I was watching the recent webinar on "Agentic Design Systems" with Brad Frost and Dominic Nguyen from Storybook this week, and something clicked. They were discussing how AI can finally bridge the gap between design intent and code implementation.
It validated exactly what I've been experiencing firsthand.
For a long time, maintaining a robust Storybook library was a heavy lift that required dedicated developer time.
That changed this week.
I've moved from "hand-off" to "hands-on," handling story point tickets in our Storybook Design System at AssetWorks Inc to make updates and refine documentation.
I've been using Cursor with the Figma MCP (Model Context Protocol) to connect the code editor directly to the AW UX live Figma library. (If you've been following my posts about rebuilding my portfolio with Cursor, this is the enterprise application of that same workflow)
Because Cursor can now "see" the actual components in the Figma Library, I can generate and update Storybook components and stories myself. I don't have to rely on back-and-forth reviews to explain the nuances of the design to a developer. I can simply spin up the code that reflects the design intent perfectly.
The Result? This week I submitted my first PR and my first Chromatic UI Review.
For someone whose main focus is Design Systems, this is incredibly empowering.
There is a misconception in the industry that AI tools like Amazon Q or Copilot are just for "speeding up developers" or replacing manual coding. But for designers? It's an access pass.
It lets us cross the boundary into the codebase and own the product quality from concept to component library. It gives us more time to sweat the details of WCAG compliance and those finer interactions that make the software feel polished.
I'm no longer just handing off pixels. I'm building the living system.
#DesignSystems #UXDesign #Figma #Storybook #CursorAI #AssetWorks #TechLeadership