Awkward Silences

User Interviews
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Welcome to Awkward Silences by User Interviews, where we interview the people who interview people. Listen as we geek out on all things UX research, qualitative data, and the craft of understanding people to build better products and businesses. Hosted by Erin May and Carol Guest, VPs of growth/marketing and product at User Interviews. Take this survey and let us know what topics you want to hear next! userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey

  1. #191 - Throwback: UX Lessons from a Decade Researching AI with Jess Holbrook of Microsoft

    9 گھنٹے پہلے

    #191 - Throwback: UX Lessons from a Decade Researching AI with Jess Holbrook of Microsoft

    This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. Much of the conversation around AI in UX involves how it will shape and change researchers' work. This episodes's guest, Jess Holbrook, who leads UX research for Microsoft AI, thinks a lot about how this technology can be improved with design and UX best practices. Jess has spent over a decade working on the UX of AI at companies like Meta and Google. He's also helped develop foundational principles for the ethical use of LLMs. Jess joined Erin and Ben to reframe the AI conversation, focusing on how UXRs can and should adapt, what working on these systems has taught him about the UX discipline, and his philosophy for building teams that are ready to take on the innovative challenges of tomorrow. Jess's recommendations: Matt Webb, Maggie Appleton, and the Pessimists Archive Newsletter. Highlights 07:15 Human-Centered AI Evolution17:53 Evolving AI Forecast Strategies24:04 Diverse AI Team Building33:27 Navigating Responsible AI Challenges37:01 Qualitative Analysis with AI Tools40:15 Optimism and Concerns About AIAbout JessSenior Director of Research specializing in human-centered AI. Early stage investor in AI, AI hardware ecosystems, climate, and anything that seems like the world would be better with it in it. Currently leading UX research for Microsoft AI. Previously led the Generative AI team and supported all UX functions for the Responsible AI and data transparency teams at Meta. I also served on the Board of Forging Youth Resilience, a nonprofit that empowers young people to build physical and mental strength for life by providing access to a national network of community-based fitness programs and mentorship. Resources The AI in UX Research Report20+ Tools for Every Research PhaseUsing AI in UX: A Day-in-the-Life

    49 منٹ
  2. #190 - How to Navigate the Constant Change in UX Research with Learners CEO Alec Levin

    26 مئی

    #190 - How to Navigate the Constant Change in UX Research with Learners CEO Alec Levin

    Erin May sits down with Alec Levin, CEO and Co-Founder of Learners, to explore how researchers can navigate the rapid changes reshaping their field. Alec shares his vision for how AI and automation are creating unprecedented opportunities for research teams willing to step up and lead. Alec argues that while AI can handle routine tasks like usability testing and surveys, researchers have a chance to focus on higher-value discovery work that includes prototyping and coding. He emphasizes that this is a critical moment for researchers to define their own future rather than letting executives decide their role. The conversation covers practical examples of AI-powered research workflows, the importance of cross-functional collaboration, and why researchers need to be more proactive in pitching their vision internally. Highlights 03:40 Balance sheeting thinking for change06:15 Connecting researchers through community13:11 Discovery research importance 15:02 Vision needed for researcher evolution24:08 Automated research workflows emerging31:16 Human elements AI can't replaceResources AI for User Research 101 WorkshopWhat is the New AI in Research Risk Cascade?Assessing the ROI of AI in UX Research WebinarAI Context Engineering for Research Course

    40 منٹ
  3. #189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex

    12 مئی

    #189 - Throwback: Quantifying Research Impact with Ruby Pryor of Rex

    This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. This episode welcomed Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design. This episode gets into what it means to demonstrate the "business value" of one's work, specifically how researchers can and should quantify their impact in terms that are tangible to the company. Ruby shared ways to score early wins, build momentum, and overcome communication frictions to find shared value. Episode Highlights 03:14 - UX researcher impact: insights, optimization, prioritization, strategy09:14 - Understanding organizational structures and strategy development collaboration20:22 - Challenge of quantifying impact and strategic level21:33 - Measuring strategy impact: challenges and indicators30:04 - Prioritizing investments based on strong market indicators38:51 - Stakeholders prioritize growth, revenue, and cost reductionAbout Our GuestRuby Pryor is the founder of Rex, a service design and UX research consulting firm. Her previous roles include UX research at Grab, strategic design at Boston Consulting Group and management consulting at Nous Group. She has taught courses on increasing the impact of UX to learners from 5 continents and has spoken about design and UX at conferences in Asia and Europe. Resources on UX Research Impact How to Track the Impact of Your UX ResearchLeading an Impactful User Research TeamUse Stakeholder Interviews to Drive Impact

