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A Lagos-based product designer, Tariq Fasasi, has highlighted the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on design in Nigeria, emphasizing the balance between leveraging new technologies and navigating the country’s unique challenges.
Speaking from years of experience guiding young designers, Tariq dismissed fears of AI taking over jobs, describing it instead as a tool that enhances creativity and problem-solving when applied thoughtfully.
According to him, concerns about AI replacing human input are widespread among junior professionals, but the reality is more nuanced.
“AI is like moving from a pencil to Figma,” he said.
“The tool changes, but the brain behind the design remains irreplaceable.”
He noted that Nigerian designers face specific hurdles, including inconsistent power supply, expensive data plans, and network instability, all of which limit access to cutting-edge tools.
Sharing examples from real-world projects, the designer explained how AI has been instrumental in solving local problems. During a fintech project aimed at understanding mobile banking habits, AI expedited the analysis of user research data, uncovering patterns that distinguished the needs of traders in Alaba International Market from those in Balogun Market.
Similarly, while designing for Dot Payments, AI helped analyze transaction patterns, but local knowledge was crucial in addressing why many businesses still preferred cash transactions despite available technology.
Tariq also highlighted the cultural nuances that require human insight alongside AI tools. Projects involving multilingual interfaces for banking apps, for instance, relied on AI for testing different language versions but required human interaction to understand the cultural context of users in various parts of Lagos. He emphasized that these examples demonstrate how AI serves as a complement to human expertise rather than a substitute.
The challenges faced by Nigerian designers go beyond technology. Many users share phones with family members, prefer offline apps due to high data costs, or still rely on USSD for transactions. These realities require designers to build solutions that are both innovative and practical, often prioritizing Android platforms over iOS due to affordability.
Despite these challenges, the designer believes Nigerian innovations are making a global impact. Offline-first designs, originally created to address Nigeria’s patchy internet, are now being adopted in other countries with similar connectivity issues. Features for shared accounts and data-light interfaces have also proven relevant for international markets, showcasing how local ingenuity can have a far-reaching influence.
Mentoring the next generation of designers, the expert advises focusing on Nigerian-specific needs, documenting local user behaviors, and utilizing free or shared AI tools. “Our challenges push us to innovate in ways the world can learn from,” he concluded, underscoring the potential of Nigerian design to shape the global tech landscape.
