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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 #4 out of 261 in the list of sources (35 citations (4.1% 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 3 questions: "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.", "What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.", "If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed." on Dec 30, 2025 by AI Chat Watch. This source is referenced for brands: Figma, Adobe, Canva, Sketch, Framer +16 more.

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Brands Referenced By This Website (21 brands)

Brand Voice Mentions
Figma Figma 100% 124
Adobe Adobe 89.9% 134
Canva Canva 14.4% 43
Sketch Sketch 14.4% 45
Illustrator Illustrator 8.1% 23
Photoshop Photoshop 8.1% 21
Framer Framer 7.6% 25
Penpot Penpot 6.3% 25
Nielsen Norman Group Nielsen Norman Group 4.9% 20
XD XD 4.7% 13
Smashing Magazine Smashing Magazine 4.2% 22
Config Config 3.8% 19
Rive Rive 2.7% 13
Spline Spline 2.4% 11
Don Norman Don Norman 2.3% 11
Principle Principle 0.8% 4
IDEO IDEO 0.5% 5
Nielsen Norman Group Articles 0.2% 2
Builder.io Builder.io 0.1% 9
Flux Flux 0.1% 8
Khroma Khroma 0% 4

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) (4 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

What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.

[...] Wallace](https://twitter.com/evanwallace)** - Co-founder and CTO of Figma - **[Melanie Perkins](https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanieperkins/)** - Co-founder and CEO of Canva - **[Tobias van Schneider](https://www.vanschneider.com)** - Designer, author, and entrepreneur ### Educators & Advocates - **[Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com)** - UX research and consulting (Don Norman, Jakob Nielsen) - **[Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com)** - Design systems expert, creator of Atomic Design - **[Dan Mall](https://danmall.com)** - Design system consultant and educator - **[Jared Spool](https://twitter.com/jmspool)** - UX researcher and [...]

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

[...] ://design-milk.com)** - Modern design publication ### UX-Focused Publications - **[UX Collective](https://uxdesign.cc)** - Medium publication on UX - **[UX Design Weekly](https://uxdesignweekly.com)** - Curated UX newsletter - **[Laws of UX](https://lawsofux.com)** - Design principles resource - **[Nielsen Norman Group Articles](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/)** - Research-based UX articles - **[Boxes and Arrows](https://boxesandarrows.com)** - UX design publication ### Newsletters - **[Dense Discovery](https://www.densediscovery.com)** - Weekly design and tech newsletter - **[Sidebar](https://sidebar.io)** - Daily design links - **[Design Lobster](htt [...]

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

OpenAI ChatGPT Latest (20 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.

[...] ](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

[...] 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/people/jakob-nielsen December 30, 2025

If I'm looking to get into Design Tools, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.

[...] standard (not a vendor, but foundational). - [Material Design](https://m3.material.io/) by [Google](https://about.google/) — major cross-platform design system guidance. --- ## 4) Influential experts, reviewers, and educators to follow (high signal) ### UX research and usability (foundational) - [Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g)](https://www.nngroup.com/) — research-backed UX guidance; founded by [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) and [Don Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/). - [Don Norman](https://www.donnorman.com/) — foundational thinking on human-centered design. - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup. [...]

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

[...] ity). - [IxDA (Interaction Design Association)](https://ixda.org/) — community and local groups focused on interaction design. - [Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF)](https://www.interaction-design.org/) — courses and community. --- ## 6) Key resources to learn “how to think” (not just tools) - [NN/g Articles](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/) — research-backed UX patterns and principles. - [Apple Human Interface Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/) — platform conventions for iOS/macOS. - [Material Design Guidelines](https://m3.material.io/) — components and interaction patterns. - [Web Content Acc [...]

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

[...] zine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/) — UX/UI + front-end + design systems. - [A List Apart](https://alistapart.com/) — web design, standards, and craft (more classic, still valuable). - [UX Collective](https://uxdesign.cc/) — broad UX writing (quality varies by author; still a major channel). - [NN/g](https://www.nngroup.com/) — research-driven UX content. - [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/) — useful for tracking major product shifts at big tech that influence tooling and platforms. --- ## 10) Where to compare tools (credible review/ratings platforms) Use these for broad market scans, then validate with real tria [...]

