The value of UX with Ranjeet Tayi

Ranjeet Kumar, Director of AI and UX at Informatica, emphasizes that user experience (UX) is an essential business driver whose value is only increasing as we enter an era shaped by AI and automation. He describes this moment as a once-in-a-lifetime transformation, where experience is becoming the main differentiator in what he calls the “experience economy.”

UX is not just about the visual appearance of products or superficial aesthetics. Instead, it is fundamentally about creating value, whether that means driving customer loyalty, improving efficiency, increasing conversion rates, or fueling overall business growth. As AI systems become more capable and autonomous, UX plays a crucial role in making these technologies understandable, trustworthy, and genuinely helpful to people. In other words, UX is what reduces cognitive load, simplifies complexity, and builds confidence so users feel empowered to achieve their goals.

Kumar stresses that the basics and fundamentals of UX design still apply. Even as AI transforms the way people interact with technology—often removing traditional interfaces altogether—the responsibility of UX professionals remains: to understand users deeply, empathize with their needs, and design experiences that help them succeed.

Looking ahead, Kumar predicts that traditional UX roles will evolve and merge. Rather than having separate designers, researchers, prototypers, or testers, he envisions a more unified role focused on value creation. In this future, professionals will need to step beyond familiar tools and methods. For example, with advances in natural language prompting and intelligent systems, much of the conventional prototyping and coding work will be replaced by AI-driven workflows and intent classification.

As a result, UX professionals will shift their focus from designing static visual interfaces to orchestrating intelligent interactions and ensuring technology serves real human purposes. Success will depend on their ability to understand user goals and act as enablers—collaborating, initiating, and executing experiences that feel natural and intuitive, even without a visible interface.

In short, Kumar believes UX will remain a critical strategic function in the AI era—the differentiator that connects intelligence and humanity, turning sophisticated technology into experiences that create real, lasting value.