The Evolution from UX to AX: Redefining Digital Experiences

Guest Editorial by Ken Kondo, Director of Data & Software Engineering, TwinStar Credit Union

A quiet revolution is transforming software design, fundamentally changing how we interact with digital systems. The traditional User Experience (UX) model—built on static interfaces and reactive design is giving way to Agentic Experience (AX), where systems evolve into intelligent collaborators rather than passive tools. This shift represents more than a technological upgrade; it's a complete reimagining of the relationship between humans and machines.

The Limitations of Traditional UX

Ken Kondo

For decades, UX design has followed a predictable pattern: users interact with predetermined interfaces, complete tasks through hard-coded flows, and start fresh with each session. Success has been measured by speed and simplicity—fewer clicks, faster completion times, and cleaner interfaces. In this model, every interaction begins from zero, requiring users to repeatedly provide context and navigate through static pathways designed by teams who anticipated their needs months or years in advance.

Traditional UX operates on a "screen-centric" philosophy where users tap buttons, products react, and jobs get done in isolation. Trust is established through visual clarity and interface polish i.e. "it looks clean, so it must work." While this approach served us well during the early digital age, it can no longer meet the sophisticated expectations of modern users who demand personalized, intelligent, and adaptive experiences.

The Rise of Agentic Experience

Agentic Experience represents a fundamental paradigm shift from reactive interfaces to proactive digital agents. Unlike traditional UX, which centers on static interactions, AX systems build long-term contextual memory, learn from user behavior, and evolve alongside their users. These systems don't just respond to commands—they collaborate, anticipate needs, and work toward ongoing goals rather than single-shot tasks.

In an AX environment, the system becomes a teammate rather than a tool. It remembers previous interactions, learns patterns, and provides intelligent recommendations. Instead of requiring users to repeatedly input the same information, AX systems accumulate context over time, creating a compounding value that grows with each interaction. Success isn't measured by the speed of task completion, but by the depth of understanding and the quality of outcomes achieved.

The trust mechanism in AX is dynamic and earned, much like trust between human colleagues. Early in the relationship, the system shows its work transparently, explaining its reasoning and decisions. As confidence grows, this transparency can taper, allowing for more seamless interactions built on established trust.

Real-World Applications and Implications

The transformation to AX is already underway across industries, with financial services leading much of the innovation. According to BAI Research (2024), 61% of Gen Z and Millennials expect personalized, predictive experiences from their financial institutions, and 44% are willing to switch providers if digital interactions feel impersonal.

Credit unions see AX as a natural fit for their member-focused approach. Instead of requiring members to complete repetitive forms, AX systems can pre-fill applications based on past behavior and offer proactive financial guidance. For example, a digital mortgage assistant might proactively notify a member that their credit has improved, and they now qualify for better rates without being explicitly asked.

Redwood Credit Union exemplifies this approach, partnering with a conversational AI vendor to build a virtual agent that not only answers frequently asked questions but escalates cases based on prior member sentiment history. Over the three quarters, their customer satisfaction scores improved by 17%.

The technology extends beyond member-facing applications. Internal tools are also being reimagined through an AX lens, with systems that highlight potential churn signals and suggest engagement tactics based on past agent success patterns. This represents AX working internally to augment staff capabilities rather than replacing them.

Technical Architecture and Infrastructure

The shift to AX requires significant changes in the underlying technological infrastructure. Traditional systems are stateless, processing each interaction in isolation. AX systems, by contrast, require persistent context that follows users across channels—mobile, desktop, and in-branch interactions must be seamlessly connected.

This demands a robust data fabric that supports real-time inference, feedback loops, and continuous learning. Microsoft's Copilot for Finance and Salesforce's Einstein GPT represent current enterprise examples of this transition, demonstrating how AI-driven systems can maintain context and provide intelligent recommendations across complex workflows.

Looking Forward: The AX Future

The implications of this shift extend far beyond current applications. Email clients will learn writing styles and auto-draft contextually appropriate responses. Design tools will remember brand guidelines and suggest layouts based on past preferences. Customer relationship management systems will track interaction patterns and recommend the most effective engagement strategies for specific relationships.

This transformation requires organizations to rethink fundamental aspects of their digital strategy. Success metrics must evolve from measuring clicks and completion rates to tracking goal progression and relationship depth. Trust-building mechanisms must become more sophisticated, balancing transparency with user experience as systems prove their reliability over time.

For product leaders, designers, and organizations considering this transition, AX represents both an opportunity and a challenge. It offers the potential for deeper user engagement and more meaningful digital relationships, but requires significant investment in data infrastructure, AI capabilities, and new design philosophies.

The future belongs to systems that don't just serve users, they understand, remember, and grow with them. As we move from screen-centric interactions to relationship-centric experiences, the organizations that embrace AX principles will be best positioned to build lasting digital relationships in an increasingly competitive landscape.

The revolution from UX to AX isn't just about smarter technology, it's about creating a better, more human relationship between people and the digital tools that serve them.