Directory5 Tools
Tools I’m
Watching.
The AI-design stack moves faster than anyone can follow. Here are the tools that power the workflows in the Playbook, plus whether they’re worth your attention.
/ Design
F
Figma Make
AI-powered design-to-code inside Figma. Prompt your way to working prototypes.
Curator’s Take
“The fastest way to pressure-test an interaction idea before a dev writes a line of code.”
/ Ai Generation
C
ChatGPT
General-purpose LLM. Still the default for many design teams.
Curator’s Take
“Fine for brainstorming. I reach for Claude when the task needs structure.”
C
Claude
Anthropic's AI assistant. Long context windows, strong reasoning, solid for design thinking partner.
Curator’s Take
“My default for design critiques, research synthesis, and structured writing.”
v
v0 by Vercel
Prompt-to-React UI generator.
Curator’s Take
“Good for rough component sketches. Less good for production. Know the ceiling.”
/ Code
C
Cursor
AI-first code editor. Designers can legitimately ship code here.
Curator’s Take
“If you've been waiting for "designer who codes" to actually click, this is the tool.”