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🤿 super ICs

🤿 super ICs

+ how to stand out when anyone can build anything

Ridd
September 03, 2025

AI has blown the roof off what designers can bring to the table, but most of the tutorials today exist for web (React, Tailwind, Shadcn, etc.).

So today’s episode is all about using AI to design and build mobile apps using Cursor + Xcode + Figma MCP.

Adam Noffsinger (Apple, Patreon, Dropbox, Uber) gives a heck of a tutorial while showing us his workflow for building the Alma mobile app as a design founder.

Some highlights:

How Adam uses the Figma MCP
Adam’s strategies for prompting
Advice for designers using Cursor
What this all means for the role of designer
+ a lot more

🤝 WITH JITTER

I know a lot of you like me are animating in Jitter.

So I have good news… You can now speed up reviews by sharing and responding to feedback directly in your files.

Each comment is timestamped and synced across the canvas and timeline, so it’s always in context. And you can even @ mention people so it’s easy to bring teammates into the conversation 🫂

It’s just another reason why I love animating in Jitter.

Comments are officially live for everyone so click the link to try it today 👇

🔗 FEATURED RESOURCE

The age of the super ICs

I’ve often heard management described as the way to “scale your impact” but what if AI accomplishes that while allowing you to keep your hands in the clay?

It’s why I keep coming back to Pietro Schirano’s ideas about being a design architect and “employing” agents.

I’m all-in on the idea of “Super ICs”.

So I want to share this article by Hardik Pandya where he says “influence shifts from team size to craft depth… from managing work to producing work”.

If you’re also someone who has never been interested in the management track, then this kinda feels like your moment 💪

🔗 FEATURED RESOURCE

Unique portfolio from Drew Dimos

I want to share an example of a portfolio that immediately made me want to talk more with the designer.

Some things that stood out:

Unique layout + portfolio card movement immediately made me think “oh this is different”
Lots of little craft details (ex: the light switch and the hover state for work + notes)
It’s always a +1 when I see someone is tinkering with new tools and writing out their thoughts and ideas

The individual project pages might be the most interesting piece though…

The right panel is a scroll-track of UI and the left panel is where all of the text is. Also I love the little “project details” drawer that is always present 👌

🤝 FEATURED RESOURCE

How to stand out when anyone can build anything

Speaking of standing out… I really enjoyed this article by Anton Sten.

It addresses a world where the challenge shifts from “how do we build this?” to “what should we build that people actually want?”

“When anyone can build anything, standing out isn’t about better tools or flashier features. It’s about fundamentally different skills that most people skip entirely”

Anton Sten

Understanding real user needs (not assumptions)
- “This isn’t about asking users what they want—it’s about understanding what they need, often before they can articulate it themselves.”
Business literacy (understanding the economics)
- “You don’t need an MBA, but you need to think beyond the product to the entire user experience—including the part where money changes hands.”
Communication skills (translating needs into solutions)
- “When anyone can build a functional app, the apps that succeed are the ones that communicate clearly at every touchpoint.”
Craft and polish (building something truly outstanding)
- “None of the AI-generated products I’ve seen have this quality yet. They work, but they don’t feel right. They solve problems but don’t create delight.”

I love this final idea most of all 👇

“Most people see the flood of AI-generated products as increased competition. I see it as a massive opportunity for anyone willing to do the harder work.

When the market gets flooded with mediocre-but-functional products, users become more discerning, not less. They start caring more about how products make them feel, not just what features they have.”

Anton Sten

🧃 INSPIRATION JUICE

3 things I saved this week

1️⃣ Water paint art direction

Let’s kick this week’s inspiration juice off with something totally out of left field.

I wouldn’t have saved this to my taste library a few years ago. But now that I feel as though I can create (almost) anything, I find myself looking for inspiration outside of interfaces or existing brands. I found this after reading about Shopify’s acquisition of Molly and loved it right away.