AI produces screens quickly, and almost none of it survives contact with a real design system. What is missing is not a better model, it is the thing underneath: components with a real API, tokens that build, documentation a machine can read, and checks that fail loudly when something drifts. That is engineering, and designers can own far more of it than they think.

I show what it looks like to design and prototype inside the system instead of beside it, moving between Figma and code in both directions, and I show exactly where Figma stops. AI is the glue in all of this, not the subject. You leave with the gap list, the checks worth running, and an honest account of what still breaks, mine included.

Designers and developers often approach layout with different mental models, especially around grids, spacing, and responsiveness. That disconnect leads to friction and broken expectations.

In this talk, we look at layout from both sides: CSS Grid, Flexbox, and Container Queries from the code side, and Figma from the design side. This is not about handoff perfection, but about building shared understanding and better outcomes through clearer collaboration, with humans and machines alike.