Designing the Future with AI – Christina (CJ) Jones on GenAI ⁨@canva⁩ , Simplicity & Team Leadership

In this episode, we dive deep into the evolving relationship between AI and design with Christina (CJ) Jones from Canva. We explore how AI is transforming workflows, empowering designers, and reshaping how products are built and used. From upskilling teams, experimenting with tools, and driving innovation, to making AI feel invisible and intuitive for users — this is a masterclass in future-proofing design.

 

Whether you’re a designer, product leader, or AI enthusiast, this conversation is packed with insights on how to lead with curiosity, adopt the right tools, and build responsibly in the AI era.

 

 🔑 Key Themes

-Empowering design teams to experiment with AI tools

-Balancing deep focus with rapid tool evaluation

-Creating intuitive AI experiences inside Canva

-Using LLMs for critique, ideation & research

-Shifting designer mindsets from fear to curiosity

-Building responsibly with data privacy in mind

-Multimodal interfaces as the future of design

-Adapting workflows around AI strengths and limits

-How AI is shaping the future of design careers

-Designing for invisible AI that feels natural

 

🔗 Resources

 

— Connect with Christina (CJ) Jones on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjonesish/

— Connect with Joe Woodham on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-woodham-torii-uxdesign/

 

⏱️ Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 - Intro: CJ's role at Canva

02:42 - Major AI innovations: Canva AI & Canva Code

03:32 - Making AI-powered experiences simple and useful for everyone

07:36 – Learning from user feedback: Lightweight editing before full design

09:45 - Upskilling through shared knowledge

11:56 – Creating space for focused AI exploration without burnout

14:43 - Structure for evaluating tools efficiently

16:17 - Canva’s internal AI Everywhere initiative

22:47 – Why AI won’t replace designers: Mindset shifts & creative partnership

25:31 – Designing invisible, intuitive AI that meets users where they are

31:14 – The future of prompting: From text to multimodal interfaces

33:35 – How to upskill as a designer in the AI era

37:37 - Using LLMs for critique and ideation

43:35 – Where designers should focus next in the AI era

45:07 – Will design teams shrink or evolve?

48:12 - Final thoughts & where to connect with CJ

📌 Tags

#AIUX #DesignLeadership #GenAIDesign #Canva #ProductDesign #DesignCulture #AIProductDevelopment #CreativeLeadership #DesignStrategy #InclusiveDesign