    48 منٹ
  4. #188 - Why AI Can't Replace Qualitative Research with Sam Ladner of Workday

    28 اپریل

    #188 - Why AI Can't Replace Qualitative Research with Sam Ladner of Workday

    Erin May sits down with Sam Ladner, Senior Principal Researcher of Strategy at Workday, to explore the evolving role of AI in qualitative research. Sam brings a refreshingly balanced perspective on where AI can genuinely help researchers and where it fundamentally cannot replace human insight. Sam explains how AI has transformed labor-intensive tasks like transcription and closed coding, freeing researchers to focus on the deeper work of sense-making and understanding outliers. She emphasizes that while AI excels at mathematical correlation hunting, qualitative research is about unriddling complex human experiences that require thinking, feeling, and imagination. The conversation covers practical applications like using MAXQDA for AI-assisted coding, the importance of explaining every outlier in qualitative work, and why emotional storytelling must remain exclusively human territory. Highlights 03:09 Why machines can't replace human sense-making08:47 Human moments AI cannot understand12:00 Explaining outliers in qualitative coding16:27 Building effective coding systems for AI21:33 Getting AI to do closed coding properly29:26 When to use AI for low stakes research37:23 AI cannot substitute for qualitative researchAbout SamSam Ladner (she/her) is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of advanced software projects at Microsoft, Amazon, and most recently Workday, where she worked as a Senior Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She is now an independent researcher and consultant, writing her third book, tentatively titled Practical Foresight: Strategic Foresight in Applied Settings. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Resources Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private SectorMixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods ResearchQual vs Quant vs Mixed-Methods Field GuideQualitative Sample Size Calculator

    49 منٹ
  5. #187 - Throwback: Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and Google

    14 اپریل

    #187 - Throwback: Harnessing AI For Better Insights with George Whitfield of MIT and Google

    This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. This episode welcomed George Whitfield, an expert in applying AI to the analysis of qualitative data. George discussed the intricate challenges of leveraging language models to interpret expansive open-ended data (like interview transcripts), and emphasized the importance of context and not just keyword or topic identification. Episode Highlights 03:48 - Innovating consumer insights using AI12:21 - Importance of human involvement in AI tools20:04 - Enhance discussion sections with  AI tools26:50 - AI-inspired insights provide inspiration, not guidance34:12 - Interpretation beyond analyzing transcripts36:46 - Applying engineering rigor to the process of building a businessAbout Our GuestGeorge Whitfield is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Software Engineer at Google. George holds 4 patents and has 3 degrees from MIT including a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Masters and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. Resources on Qual Data and AI Our AI in UX Report shares findings from a survey of over 1,000 researchersWhat does it mean to "code" qualitative data? This breakdown explains it all.Interested in trying an AI tool for your analysis? Here are 20 worth considering.

    41 منٹ
  6. #186 - Positioning Your Portfolio for AI Skills with Aneta Kmiecik of Be Your Own Design Team

    31 مارچ

    #186 - Positioning Your Portfolio for AI Skills with Aneta Kmiecik of Be Your Own Design Team

    Erin May sits down with Aneta Kmiecik, founder of Be Your Own Design Team, to tackle one of the biggest questions facing designers today: how to position AI skills in portfolios and resumes. With 15 years in creative industries and a community of 200,000 followers, Aneta brings unique insights into navigating career strategy during this AI transformation. Aneta reveals her Past Present Future framework for career positioning and explains why most companies aren't explicitly requiring AI skills yet, but smart candidates should still showcase them strategically. She discusses the three designer archetypes emerging at AI native companies and shares practical advice on standing out when AI can generate portfolios and case studies for everyone. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 04:06 AI Skills in Job Descriptions Reality Check 06:52 Research Strategy for AI Portfolio Positioning 14:23 Audience Context Determines AI Skill Positioning17:49 Past Present Future Portfolio Framework 27:10 Common Portfolio Mistakes in AI Era 35:46 Future of AI Skills in Applications 38:39 Favorite Research Interview Techniques RESOURCESLenny’s Podcast featuring Jenny Wen, Design Lead for Claude - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8bcBIAAFo 2024 AI in User Research Report - https://www.userinterviews.com/ai-in-ux-research-report  CONNECT WITH ANETA KMIECIK: - LinkedIn: Aneta Kmiecik - Instagram: @ux.aneta - Newsletter: Be Your Own Design Team - Portfolio Course: uxportfolio.co

