Dive Club 🤿 Hannah Hearth - Design Careers in the Age of AI
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Feb 9, 2026 Hannah Hearth, Head of Product Design at Vercel and design leader focused on systems and AI, talks about how AI is reshaping design practice and career paths. She covers hands-on leadership, doing more with less without burning out, adopting AI thoughtfully, shorter sprints and earlier prototypes, and why design systems and storytelling matter now more than ever.
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Take-Home Task Won Her Over
- Hannah did a take-home assignment during her Vercel interview and found it informative and energizing.
- The task convinced her she loved developer tools and helped her realize the role was a great fit.
Leadership Requires Active Presence
- Senior designers need active support, not just autonomy, to navigate ambiguity and politics.
- Design leaders must be present to turn design outputs into real outcomes and shipped products.
Market Shift To Lean Growth
- The market has entered a sustained 'course correction' toward operating leaner and earlier-startup modes.
- AI promises productivity gains but risks exhausting teams if mismanaged.
