What I'm tinkering with next, and why

Design tools are changing fast, and reading about them only gets me so far. So I picked six to actually build with, each tied to a skill I want to get stronger at:

• Figma Make: prompt to a working prototype, inside a tool I already know. I dabbled in it this spring, and now I want to use it properly. Builds AI prototyping.
• Claude Design: AI-assisted visual design. I've started exploring it and want to go deeper. Builds AI prototyping and design exploration.
• Claude Code: designers building working prototypes is quickly becoming normal, and it overlaps with my engineering work. Builds AI prototyping and prompting with good context.
• Lovable: prompt to a live web app. A way to compare AI builders side by side.
• Rive: interactive animation for real products, building on my After Effects background.
• Maze: unmoderated user testing. Every design decision needs a why, and testing is how I find it.

My rule: a tool doesn't go on my resume until I've built something real with it. Reading about a tool isn't the same as using it.

The Check In App ties them together. The plan is to prototype it in Figma Make and Claude Design, build it in Claude Code and Lovable, animate one moment in Rive and test it in Maze. Design, prototype and test, all on one project.

Competencies are the muscles. Tinkering is the workout.