Academic conferences regarding digital transformation and online learning will continue to offer academic papers and workshops designed to advance work in online learning for all students. We will not return to the pre-pandemic ways of engaging in teaching and learning in higher education. Ongoing digital transformation and online learning will need to be future-focused if it is going to meet the needs of higher education both now and in the further future. Learning experience designers have a unique skill set and insights to aid such transitions but they must be more strategic in their engagements within their institutions and engage more widely in the higher education sector as a whole to maximize their impact.