    43 منٹ
  7. #185 - How to Use AI Without Losing Your Research Soul with Nikki Anderson of Drop in Research

    17 مارچ

    #185 - How to Use AI Without Losing Your Research Soul with Nikki Anderson of Drop in Research

    Ben Wiedmaier sits down with user research consultant Nikki Anderson to explore how researchers can stay relevant when budgets are tight and stakeholders are stressed. Nikki runs Drop in Research where she helps teams conduct research, facilitate better meetings, and build research practices from the ground up. She shares how companies are increasingly coming to her with validation requests rather than discovery work, driven by pressure to ship fast and hit numbers. The conversation reveals practical strategies for mixed methods research, using facilitation to drive action from insights, and leveraging AI tools without compromising research quality. Nikki explains why she creates forcing functions to slow stakeholders down when they want to rush into AI features without understanding the problem. She advocates for parallel convergent research design where surveys, interviews, and secondary research happen simultaneously to deliver insights faster. The discussion covers why synthesis remains a bridge too far for AI, how to turn research presentations into collaborative workshops, and specific ways researchers can demonstrate value through facilitation skills. Highlights00:00 Intro05:20 Mixed Methods and Data Triangulation10:07 Finding Small Tests When Teams Won't Wait14:46 Stakeholder Stress Driving Validation Requests23:30 Facilitation as Core Research Skill40:03 Using AI for Research Planning45:39 Demonstrating AI Skills to Stakeholders Resources- AI for User Research 101 Course- 30+ Tools for every phase of UX Research- AI Context Engineering for Research Course

    52 منٹ
  8. #184 - Use Context For More Influence with Kristen DeLap of Econify

    3 مارچ

    #184 - Use Context For More Influence with Kristen DeLap of Econify

    Ben talks with Kristen DeLap, fractional COO at Econify, to explore how UX'ers can build influence without formal authority. Kristen brings a unique perspective, having evolved from interior design to leading product teams at Herman Miller and now working as an operations executive. She shares practical strategies for understanding decision-making processes, translating design work into business impact, and creating the conditions where teams do their best work. They also cover essential skills for today's design professionals, including decision literacy, stakeholder translation, and the art of challenging assumptions diplomatically. Kristen emphasizes that while AI can generate design artifacts, it cannot create alignment across teams or orchestrate complex organizational dynamics. She offers concrete tactics like using customer stories to explain roadmaps, minimizing big presentation moments in favor of ongoing stakeholder engagement, and treating colleagues like users to better understand their motivations and constraints. Highlights 11:08 Design Skills That Can't Be Replaced by AI15:56 Decision Literacy in Organizations21:42 Surprising Realities of Leadership Meetings24:36 Building Influence Without Organizational Power29:01 Storytelling via Roadmaps Exercise35:47 What Trade Off Are You Most Uncomfortable MakingResources A Framework for Decision-Driven ResearchUsing Research Roadshows for InfluenceThe UX Designer's Guide to Research

    40 منٹ
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Welcome to Awkward Silences by User Interviews, where we interview the people who interview people. Listen as we geek out on all things UX research, qualitative data, and the craft of understanding people to build better products and businesses. Hosted by Erin May and Carol Guest, VPs of growth/marketing and product at User Interviews. Take this survey and let us know what topics you want to hear next! userinterviews.com/awkwardsurvey

معلومات

  • تخلیق کار
    User Interviews
  • فعال سال
    2018 - 2026
  • ایپی سوڈ
    197
  • درجہ بندی
    واضح
  • کاپی رائٹ
    © 045109
  • ویب سائٹ دکھائیں
    Awkward Silences

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