UX Magazine has been at the forefront of experience design for more than 20 years. In that time, the very notion of UX has changed significantly. What was once the purview of a group of niche designers lobbying for a seat at the table with other business concerns, UX now exists at the intersection of customer experience management, employee experience, and the broader management of business and technology.

As technology continues to become more sophisticated and pervasive, experience design is something everyone should be thinking about. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the move toward digital being the primary interface point between most consumers and businesses—a move that was already underway with advanced hyperautomation and AI-powered conversational interfaces becoming viable solutions. As we enter into the era of what Gartner calls “total experience” it’s the fundamental tenets of user-centered design that will best serve organizations and users of every stripe (both internal and external). We look forward to continuing our reporting from these frontlines.