Why AXD exists
Traditional Conversational AI answers questions. Agentic systems take action. That shift moves risk from the conversation to the outcome: a wrong answer costs a moment; a wrong action costs money, records, or trust.
AXD is CDI's methodology for that reality. It gives you a systematic way to decide where an agent should act, how much authority it should have, what it must never do, and how to prove all of that before launch and keep proving it afterward.
Agentic Experience Design is one of five certified pathways in the CDI Academy, and required, along with CDI Method Foundation, to become a Certified Conversational AI Consultant (CAIC).
The six required courses in this pathway take you from the context shift to a governed production agent, through the twelve steps of the AXD method. Pass the exam to become a Certified AXD Practitioner.
AXD is CDI's methodology for that reality. It gives you a systematic way to decide where an agent should act, how much authority it should have, what it must never do, and how to prove all of that before launch and keep proving it afterward.
Agentic Experience Design is one of five certified pathways in the CDI Academy, and required, along with CDI Method Foundation, to become a Certified Conversational AI Consultant (CAIC).
The six required courses in this pathway take you from the context shift to a governed production agent, through the twelve steps of the AXD method. Pass the exam to become a Certified AXD Practitioner.
REQUIRED
RECOMMENDED
What you will learn
At the end of the pathway you will be able to:
Distinguish bots, workflows, assistants and agents, and choose the right one for a use case
Scope agent use cases by value and risk to trust, and explicitly exclude what should never be automated
Define golden conversations that set the standard for intent, tone, resolution and dignity
Diagnose test findings and fix the right layer: constraint or knowledge
Launch through phased rollout with readiness gates, rollback and incident response
Scope agent use cases by value and risk to trust, and explicitly exclude what should never be automated
Define golden conversations that set the standard for intent, tone, resolution and dignity
Diagnose test findings and fix the right layer: constraint or knowledge
Launch through phased rollout with readiness gates, rollback and incident response
Research users for agentic contexts, including power dynamics, vulnerability and cognitive load
Select models and platforms on customer outcomes, not benchmarks
Write an Agent Charter with role, scope, authority tiers and escalation criteria
Build knowledge architecture that resolves Content Debt at source
Monitor behaviour and trust, not just containment, and prevent Responsibility Decay
Select models and platforms on customer outcomes, not benchmarks
Write an Agent Charter with role, scope, authority tiers and escalation criteria
Build knowledge architecture that resolves Content Debt at source
Monitor behaviour and trust, not just containment, and prevent Responsibility Decay
Write project-level guidelines and distinguish them from rules, constraints and policies
Map human and agent context with the Agentic Canvas and design for mentalizing
Test designs with stakeholders, users and adversaries before a line of code is written
Specify tool contracts with inputs, outputs, side effects and reversibility
Map human and agent context with the Agentic Canvas and design for mentalizing
Test designs with stakeholders, users and adversaries before a line of code is written
Specify tool contracts with inputs, outputs, side effects and reversibility
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Reasons to get certified
FAQs
What does the Agentic Experience Design exam cost?
$899 on Certified and $999 on Learn only, including one free resit. Passing it makes you a Certified AXD Practitioner.
Does AXD count toward CAIC?
Yes, and it's required. AXD is the one pathway every CAIC must complete, alongside Foundation and any two others.
How long does the pathway take?
Six required modules with 60 video lessons, about 15–20 hours to complete at your own pace. If you'd like a shorter look first, the free Introduction to Agentic Experience Design covers every step in under two hours.
Do I need to take the recommended courses?
No. Scaling AI Agents, Behaviour Design, Designing AI Assistants and Introduction to RAG are useful preparation, but they're optional, can be taken in any order, and aren't required for the exam.
Who is this pathway for?
Conversation designers, CX leaders, product managers, AI practitioners and innovation leads responsible for AI agents, especially in regulated or high-stakes sectors where agents act on people's behalf.
Do I need CDI Method Foundation before starting this pathway?
The courses are open to any Learn only or Certified subscriber. You do need the CDI Method Foundation Practitioner certification before you can sit the AXD exam, and it's included with Certified.
What is the difference between a certificate and a certification?
Each module earns a certificate of completion, which shows you finished it. A Practitioner Certification is earned by passing the pathway exam, which shows you've mastered it.
Does my certification expire?
No. Every Practitioner Certification you earn is yours permanently. Only CAIC status is renewed each year.
How does CAIC work?
old the CDI Method Foundation and AXD certifications plus any two others, and CAIC is conferred after a short review. There's no extra exam. It's kept current with a short annual declaration and either a Certified plan or the $99/year CAIC subscription.