Rosenfeld Review Podcast The Rosenfeld Review Podcast (Rosenfeld Media)

In a time of massive layoffs across the tech industry, and with the inevitable advancement of AI, is it time for tech workers to organize — as in, unionize? I know, I know. You thought unions were for 1950’s factory workers. Not so. Ethan Marcotte, author of You Deserve a Tech Union (and coiner of the term “responsive web design”) thinks it’s high time for tech workers to protect themselves by coming together and deciding what’s most important to them as a collective.

Certainly, tech workers don’t face the same kind of potential life-threatening working conditions of industrial America, but they still deserve a seat at the table when important decisions about their work are being discussed. With issues related to equality, transparency, workplace harassment, and how AI is shifting roles and affecting how work gets done, there’s a lot to talk about.
Ethan will bring his perspective on tech workers and how they’re being impacted by AI to the upcoming Designing with AI virtual conference in June.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
- What’s attractive about unionizing for tech workers of the 2020s
- What tech workers would change if they could
- About tech walkouts and unions that have already happened
- Helpful resources for starting conversations with coworkers
- The potential relationship among AI, reskilling, and worker unions

Quick Reference Guide:
0:20 - Introduction of Ethan
3:35 - How Ethan became interested in the idea of tech unions
6:04 - “Weren’t unions for the manufacturing industry in the 1950s?”
9:32 - The things tech workers would change if they could
11:14 - Conversations among employees – are they safe? Are they protected?
13:28 - On organizing for the greater good of humanity
17:11 - Plug for Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions by Harry Max
19:06 - How we should feel about AI
22:36 - AI, reskilling, and when workers don’t want to leave mundane tasks behind
31:08 - Employees “voting with their feet” is costly for organizations
33:24 - How future workers may organize as it relates to AI
36:30 - Ethan’s gift for listeners

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Designing with AI virtual conference, June 4-5, 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/events/futures/
You Deserve a Tech Union by Ethan Markcotte https://www.amazon.com/Deserve-Tech-Union-Ethan-Marcotte/dp/1952616603
WorkerOrganizing.org https://workerorganizing.org/
Tech Workers Coalition https://techworkerscoalition.org/
TheFutureIsLikePie.com https://thefutureislikepie.com/

Dan Hill is the director of the Melbourne School of Design at the University of Melbourne, and author of Dark Matter and Trojan Horses: A Strategic Design Vocabulary and Designing Missions. And he’s the opening speaker at the inaugural Designing with AI conference, where he’ll be presenting “Designing for the Infrastructures of Everyday Life”.

Like it or not, AI is a growing part of our infrastructure—not just the infrastructure of our phones, our computers, and the internet—but that of our physical world. It’s increasingly used to support the very fundamental systems that maintain our cities, hospitals, utilities, and educational systems. On some levels, this is cause for concern. After all, we’ve seen other implementations of AI (think riding-sharing services) that have not lived up to their promise but have instead aggravated some of the problems they sought to address.

Dan is a big-picture guy with an ability to draw principles from history and other sectors. He understands that utilizing AI is inevitable. The challenge is recognizing the interconnectedness of our various systems and working together to build infrastructures that truly create better life experiences for all.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
- The many facets of infrastructures
- How AI is currently being used and how it might be used in the future to support our infrastructures
- Why ride-sharing is not exactly an AI model worth repeating
- Why the Japanese and Finnish models work well in those environments but aren’t necessarily transferable to more diverse cultures
- Why quality of life will only improve with a more holistic, integrated design approach

Quick Reference Guide
0:37 - Introduction of Dan
3:49 - AI as infrastructure
8:30 - How AI might be used to further support infrastructure systems
12:09 - Will the impact of AI actually make life better?
18:59 - Plug for Managing Priorities by Harry Max. Get 15% off!
20:15 - The metaphor of designing looking through a lens and technology’s impact on the material world
26:16 - Helpful models – the Japanese and Finnish cultures
31:52 - Dan’s gift to the audience

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Dark Matter and Trojan Horses: A Strategic Design Vocabulary by Dan Hill https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Matter-Trojan-Horses-Vocabulary/dp/0992914639/
Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions by Harry Max https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/managing-priorities/
Designing with AI Conference, June 4-5 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/events/futures/
Smoke and Ashes: Opium’s Hidden Histories by Amitav Ghosh https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-Ashes-Opiums-Hidden-Histories/dp/0374602921

Jodi Forlizzi has taken an unusual path to get where she is today. With an art degree from the University of Arts in Philadelphia, she began working as a technical illustrator at the University of Pennsylvania. Transitioning into UX design as the internet expanded, she pursued a Master's in Interaction Design at Carnegie Mellon University where she is now a professor. Jodi's work focuses on responsible AI and diversity in computer science. Her talk at the upcoming Designing with AI 2024 conference will explore the evolving role of AI in design processes and products.

