Person expertise (UX) design is present process its largest transformation for the reason that web. I’ve spent 20 years designing interfaces and have gone by way of a number of paradigm shifts. However nothing has ready me for the dramatic modifications we’re experiencing right this moment.
We’ve entered an period the place a number of AI brokers coordinate with each other to perform person targets. We’re shifting from designing static interfaces to designing agentic experiences. And conventional UX design rules are insufficient for this new actuality. What does this imply for our area? How will we trip this dashing prepare whereas staying anchored in our values as designers?
What we’ll discover:
The way it began: static interfaces and predictable person journeys
Shifting from interface design to agentic expertise design
The way it’s going: coding brokers and multi-agent orchestration
Rising patterns and impression
4 actions designers can embrace
The way it began: static interfaces and predictable person journeys
Conventional UX design was constructed on predictable person journeys, static interfaces, and direct manipulation. This labored superbly for apps and web sites, the place we might map person flows and create learnable interfaces.
However this paradigm breaks down when customers work together with a number of AI brokers that coordinate in real-time throughout completely different platforms and companies. Utilizing instruments like Cursor AI, designers can now prototype multi-agent techniques that orchestrate apps, net companies, and cloud brokers.
The long run belongs to designers who can envision and construct clever, orchestrated experiences.
This isn’t theoretical — I’ve constructed working operator apps with MCP protocols and agent-to-agent (A2A) communication that exhibit how agentic experiences will reshape human-computer interplay. The long run belongs to designers who can envision and construct clever, orchestrated experiences.
As an alternative of designing static interfaces, design roles are shifting to dynamic experiences.
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Shifting from interface design to agentic expertise design
Agentic expertise design represents a basic shift from interface-centric to intent-centric design. As an alternative of designing static interfaces, we’re designing dynamic expertise techniques that adapt to each person intent and agent capabilities in actual time. The core rules of agentic expertise design and what they imply for designers are:
Core rules
Intent-first structure: We shift from user-journey mapping to intent-system mapping. What does the person need to accomplish? Which brokers throughout which platforms have related capabilities? How ought to they coordinate?
Cross-platform agent orchestration: Interfaces should deal with coordination throughout native desktop apps, cellular apps, net companies, customized brokers, and cloud-based AI companies.
Actual-time functionality discovery: The system dynamically discovers out there brokers and companies, adapting the person expertise primarily based on present connectivity and permissions.
Clear multi-platform coordination: Customers want to know which brokers are working throughout which platforms, how coordination is occurring, and when permissions are wanted.
What this implies for UX designers
Our position is evolving from interface architects to expertise orchestrators and system builders — we’re constructing the techniques we design. This designer-developer convergence means UX designers are not depending on engineering cycles to check agentic expertise ideas. Listed below are some methods our day-to-day work is altering:
- From person journey mapping to intent-system mapping: We map how person intents translate into agent capabilities throughout platforms and techniques.
- From static wireframes to dynamic orchestration guidelines: We create guidelines for the way brokers ought to coordinate throughout platforms and the way interfaces ought to adapt primarily based on agent states.
- From usability testing to actual system testing: Testing entails precise multi-agent techniques working throughout actual platforms, measuring intent decision success and person confidence.
- From design instruments to growth instruments: Our toolkit now consists of AI-assisted growth instruments like Cursor, MCP protocol implementations, and cloud deployment platforms.
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The way it’s going: coding brokers and multi-agent orchestration
Utilizing AI-assisted growth instruments, I’ve been in a position to prototype MCP connectors, construct customized brokers, create A2A communication patterns, and check actual person workflows throughout a number of platforms.
Let me share a situation from my prototyping work utilizing Cursor AI and MCP protocols. I requested my operator app: “Create a activity to comply with up on the Acme deal and schedule a reminder for tomorrow.”
Conventional UX design has no framework for this situation.
Right here’s what occurred throughout my complete system:
- Intent-parsing agent understood the multi-part request.
- CRM agent (my customized prototype) recognized the Acme deal context.
- Job administration agent related to my Mac Reminders app through MCP.
- Calendar agent interfaced with my scheduling system.
- Slack agent notified my crew in regards to the follow-up motion.
- E-mail agent ready a draft follow-up message in Gmail.
All of this coordination occurred seamlessly throughout native Mac apps, cloud companies, and customized brokers. The person expertise felt like speaking to a single, omniscient assistant that would orchestrate my complete digital workspace.
Conventional UX design has no framework for this situation.
Experimenting with a coding agent may also help check concepts shortly.
Rising patterns and impression
By way of constructing working techniques, a number of design patterns are rising:
- Cross-platform agent standing: Visible indicators displaying which brokers are lively throughout which platforms in a unified view.
- Permission choreography: Streamlined flows for granting agent entry to completely different companies with clear functionality understanding.
- Platform-agnostic motion panels: Interface components that adapt to point out out there actions no matter related platforms.
- Swish platform degradation: When companies are unavailable, the system adjusts capabilities and communicates options clearly.
The power to quickly prototype and check agentic experiences has actual enterprise implications:
- Sooner innovation cycles: Designers who can construct and check actual agent coordination techniques iterate a lot sooner than conventional design-development handoffs.
- Platform differentiation: Organizations that orchestrate brokers throughout a number of platforms present superior person experiences.
- Ecosystem growth: Firms with superior agent orchestration entice third-party integrations, increasing platform worth.
4 actions designers can embrace
We’re initially of essentially the most vital transformation in UX design for the reason that creation of the web. The designers who embrace each agentic expertise design and system constructing now will form the way forward for human-AI interplay.
For fellow designers, I like to recommend:
- Study AI-assisted growth instruments like Cursor to prototype agent techniques.
- Experiment with MCP protocols to know cross-platform agent coordination.
- Construct working prototypes that combine along with your current software ecosystem.
- Check actual person situations with functioning multi-agent techniques.
The long run belongs to designers who can envision and construct experiences that harness coordinated AI brokers throughout platforms whereas sustaining human company and understanding.
The instruments exist right this moment. The protocols can be found. The one query is: Will you begin constructing the agentic future, or will you await another person to design it for you?
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