Agentic UX
Agentic UX is the design of interfaces for software that plans and acts on a user's behalf, tools, files, APIs, and multi-step workflows, not only text replies.
The core questions are permission, reversibility, autonomy, cost, handoffs, and trust in what the agent actually did.
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What it means
UX patterns for agents: scope disclosure, action previews, approval gates, activity feeds, undo, and audit trails when AI touches external systems.
Why designers should care
A wrong chat answer is embarrassing; a wrong agent action can delete data or send email. Agentic UX makes oversight legible before and after execution.
Example
Before archiving 14 contacts, the agent shows a plain-language plan, lets the user edit scope, and writes each completed action to a readable log with undo.
Common mistakes
- • Chat-only UI for workflows that need task boards or timelines.
- • Executing destructive steps without a preview or confirmation gate.
- • No way to see which tools or accounts the agent used.