Jodi distinguishes between "designing with AI" and "designing AI," arguing the importance of designers' involvement in the entire product development lifecycle. She highlights the challenges of AI innovation, such as data availability, value generation, customer adoption, and ethical considerations and emphasizes that designers have a place in all realms of AI development.

Jodi's interview offers a glimpse into the evolving landscape of AI-driven design and the pivotal role of designers in shaping its future. With a blend of historical context, personal anecdotes, and insights, she inspires designers of all stripes to embrace the challenges and opportunities presented by AI innovation.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
- How Jodi went from a Master of Fine Arts degree to working on responsible AI at Carnegie Mellon
- Why designers are needed in all phases of AI development
- How careers morph as technologies develop and become obsolete
- Lessons from history and the “friendly vending machine”
- Why solving for “Drunk Island” problems is usually more helpful than chasing a loftier issue

Quick Reference Guide
0:25 - Introducing Jodi
2:59 - On boundaries around innovating with AI
6:40 – 4 reasons AI models fail
8:07 – The role of designers and the challenge of starting the design process from the middle of the double diamond
11:49 - The role of bridge builders
14:48 - The morphing of careers due to the emergence and prevalence of AI
17:19 - Commercial break - Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions by Harry Max
18:26 - AI as a design material
21:08 - Constraints and structure on AI as a design material
24:39 - Jodi’s gift for the audience

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Managing Priorities: How to Create Better Plans and Make Smarter Decisions by Harry Max https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/managing-priorities/
Designing with AI 2024, June 4-5 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/events/futures/
Friendly vending machines https://nextnature.net/story/2010/friendly-vending-machine

In the latest episode of the Rosenfeld Review, Lou sits down with social scientist Tricia Wang, coiner of the term “thick data,” and formerly a partner at Sudden Compass. Tricia is passionate about research and AI. She envisions massively improved research outcomes and opportunities for researchers, but only if researchers take the lead in incorporating AI into their work. Rather than seeing themselves as “users” of AI tools, researchers must work as AI’s “shapers,” serving as its senior partner.

Tricia’s vision is to cease the fear-mongering surrounding the subject of AI and instead embrace the amazing opportunities for growth and better work by becoming active in the control of AI’s future.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
- The truth about the potential for AI use in research and the gift that it actually is
- The difference between a “user” and a “shaper” in the digital age
- The importance of taking an active role in the development of AI in the future
- How being an asset class dehumanizes us as people

Quick Reference Guide:
[0:16] - Lou’s introduction of Tricia Wang
[2:52] - Tricia discusses our future and how we talk about AI
[3:49] - Thoughts on the narrative of fear-mongering we have in the West about AI
[5:47] - The relationship between humans and AI
[5:59] - A new framework: users vs shapers
[9:07] - The problem with taking on a passive role with a technology unlike anything we have ever seen
[11:06] - People who use AI successfully are active shapers
[15:33] - Info on Advancing Research 2024
[17:23] - How users, shapers, and AI affect the field of research
[20:42] - The existential question of what it really means to be a researcher
[31:28] - Tricia’s advice concerning using AI in research
[35:07] - Tricia’s gift for the audience
[38:34] - Tricia wants to hear from you

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Tricia Wang https://www.triciawang.com/
Sudden Compass https://www.suddencompass.com/
James Bridle, Ways of Being: Animals, Plants, Machines: The Search For A Planetary Intelligence https://www.amazon.com/Ways-Being-Machines-Planetary-Intelligence/dp/0374601119
Brett Christopher, Rentier Capitalism: Who Owns the Economy, And Who Pays For It?
https://www.amazon.com/Rentier-Capitalism-Owns-Economy-Pays/dp/1788739728
Advancing Research 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-research/2024/

In the latest episode of the Rosenfeld Review, Lou sits down with Neil Barrie, the co-founder and CEO of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, to delve into the intriguing intersection of brand building, culture, and user experience research. Neil, an outsider in the realm of user research, brings a fresh perspective from the world of brand research; you can hear more from him at the Advancing Research 2024 conference in New York City, March 25-26.