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

[...] m/figjam/) or [Miro](https://miro.com/) 3) Learn standards: [Apple HIG](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/), [Material Design](https://m3.material.io/), and accessibility via [WCAG](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/) 4) Follow research-based guidance: [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/) 5) Attend one major event yearly: [Config](https://config.figma.com/) or [Adobe MAX](https://max.adobe.com/) --- If you tell me (a) your goal (product designer vs. visual/brand vs. UX researcher vs. design systems), (b) your OS (Mac/Windows), and (c) whether you want to work at startups or ent [...]

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

[...] nce. --- ## 4) Influential experts, reviewers, and educators to follow (high signal) ### UX research and usability (foundational) - [Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g)](https://www.nngroup.com/) — research-backed UX guidance; founded by [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) and [Don Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/). - [Don Norman](https://www.donnorman.com/) — foundational thinking on human-centered design. - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) — usability heuristics and web UX research. ### Product design leadership and craft - [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) — design le [...]

nngroup.com/people/don-norman December 30, 2025

[...] ](https://about.google/) — major cross-platform design system guidance. --- ## 4) Influential experts, reviewers, and educators to follow (high signal) ### UX research and usability (foundational) - [Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g)](https://www.nngroup.com/) — research-backed UX guidance; founded by [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) and [Don Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/). - [Don Norman](https://www.donnorman.com/) — foundational thinking on human-centered design. - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) — usability heuristics and web UX research. ### Product design leadership and [...]

nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen December 30, 2025

[...] oup (NN/g)](https://www.nngroup.com/) — research-backed UX guidance; founded by [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) and [Don Norman](https://www.nngroup.com/people/don-norman/). - [Don Norman](https://www.donnorman.com/) — foundational thinking on human-centered design. - [Jakob Nielsen](https://www.nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen/) — usability heuristics and web UX research. ### Product design leadership and craft - [Julie Zhuo](https://www.juliezhuo.com/) — design leadership perspectives (also authored “The Making of a Manager”). - [Teresa Torres](https://www.producttalk.org/) — continuous discovery and product research pr [...]

nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen December 30, 2025

What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.

[...] ial figures & thought leaders (design practice + tooling + systems) Design tooling is shaped as much by product leaders and design-ops thinkers as by “tool builders.” A few widely-followed voices with durable influence: - **[Don Norman](https://www.jnd.org/)** (human-centered design; cofounder of [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/)** (product design leadership) - **[Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/)** (design systems; “Atomic Design” framing—b [...]

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

[...] ps thinkers as by “tool builders.” A few widely-followed voices with durable influence: - **[Don Norman](https://www.jnd.org/)** (human-centered design; cofounder of [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/)** (product design leadership) - **[Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/)** (design systems; “Atomic Design” framing—book site: [atomicdesign.bradfrost.com](https://atomicdesign.bradfrost.com/)) - **[Ethan Marcotte](https://ethanmarcotte.com/)** (re [...]

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

[...] ssociation (IxDA)](https://ixda.org/)) - **[SmashingConf](https://smashingconf.com/)** (by [Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/)) - **[UXDX](https://uxdx.com/)** (design+dev+product process focus) - **[NN/g UX Conference](https://www.nngroup.com/training/ux-conference/)** (by [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) --- ## 9) Active professional communities (where practitioners actually share work) - **Tool-native communities** - [Figma Community](https://www.figma.com/community) - [Canva Community](https://community.canva.com/) - **Portfolio/showcase communities** - [Dribbble](https://dribbble [...]

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

[...] (https://www.reddit.com/r/userexperience/) on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/) - [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/) (especially for design systems / frontend integration questions) --- ## 10) Top publications & media covering the design tools industry - **Practice + patterns** - [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/) - [Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/) - [A List Apart](https://alistapart.com/) - **Design leadership + product thinking (often covers tools indirectly)** - [IDEO U](https://www.ideou.com/) (methods + culture) - [UX Collective](https://uxdesign.cc/) (Medium publ [...]

