"Customer experience goes far beyond UX" » Interview with Hartmut König

Before taking the stage at GoTech World 2025, we sat down with Hartmut König, CTO Central Europe at Adobe, to talk about customer experience, continuous digital transformation, and the subtle but profound ways in which AI is reshaping the relationship between brands and people. Let’s have a look. 

Hartmut König is CTO Central Europe at Adobe and has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of technology, product development, and large-scale digital transformation, contributing to how organizations across industries and regions think about customer experience as a strategic, long-term capability rather than a short-term initiative. 

With this perspective in mind, it becomes clear why his understanding of customer experience extends far beyond interfaces, platforms, or isolated digital touchpoints. 

🤝Customer Experience Is the Accumulation of Every Interaction, Not a Single Moment 

Hartmut’s interest in customer experience took shape early in his career, during his time in IT consulting, when he first observed how well-designed interactions can quietly but decisively shape trust, perception, and long-term relationships between organizations and the people they serve. “I was fascinated early on by the power of good customer experiences,” he explains, noting that “they are like a good joke: if you have to explain it, it usually doesn’t work.” 

From his point of view, customer experience has never been confined to UX or visual design but represents the entire journey a customer undertakes when interacting with a brand. “Customer experience goes far beyond UX,” Hartmut says, “it’s the sum of all touchpoints a consumer or B2B buyer has with a brand, from digital touchpoints to payment and order processing, all the way through to service and support.” 

✅ Why Digital Transformation Can Never Be Declared ‘Done’ 

Despite years of investment and discussion, Hartmut believes one misconception still lingers in many organizations and continues to limit progress. “If anyone still sees digital transformation as a one-off project, I honestly wonder what they are referring to,” he says, making clear that transformation should no longer be framed as a starting point or an end goal. 

In his view, every organization should already be well underway. “Every company and every government agency should already be on a digital journey,” Hartmut explains, adding that in the age of AI, treating transformation as a fixed destination is not only outdated, but increasingly risky. 

The reason lies in the speed of change itself. “Generative AI and customer behavior are evolving rapidly,” he says, “which means that what works today may very well be obsolete tomorrow.” 

As a result, the target keeps moving. “The goal itself is in flux and must be constantly redefined,” Hartmut concludes, underlining why continuous reinvention is no longer a strategic choice, but the new normal. 

🤖 Agentic AI and the Quiet Shift in Power Between Brands and Customers 

When Hartmut reflects on the role of AI in shaping customer experience, he speaks with both optimism and caution, recognizing its potential to unlock new value while subtly reshaping dynamics that many organizations underestimate. 

“With agentic AI, everyone will feel like they have a personal team,” he explains, describing a future in which digital agents take over routine tasks while enhancing human capabilities in more complex decision-making scenarios. 

This shift, he notes, has immediate consequences for organizations. “It frees up a lot of resources in marketing and IT departments,” Hartmut says, “allowing teams to focus far more on innovation in customer interaction than on operational overhead.” 

At the same time, solutions such as Adobe Brand Concierge enable levels of personalization that were simply not feasible in the past. “Agentic AI enables highly personalized interactions that were not possible before,” he adds. 

Yet alongside this opportunity sits a less visible risk. “The underestimated risk lies in the shift in the balance of power,” Hartmut warns, “because AI is increasingly becoming the gatekeeper between brands and customers, much like a bouncer at a club.” 

When interactions are mediated primarily through AI, the nature of brand influence changes. “The relationship becomes indirect,” he explains, “filtered through models and agents that brands do not fully control, which inevitably reshapes how trust and loyalty are built.” 

⚙️Why Human Qualities Gain Value in an Automated World 

While public discourse often focuses on whether AI will replace jobs, Hartmut sees a deeper transformation taking place within roles themselves. “In software sales, we already see AI generating RFPs, formulating responses, and analyzing results,” he says, highlighting how quickly automation has entered knowledge-intensive processes. 

The critical question, however, is not automation itself, but interpretation: “How do you make an informed decision in this cycle?” Hartmut asks. 

His answer centers on human capabilities that cannot be automated away.“ Empathy, a deep understanding of use cases, and trusting relationships become even more important,” he explains, emphasizing that people are not disappearing, but evolving. 

What remains uniquely human, in his view, is fundamental. “Context, creativity, and connection,” Hartmut says, “are qualities that AI does not replace.” 

He also points out that within customer experience, workload is not shrinking but expanding. 

“Our research repeatedly shows that content requirements are continuously increasing,” he notes, “driven by rising customer expectations and the demand for personalization.” 

AI helps absorb this growing volume, but it does not eliminate the need for skilled, thoughtful teams. 

🚚 Moving Beyond Lagging Metrics 

Looking toward 2030, Hartmut hopes leaders will rethink how they measure and understand customer experience. 

“I hope that by 2030 we will have left the term Net Promoter Score behind us,” he says, pointing out that such metrics look backward rather than forward. 

Instead, he advocates for a more holistic approach. “It’s time to understand how customer experience influences every step of the journey,” Hartmut explains, “holistically and in real time.” 

🌎 Two Words for Leaders Navigating Change 

When asked for advice to organizations at the start of their transformation journey, Hartmut intentionally keeps his message concise. “Two words: embrace and stay curious.” 

To embrace transformation, he explains, means accepting its natural progression. “Every transformation goes through crawling, walking, and running,” he says, “and practical experience, through user groups, test runs, and proofs of concept, is what creates understanding, trust, and momentum.” 

Curiosity, however, is what sustains progress. “We don’t know exactly what’s coming,” Hartmut concludes, “but we do know that change is accelerating.” 

And curiosity about trends, innovations, and even mistakes is what builds resilience and readiness for whatever comes next.