When you order a new gadget, do you immediately scan through the instructions with excitement to learn what every button does and how to use it most efficiently? That was me when I recently put together a new standing desk for my office. I’m here to tell you that, as much as it pained me, I read through the entire instruction booklet before assembling because NOT doing that has burned me before.
It does not, however, mean that I do that every time I order something new. I don’t! None of us does. That’s because we often think we know enough to figure it out on our own.
But here’s the thing about tools: They’re only as powerful as the person wielding them. A master carpenter doesn’t grab the nearest hammer or even the one with the best reviews and just hope for the best. He or she chooses the right tool for the job, learns to work with it, and gets better results, faster. It’s the same for technology tools. There’s a spectrum – from intuitive, no-code tools built for everyday users, to deeply technical platforms designed for developers and power users.
Somewhere on that spectrum is exactly the right tool for you. You just need to identify it.
So Many Tools, So Little Progress
In a world where you are inundated with new and exciting AI tools every day, it can feel like you could and should be able to do anything.
You don’t need to know how to code. Claude Code will do it for you. All you need to do is speak in everyday language to tell it your goal, and it will tap into the knowledge of the open internet and code a custom application for you. You don’t need to be a highly creative person. Canva Magic Studio will create any graphic design you need based on a simple prompt from your description. You don’t need infinite hours to plan your next vacation. ChatGPT will create an itinerary for you in minutes, based on basic information about where you’re going, how long you’ll be there, your interests, and how much you’re willing to spend.
Advancements in technology have solved all your problems. Or have they? Why does it feel like we haven’t arrived at that promised utopia? Well, it goes back to that instruction manual problem.
Most people are ordering new AI gadgets (solutions or applications) in hopes of seeing immediate value without putting in the effort of understanding how to get the most benefit from them. Just because something does natural language processing doesn’t mean you will extract optimal value by talking to it like you would talk to a friend or coworker.
You have to learn to speak the language of AI (prompt engineering), set the systems up with the right information (context engineering), and ensure you are even using the right tool given your goals and skill set. The skills YOU bring to the table are just as important (if not MORE important) as what AI brings to the table.
The Right Tool Still Needs the Right User
At Boomi, we understand that a variety of personas interact with our platform. They range from deep-knowledge developers who live and breathe IT to business users who want to be more hands-on in completing their own projects. Those are distinct audiences with their own talents and goals. That’s why we build AI tools that support work at various levels.
In 2024, we released Boomi DesignGen to help our users build integrations faster using natural language. In addition to helping our users prepare to connect to AI solutions, we also embedded AI capabilities into the platform to accelerate the pace at which they can create connections and automated workflows for their organizations. Now, not only can Boomi developers create integrations quickly, but so can their less technical counterparts.
We built tools like Boomi DesignGen for those who might not have the technical skills to architect a solution but understand the business challenge to be solved inside and out. They are clear on the problem statement and the current workflow – or lack thereof. They can provide the context, often undocumented, that leads to an optimal solution. Regardless of your skill level, tools like Boomi DesignGen allow you to leverage what you know to engage in the process of AI-powered integration building. Our newly released Boomi Orchestrate takes this to the next level, enabling the design of complex business solutions that go beyond integration to include data management, API management, and even AI agents.
Addressing a broader, more technical audience, we developed Boomi Companion to help build and configure solutions. Boomi Companion is a portfolio of open-source skills and plugins that run within agents such as Claude Code, Cowork, Codex, and other compatible agents. Today’s Boomi Companion skills focus on hands-on building, making them especially powerful for users who already bring platform experience – though that’s not required to get value. The Boomi drag-and-drop interface has already accelerated development compared to traditional code integrations. Now, that drag-and-drop canvas works seamlessly with Boomi Companion, enabling your coding agents to handle the full integration lifecycle – designing, building, deploying, testing, and diagnosing integrations through natural-language conversation.
Boomi Companion also meets users at different levels of experience. Builders without a Boomi background can describe what they need, and Boomi Companion will handle the platform-specific work. But hands-on Boomi familiarity multiplies what’s possible. Experienced builders can supervise the agent’s decisions, recognize when it’s heading in the wrong direction, and shape the solution at a level a newcomer would need to learn. The more comfortable you are with the Boomi platform, the more you can direct Boomi Companion toward the exact solution you want.
This is not to say that a designer can’t use more technical tools. It’s to say that they have to be ready to put in the work. They have to prepare themselves for the time it will take to climb that learning curve, get over the hump, and enjoy the ride of setting up the tools they need. (Think of that like grabbing a power tool to help assemble my desk instead of simply relying on the cheap Allen wrench supplied with the kit.) Then, designers are ready to use solutions like these seamlessly as a part of their daily workflow.
Likewise, a developer can use designer tools like Boomi Orchestrate and DesignGen, but these tools hand off where a developer wants to dig in. They define the solution rather than building, testing, and implementing it. Because strategy and engineering are different roles, each deserves its own assistant to augment their workflows.
Start With What You Know
Beyond the Boomi platform and this narrow example, there are a variety of tools for almost every persona. Relying on a tool made for experts outside your domain is not a great first step into using and understanding AI. Go into the applications you use every day. What is the embedded AI functionality in there? Are you using it? How does it work? How can you optimize your workflow to incorporate that new functionality? What can you learn from using that tool to apply to tackling a more unfamiliar AI tool that you have been considering?
AI is not here to take my job. It’s here to augment my work. Make me faster. Shorten the learning curve. Free up my time to work on more taxing projects that require greater intellectual and creative application of my talents.
To succeed in the new AI era, you must first find the right tool for you. One that will help you build confidence and prove that you, too, can use AI to supercharge your productivity. And if you are having a hard time with it, phone a friend. Lean on someone who understands you and can work with you in a way that an AI chatbot can’t. We’re all learning about AI together. The human connection remains important and plays a role in our adoption of these new technologies.
That human element is a strength we all have over technology. Learning how to harness these solutions to create the two-day workweek of my dreams is only possible if we help one another master the technology together. After all, it’s not about the tools themselves. It’s about knowing enough to choose the right one and use it with intention.
And the standing desk? Solid, steady, and fully functional. Proof that the right guidance and a little patience make all the difference.
Whether you’re a business user looking to automate your first workflow or a developer ready to build at scale, Boomi has the right AI tool for where you are today. Explore Boomi’s AI Capabilities.