The robots are taking over. AI Agents, assistants, and autonomous machines are evolving at a rapid rate. And with that evolution, a shift in how we interact with software, apps, and digital products we use every day.
In this article, we explore the opportunity emerging in the new wave of artificial intelligence. More importantly, we break down how you can futureproof your digital product while also unlocking an incredible amount of value for your business and your users.
There’s a shift happening in software development. A fundamental change in the way people interact with the apps, digital products, and platforms they use every day.
Let’s rewind the clock. Early apps were all about giving people a tool to do a job themselves. They weren’t smart and often required a lot of input from users.
Thankfully, things changed fast. More and more apps began to adopt UX/UI Design best practices. Digital products considered the desired outcomes users wanted to achieve. They started to take advantage of contextual information like geolocation to achieve those outcomes with far less input.
Apps moved from “do it yourself” to “do it with assistance.” And Artificial Intelligence will change this again. It’s already changing. And within that change, lies an opportunity to unlock an incredible amount of value for your business and your customers.
The Opportunity to Design for AI Agents
Right now, AI solutions are powerful but they’re also self-contained for the most part. Tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and other agents or assistants can help with specific tasks but there’s a ceiling to their capabilities. They don’t have a high level of interoperability – yet.
But what if they did? What if AI assistants and agents had a much deeper integration across your entire digital ecosystem? Imagine giving them the power not just to find and compose information, but to make decisions on your behalf. To carry out complex and time-intensive tasks. To manage and schedule all your day-to-day activities for you. And all this without you lifting a finger.
Think about the Alexa ecosystem. It offers a huge library of pre-built integrations and an easy-to-use custom workflow builder. Now imagine a similar ecosystem powered by the next generation of Artificial Intelligence.
That’s what this wave of new tools will offer. They’ll be able to draw on far more contextual information to execute complex actions on your behalf. From managing your calendar to booking travel, from shopping to handling returns, these bots will do it all. And just like you give apps access to one another now, you’ll be able to give AI assistants access to every platform you use.
Here’s what James Young, Android Tech Lead at Sonin App Development had to say, “We’re not far off from AI personal assistants that are integrated into the operating system and can generate content or applications on demand that can be shared with friends and family. When an AI is able to pick up the menial tasks of users’ day to day lives, it frees us up to innovate even more.”
“We’re not far off from AI personal assistants that are integrated into the operating system and can generate content or applications on demand that can be shared with friends and family. When an AI is able to pick up the menial tasks of users’ day to day lives, it frees us up to innovate even more.”
James Young – Android Tech Lead at Sonin
So, what does this mean for those building digital products? And what does this mean for an award-winning digital product agency like Sonin App Development?
When users interact with AI assistants, how do we design for these mostly autonomous experiences? More importantly, how do we make sure that – regardless of whether a task is manual, guided, or fully automated – the user’s desired outcome is always front and centre?
How Will AI Impact User Experience Design?
So, is the AI assistant a new persona we need to target in UX design? Not really! Sure, an increasing number of interactions will be largely programmatic and proactive but treating them separately from your users is a mistake.
Instead, think of AI assistants and agents as an extension of your existing user personas. After all, they’re acting on behalf of your users to help them achieve their goals with minimal input.
We asked Sarah Preston, Head of Product and Design at Sonin App Development, how she thinks AI will impact user experience design going forward. She says, “AI is raising the bar for users’ expectations. They expect things to be done quicker and with less effort than before. They demand that the digital products they use must deliver more, all while requiring less from them. This means we, as product designers, have to keep up.”
The shift you have to keep up with is the increasing number of customer journeys and workflows that will be fully or mostly automated. AI agents will interact with one another with autonomy, handling tasks on your users’ behalf. But the key here is that the desired outcome – what your users want to accomplish – is the same. AI is just a faster and more efficient way to get there.
How to Reach Your Aha Moment Faster and More Efficiently
Sarah added, “From a product strategy angle, it’s about getting new users to that key impact moment – the “aha” moment. This is where they realise why they’re using the product because they see the benefit first-hand. If we can get users to that moment quicker using bots, AI, or automation, then we’re showing them the value earlier and turning them into super users faster. That’s where the biggest opportunity lies. AI offers a lot of potential for that.”
“It’s about getting new users to that key impact moment—the “aha” moment—where they realise why they’re using the product. If we can get users to that moment quicker using bots, AI, or automation, we’re showing them the value earlier and turning them into super users faster.”
Sarah Preston – Head of Product and Design at Sonin
What this means is that the core principles of great UX and UI design won’t change. Sarah says, “When it comes to user experience, AI really has the power to make things quicker and easier. Whenever anyone interacts with a digital product, they’re trying to accomplish something. If you can get them to that goal as quickly as possible, you’re improving the user experience.”
At the end of the day, AI isn’t replacing human users in design thinking. It’s just enabling them to get to their desired outcomes in new ways. “I don’t see AI changing the fundamentals of UX much – it’s more about helping users reach their end goal with less effort.”
The same interoperability, security, and accessibility concerns must still be addressed. The same focus on usability and seamless interaction applies. And just as before, the right User Discovery process is essential to ensure you’re building the right product that delivers the value you and your users need it to.