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

[...] + systems) Design tooling is shaped as much by product leaders and design-ops thinkers as by “tool builders.” A few widely-followed voices with durable influence: - **[Don Norman](https://www.jnd.org/)** (human-centered design; cofounder of [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/)** (product design leadership) - **[Brad Frost](https://bradfrost.com/)** (design systems; “Atomic Design” framing—book site: [atomicdesign.bradfrost.com](https://atomicdesign.bradfrost. [...]

nngroup.com/people/jakob-nielsen December 30, 2025

[...] acceleration), driven broadly by products like [Adobe Firefly](https://firefly.adobe.com/) and tool-native AI features across multiple vendors. - **Design systems + governance are operational priorities** (tokens, libraries, documentation, adoption tracking). A practical reference on the concept: [Nielsen Norman Group — Design Systems](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101/). - **A major recent market event:** the proposed acquisition of [Figma](https://www.figma.com/) by [Adobe](https://www.adobe.com/) was terminated (source: [Adobe Newsroom release](https://news.adobe.com/news/news-details/2023/Adobe-and-Figma-Terminate-Proposed-Merger/default.aspx)). Regulatory c [...]

nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101 December 30, 2025

[...] you tell me your target—enterprise, indie, agencies, education—I can narrow “emerging” to the startups most relevant to that buyer.) --- ## 7) Current trends that are reshaping buying decisions - **Design systems as a product** (documentation + tokens + governance): overview concept reference — [NN/g: Design Systems 101](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101/) - **Multiplayer collaboration + permissions + auditability** becoming enterprise requirements: [Figma for Enterprise](https://www.figma.com/enterprise/) - **AI inside the workflow** (asset generation, copy, layout, variations): [Adobe Firefly](https://firefly.adobe.com/) - **Design and engin [...]

nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101 December 30, 2025

[...] (IxDA)](https://ixda.org/events/interaction)** (by the [Interaction Design Association (IxDA)](https://ixda.org/)) - **[SmashingConf](https://smashingconf.com/)** (by [Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/)) - **[UXDX](https://uxdx.com/)** (design+dev+product process focus) - **[NN/g UX Conference](https://www.nngroup.com/training/ux-conference/)** (by [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com/)) --- ## 9) Active professional communities (where practitioners actually share work) - **Tool-native communities** - [Figma Community](https://www.figma.com/community) - [Canva Community](https://community.canva.com/) - **Portfolio [...]

nngroup.com/training/ux-conference December 30, 2025

Google Gemini Flash (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.

[...] ):** 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

What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.

[...] rmer VP of Product Design at Facebook; author of *The Making of a Manager*. [The Inspiring Manager](https://www.inspiringmanager.com) * **Brad Frost:** Creator of **Atomic Design**. [Brad Frost’s Blog](https://bradfrost.com) * **Don Norman:** The grandfather of User Experience; founder of NN/g. [Nielsen Norman Group](https://www.nngroup.com) * **Debbie Millman:** Host of the *Design Matters* podcast. [Debbie Millman Official Site](https://www.debbiemillman.com) ### 5. Emerging Startups and Trends The current trend is **"Design-to-Code"** and **"AI-first design."** * **Framer:** Transitioning from a prototyping tool to a high-end [...]

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

X.AI Grok (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.

[...] 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

What does the Design Tools industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.

[...] (https://www.reddit.com/r/UI_Design/). ### Top Publications and Media - **Smashing Magazine**: Tutorials/research. [Smashing Magazine](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/) - **Creative Bloq**: News/tools reviews. [Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/) - **Nielsen Norman Group**: UX research. [NN/g](https://www.nngroup.com/) - **UX Collective (Medium)**: Opinion pieces. [UX Collective](https://uxdesign.cc/) - **It's Nice That**: Creative industry news. [It's Nice That](https://www.itsnicethat.com/) For deeper dives, check [Design Systems International](https://www.designsystems.com/) podcast/network. Data current as [...]

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