Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How can designers get closer to code without losing their craft?
In this conversation, Elijah King (VS Code Design) and Thoa Nguyen (Microsoft Foundry design) explore practical AI-assisted workflows for designers: using VS Code, GitHub Copilot, plan mode, parallel sessions, and design systems in real repos. They discuss where Figma still shines, how code-based prototyping changes collaboration with engineers, and what GenUI could mean for the future of design roles.
If you’re a designer curious about working more directly in engineering workflows, this one’s for you.
🔎 Chapters:
00:00 Big question: where do designers fit with agents?
00:35 Intro: Eli + Thoa
00:59 Keeping up with rapid AI tool changes
02:13 Tools in practice: Copilot CLI, chat, models, plan mode
03:42 Prompting strategies: one-shot vs step-by-step sessions
04:53 Parallel sessions + worktrees for design variants
06:10 Why prototyping in VS Code reveals real edge cases
07:40 Figma’s role in an AI-assisted workflow
10:23 Designer–engineer collaboration and role overlap
12:49 Vibe Foundry: a design playground in code
16:22 What is GenUI?
20:21 Future of design roles in agent-driven experiences
21:04 Wrap-up and thanks
🎙️ Featuring: Elijah King (linkedin.com/in/elijahwilliamking/), Thoa Nguyen (linkedin.com/in/thoanguyen/)
📲 Follow VS Code:
* X: https://x.com/code
* Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vscode.dev
* LinkedIn: https://aka.ms/VSCode/LinkedIn
* GitHub: github.com/microsoft/vscode
#vscode #design #ai
How can designers get closer to code without losing their craft?
In this conversation, Elijah King (VS Code Design) and Thoa Nguyen (Microsoft Foundry design) explore practical AI-assisted workflows for designers: using VS Code, GitHub Copilot, plan mode, parallel sessions, and design systems in real repos. They discuss where Figma still shines, how code-based prototyping changes collaboration with engineers, and what GenUI could mean for the future of design roles.
If you’re a designer curious about working more directly in engineering workflows, this one’s for you.
🔎 Chapters:
00:00 Big question: where do designers fit with agents?
00:35 Intro: Eli + Thoa
00:59 Keeping up with rapid AI tool changes
02:13 Tools in practice: Copilot CLI, chat, models, plan mode
03:42 Prompting strategies: one-shot vs step-by-step sessions
04:53 Parallel sessions + worktrees for design variants
06:10 Why prototyping in VS Code reveals real edge cases
07:40 Figma’s role in an AI-assisted workflow
10:23 Designer–engineer collaboration and role overlap
12:49 Vibe Foundry: a design playground in code
16:22 What is GenUI?
20:21 Future of design roles in agent-driven experiences
21:04 Wrap-up and thanks
🎙️ Featuring: Elijah King (linkedin.com/in/elijahwilliamking/), Thoa Nguyen (linkedin.com/in/thoanguyen/)
📲 Follow VS Code:
* X: https://x.com/code
* Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vscode.dev
* LinkedIn: https://aka.ms/VSCode/LinkedIn
* GitHub: github.com/microsoft/vscode
#vscode #design #ai
