Digital customer experience (CX), while still far from great, has leapt forward in key areas. A powerful blend of forces is shaping it and transforming the work of the design professionals responsible for creating it. This report examines key trends shaping digital CX and design in 2021: 1) Quality improves, 2) the pandemic tests companies ’ digital readiness, 3) touchpoints proliferate and morph, and 4) these changes fuel advances on design teams.