No More Website or App Design?
Jeff Bezos once said that asking “What’s not going to change in the next 10 years?” is more important than trying to predict what will. In tech, that feels especially true today.
With the rise of AI search agents reshaping how people discover and interact with businesses, it’s worth asking whether websites and apps will still matter a decade from now. I believe they will—but their role will be very different and so will the design considerations.
Four Types of User Experiences in an AI-Agent World
As AI agents take over more tasks and guide users through increasingly complex journeys, websites and apps will still play a crucial role. Here are four ways this is playing out:
Augmented assistance journeys – With AI layers, users still browse websites directly, but AI speeds up the experience in real time. Whether summarising long pages, jumping to the right section of a video, or pulling details across multiple tabs, this mode enhances the website journey rather than replacing it.
Transactional journeys – For straightforward purchases, like booking tickets or online shopping, users may never leave the AI agent interface. The agent handles product details, availability, and checkout, with the user only validating key decisions.
Research and validation journeys – When choosing a business to work with, users now rely on AI to shortlist options. Many will still visit the company’s website to validate authenticity, check expertise, and confirm they can trust the brand before engaging.
Direct brand journeys – Websites will remain central to brand identity, with users visiting directly without AI referral or augmentation. Loyal customers and those discovering your business through direct marketing campaigns will continue to engage with your story and values.
What This Means for UX Design
Some predict that UX design will disappear as AI agents take over tasks, but that’s not quite right. While AI agents increasingly bypass the UI layer, brands still need to establish trust and authority through their identity and content on websites and apps—especially when these experiences are augmented by AI assistants.
Transactional sites may feel the biggest impact, but content-heavy and highly personalised digital experiences will remain essential. Complex, trust-sensitive applications—like wealth management apps—cannot easily be replaced by an AI agent, as users still need direct control and verification when managing their finances.
As Jakob Nielsen and Luke Wroblewski highlight, UX design is evolving rather than disappearing. Designers now focus on orchestrating AI-driven experiences—setting policies, confidence indicators, escalation paths, and orchestrating multi-step agent workflows.
Design agencies must embrace two modes of interaction: one where AI agents complete tasks, and one where websites remain the digital home for brand, expertise, and human engagement, whether augmented by AI or not.
Finals Thoughts
The agentic AI experience is already underway and being rolled out to the mass public — most recently with Google announcing “the biggest upgrade to Chrome in its history” with Gemini. Gemini can summarise pages, consolidate tabs, and soon even book event tickets or order groceries on your behalf. For more detail, see Paul’s recent article.
Websites and apps aren’t going to vanish anytime soon, but their role is changing. Rather than being the sole front door, they’re becoming part of a wider ecosystem where AI handles discovery and transactions. Just like brand identity, they’ll remain essential for sharing values, building trust, and delivering experiences AI can’t fully replicate. The question isn’t whether they’ll be replaced, but how we design them to complement agent‑driven journeys.