UX research and training. * **[Pentagram](https://www.pentagram.com):** The world’s largest independently-owned design studio. ### 3. Recognized Experts and Thought Leaders * **[Don Norman](https://jnd.org):** Author of *The Design of Everyday Things* and co-founder o [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025

X.AI Grok (latest) (1 citation)

What are the best Design Tools options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.

[...] ernews.co/): Curated design links (community-driven). ### Influential Publications and Media Sources for news, tutorials, and research: - **Smashing Magazine** [https://www.smashingmagazine.com/](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/): Web/design articles and courses. - **Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g)** [https://www.nngroup.com/](https://www.nngroup.com/): UX research and usability studies. - **UX Collective (uxdesign.cc)** [https://uxdesign.cc/](https://uxdesign.cc/): Medium publication on design tools. - **A List Apart** [https://alistapart.com/](https://alistapart.com/): Standards-focused design content. This overview draws from market leaders [...]

nngroup.com/articles/ai-design-tools-update-2 December 30, 2025