How to Design for Robots: A Step-by-Step Guide
Designing for AI agents and assistants doesn’t have to be complicated. It does, however, require the right approach to app development.
In this next section, we explore the four key steps to ensure your product not only works with AI but enhances the user experience. Whether it’s humans or AI assistants interacting with your app.
1. Start with Your Human Users
You have to start with your actual users – the people behind the assistants and agents acting on their behalf. Because AI is here to support your users and not replace them.
So, the first step in designing for AI interactions is understanding what your users actually want to achieve. What do they want to do? Why do they want to do it?
Great UX and UI design is not just about improving and automating the steps that your users are taking now. It’s about ensuring any AI support guides them towards their actual desired outcome.
At the same time, you also have to consider your business objectives and the key metrics you track. Align these user goals with your business objectives and metrics to ensure value is created for both the user and the business. When your users goals and business outcomes are in sync, then AI can work more efficiently towards a win-win for everyone involved.
2. Map Out the User Journey from Start to Finish
A full understanding of your user journey is essential. By knowing every step that your users take and the context behind them, you get valuable visibility of areas that are ripe for autonomous action. This also helps future-proof your app for upcoming integrations with AI assistants.
With a detailed user journey map, you can make informed decisions about which tasks to automate, which interactions require manual input, and where AI can proactively step in to create a smoother, faster experience for your users.
3. Design for Minimal Input
The less input required, the better – whether it’s a human or an AI assistant doing the inputting. Here are three key ways you can reduce friction in your digital product:
- Predictive Input: Make use of autocomplete features or pre-filled suggestions based on contextual data already provided to shorten the time it takes for users to achieve their goals. Let AI anticipate user needs based on their previous behaviour and the information they provided.
- Generative Content: Create personalised placeholder content or draft responses for users. This greatly reduces the effort needed to complete a task by reducing the cognitive load required – helping to prevent app abandonment.
- Proactive Suggestions: AI should always be one step ahead. Use it to suggest additional actions and related products that will help your users achieve their desired outcomes quickly and successfully.
4. Prototype and Refine
Before rolling out any AI-powered features – or a feature that may be completed by an assistant – you need to create prototypes to test them with your users.
Comfort levels with AI interactions will vary based on the industry. For example, what feels like natural automation in retail might feel uncomfortable in healthcare app development where users expect more control of their actions and data.
From this user testing, you can then iterate and improve based on their feedback. You need to find the right balance between automation and usability.
Remember to always focus on the user’s desired outcome, not just automating the action itself. By doing this, you can ensure the AI is helping users in meaningful ways that align with their goals as well as the goals of your business.
The Challenges to Consider
Before you dive into designing for AI assistants, there are several critical challenges you need to address first.
Connectivity & Interoperability
Having interconnected and interoperable AI-powered assistants will increase the value of your app to your business and your users. It makes sure anything you build remains relevant, flexible, and prepared for the future.
But how will you future-proof your digital product so that these systems communicate with each other and interact with third-party services?
We asked our Android Tech Lead, James Young. He said “We’re working with businesses to help them consider how AI workflows will integrate into their digital products and make for a more seamless experience between the digital and real world.”
He continued, “To future proof your business and your product, you must not only follow the trends but also innovate in ways that competitors aren’t. Staying one step ahead of the competition will be key when everyone has a super intelligence in their pocket. This will only be done through human imagination. It’s not something that’s achievable with artificial intelligence.”
“Staying one step ahead of the competition will be key when everyone has a super intelligence in their pocket. This will only be done through human imagination.”
James Young – Android Tech Lead at Sonin
Security
As you create and facilitate AI-driven, post-app experiences, how will you protect user data?
Robust security and privacy measures are non-negotiable but they will vary by industry. At Sonin, we have experience across every sector working with customers to help them build the right solutions that are also secure and safe.
Accessibility
If users can’t easily navigate your app, then AI assistants will struggle too. The great news here is that by following best practices for Inclusive Design, you can support both humans and autonomous agents through the same core principles. A good app design agency will understand this.
Input fields have to be clearly labelled with prompts and descriptions of what’s required. Navigation must be easy and intuitive. This makes it easy for any user – autonomous or human – to interact with your app.
Suggested Content: Inclusive Design for Successful Digital Products
Control
Just because you’re building something that will be done in the background, your users still need to understand what’s going on at each step. You always have to give users clear feedback when manual control is needed. This way, they never feel out of the loop. The AI should enhance, not frustrate, the user experience.
Sarah Preston says, “Whenever you’re building something that’s being done in the background by a bot or automation, and not directly by the user, you absolutely need to make sure the user knows what’s happening. Your notification systems have to be top-notch.
This kind of feedback is essential for building trust and engagement. “In the end, so much of UX boils down to the feedback you’re giving users – whether it’s success or failure messages. And if you’re getting a bot to do something on behalf of the user, it has to be extremely clear and obvious what’s happening.”
“Whenever you’re building something that’s being done in the background by a bot or automation, and not directly by the user, you absolutely need to make sure the user knows what’s happening. That feedback is essential for building trust.”
Sarah Preston – Head of Product and Design at Sonin
Tackling these challenges early on before you invest time and money in your digital product development is essential. A Discovery Workshop is the perfect place to start if you want to address the technical, design, and strategic considerations that will set your product up for success.