Hey, it’s Fiona!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve covered why your next user might not be human, how AI agents really read the web, and what happens when interfaces start generating themselves. Today I want to zoom out and give you a framework that ties these threads together.
I call it The Four Shifts in Future UX. Think of it as a simple map of how design is changing under the influence of AI. It helps cut through the noise and shows where to focus if you want your product to stay visible, usable, and trusted.
The Four Shifts
1. Audience: From people-only to people plus agents
For decades, “the user” has always meant a person. Someone with emotions, habits, and context. Now, AI agents are joining them as active participants in discovery and decision-making.
That doesn’t mean you design a second interface “for robots.” It means your existing interface has to communicate on two levels:
To humans: persuasive copy, clear value, emotional resonance.
To agents: facts in plain text, structured headings, consistent terminology.
Here’s a practical example. Imagine a SaaS company offering analytics for subscription businesses.
The human-facing layer might open with a strong promise: “Understand your churn in minutes.”
The agent-facing layer should add a line that says plainly: “Analytics software for subscription businesses under $200/month.”
The first hooks the human. The second ensures the product makes it onto an agent’s shortlist when a busy founder asks their assistant to “find me affordable analytics platforms.” Without that second layer, you’re invisible.
This is the first shift to internalise: you’re designing for people and their machines.
2. Technology: From fixed to generative and adaptive
Traditional UX/UI assumed interfaces were static. You designed the flow, fixed the layout, and handed over the “final screens.” Responsive design bent those screens to fit devices, but the core was the same.
Generative UX/UI challenges that. Interfaces now reshape themselves in real time based on who or what is using them. Spotify’s AI DJ doesn’t just recommend songs — it changes the way the interface appears, narrates, and responds. Notion suggests blocks, layouts, and templates on the fly.
This shift isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about interfaces behaving like living systems. Two users might see the same product in completely different ways:
A human browsing a retail site casually might see lifestyle imagery and inspiration first.
An AI agent buying on behalf of that person might see product comparisons, specs, and delivery options pushed to the top.
The challenge for designers is deciding what stays stable and what can flex. Core elements — navigation, pricing, critical actions like Pay now — should remain predictable. Flexible elements — recommendations, content order, helper text — can adapt.
If you start mapping your product into stable zones (must not change) and flexible zones (can adapt), you’ll create space for generative interfaces without losing trust.
Humans and agents navigate differently. Humans click through menus, browse categories, and use design cues to find their way. Agents scan sitemaps, heading structures, and schema markup.
If your site only works for people, you risk looking chaotic or incomplete to machines. That’s a problem, because agents are often the first filter: if they can’t parse your site, they won’t recommend it to the humans they serve.
A few common pitfalls I see:
Vague menu labels like “Solutions” or “Learn more” — fine for humans, meaningless to machines.
Multiple H1 headings on a single page — confusing to an agent trying to categorise the content.
Key facts hidden in PDFs or images — invisible to anything that doesn’t “see” visuals.
Dead-end pages — humans can backtrack, agents often just stop.
The fix isn’t technical SEO wizardry. It’s clarity. One H1 per page. Logical headings. Descriptive alt text. Plain-text pricing and features. Internal links that show how content fits together.
Think of it this way: your information architecture now has two audiences — people (menus, categories, flow) and agents (sitemaps, schema, plain text). When both layers align, everyone benefits.
4. Trust: From “does this feel right?” to “can I verify this?”
For humans, trust is often emotional. We believe a site because it feels polished, because the testimonials sound real, because the tone is reassuring. For agents, trust is evidence-based. They look for consistency and verifiability.
That means things like:
Business details (address, phone, opening hours) must match everywhere — website, Google profile, social accounts.
Claims should be backed by specifics — “increased conversions by 40%” rather than “boosted sales.”
Content should have dates and authorship so freshness and credibility can be checked.
Pricing should be visible, not hidden behind forms or graphics.
One small change can have a big impact. This shift doesn’t mean losing the human layer of trust (storytelling, imagery, voice). It means reinforcing it with machine-readable signals that prove you are who you say you are.
Why these shifts matter
Together, these four shifts mark a fundamental change in UX. They’re as big as the move from desktop-first to mobile-first. If you ignore them, your beautifully designed site may never even reach its audience. If you embrace them, you’ll be discoverable, credible, and trusted by both people and their digital assistants.
And the best part? Most teams aren’t thinking about this yet. That gives early movers a real advantage.
Try this this week
Pick one high-value page on your site. Run it through the Four Shifts lens:
Audience: Does it persuade a human and present facts an agent can extract?
Technology: Which parts could adapt safely? Which must stay fixed?
Structure: Is the heading hierarchy clear? Are the essentials in plain text?
Trust: Are your claims specific and consistent across channels?
Make one small change in each area. It won’t take long, but it will make your product stronger for both audiences.
Next week I’ll be taking a look at Designing for AI Transparency — how to build experiences that feel trustworthy when AI is involved, without stripping away the magic.
Until then, I’d love to know:
Which of the Four Shifts feels most urgent for your product right now?
Talk soon,
Fiona
Fiona Burns
Work with me
Alongside writing Beyond the Screen, I help founders and product teams design digital products their users (and AI agents) can’t ignore.
That might mean validating an early idea, shaping the first version of a marketplace, or redesigning a website so it’s easier for both people and machines to understand.
If you’re building something new and need UX/UI support, head over to my website to see how we could work together.