Neil emphasizes the need for researchers to adopt a cultural lens when designing product experiences. Drawing from his extensive experience working with influential brands like Airbnb, Bumble, Headspace, and others, Neil suggests that by understanding and leveraging wider cultural factors, researchers can break free from the incremental nature of product development and create more memorable, distinctive, and influential brands.

The conversation touches upon the "wind tunnel effect," where products and services, much like cars in the 90s, risk becoming efficient but less distinctive. Neil argues that by paying attention to cultural factors and experiences, researchers can uncover breakthroughs that go beyond the interchangeable norms of the industry.

Neil’s insights highlight the transformative potential of cultural understanding in user research, offering researchers a valuable lens to navigate the ever-evolving landscape of product experiences.

What You'll Learn from this Episode:
- The importance of adopting a cultural lens in user research to achieve breakthroughs
- The concept of the "wind tunnel effect" and its impact on product development
- Examples from brands like Pinterest, showcasing the power of cultural understanding in shaping user experiences
- The dialogue mapping technique for evaluating how brands communicate certain themes and how people perceive them

Quick Reference Guide:
[0:11] - Lou’s introduction of Neil Barrie
[3:03] - A discussion on the wind tunnel effect in research
[4:24] - Frameworks for understanding culture
[5:41] - Examples from Pinterest
[11:29] - Plug for Advancing Research 2024
[13:23] - The tools of a brand strategy expert
[17:18] - One challenge, multiple perspectives
[19:29] - Reconciling disconnects in research
[22:00] - The qualities needed for this type of research
[24:13] - Neil’s gift for the audience

Resources and Links from Today's Episode:
Advancing Research 2024, New York City, March 25-27, 2024 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-research/2024/
A Colorful View From the Top – a book featuring candid interviews with luminaries of color who made it to the top in various fields. https://www.amazon.com/Colourful-View-Top-Twenty-One-Extraordinary/dp/1408715791/
The Deluge by Stephen Markley https://www.amazon.com/Audible-The-Deluge/dp/B0B4YTWP7K/

Author, researcher, speaker, and frequent Rosenfeld Review guest Steve Portigal joins Lou for a chat on the state of the user research industry – where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed. If the field of research was once a lonely desert, today it’s a jungle. It was once a field where researchers could get lost and forgotten. Today, the field is teaming with life—so much so that you could get eaten alive.

Gleaning lessons from the past, Steve doesn’t want us to forget the desert. But he has no desire to return there.

In his chat with Lou, they look back, and they look ahead. They discuss shifts in community and networking, and how research agencies are being replaced by in-house research teams. Finally, the two discuss Steve’s role in the upcoming, in-person Advancing Research conference in Queens, New York.

What you’ll learn from this episode:
How the world of user research has evolved over the last 25 years from a widely-respected industry expert
How the research industry has shifted from agency-based work to in-sourcing
About Steve’s work, career, and books
About the upcoming, in-person Advancing Research Conference
About Steve’s role in past Advancing Research Conferences

Quick Reference Guide:
[0:00:29] Introduction of Steve
[0:02:50] “Dog fooding”, preparation, and collaboration that happens before conferences
[0:09:30] Comparing the user research field and community now to how it was 25 years ago.
[0:16:22] The evolution of networking, connections, and community
[0:23:09] Shifts and pivots Steve has seen over the last 25 years in the user research field
[0:30:32] Writing it down and moving on
[0:35:13] Plug for Advancing Research Conference, including Steve’s role
[0:36:27] Steve’s gift for listeners

Resources and links from today’s episode:
Steve Portigal’s Rosenfeld Media books: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/people/steve-portigal/
Advancing Research Conference (March 25-27): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-research/2024/
Steve’s website: https://Portigal.com
The Wok: Recipes and Techniques by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt: https://www.amazon.com/Wok-Techniques-J-Kenji-L%C3%B3pez-Alt/dp/0393541215