Insights Unlocked UserTesting

Join us for a profound conversation with Don Norman, a pioneer in user experience and human-centered design. In this episode, Don unpacks the essence of staying curious throughout life, rethinks traditional design principles in favor of humanity-centered approaches, and examines the evolving role of AI in design.
Episode website 
Hosts:

Jason Giles, Vice President of Design at UserTesting

Lija Hogan, Principal for Experience Research Strategy at UserTesting

Nathan Isaacs, Senior Manager for Content Production at UserTesting

Guest:
Don Norman, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, and former Vice President of Apple
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Lifelong Learning: Don Norman shares his personal journey and the importance of lifelong learning, detailing how he continuously adapts and acquires new skills to stay relevant and effective.
Humanity-Centered Design: Norman critiques the traditional design paradigms that often focus on corporate profits at the expense of environmental and societal well-being. He advocates for a shift towards designs that consider their impact on society and the environment.
The Role of AI in Design: Explore the dual-edged sword of AI in the design industry. Don discusses the powerful capabilities and potential risks of AI, urging a balanced approach that includes ethical considerations to harness AI for societal benefits.
Advice for Designers: Norman provides actionable advice for designers to navigate their careers, emphasizing the need for ethical practice, continuous improvement, and the integration of human values into design processes.
Featured Quote:
"Don't work on just any technology, work on new technology that is humane, that is caring, and that makes a real difference."
Episode links: 

Don Norman Design Award - Learn more about how to participate or contribute.

Books by Don Norman - Discover more of his works on design and human-focused practices.

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In this enlightening episode of Insights Unlock, we sit down with Jennifer Romano, a seasoned UX leader with experience at tech giants like Google, Facebook, and Instagram. Hosted by Lija Hogan, this discussion delves into the current challenges and promising future of the UX industry, the evolving job market, and the increasing relevance of mixed methods and AI in UX research.
Show Notes:

Introduction:

Introduction of Jennifer Romano, detailing her extensive background in the UX industry.

Overview of Romano's roles and contributions to UX at major companies and in academia.

Current State of the UX Job Market:

Discussion on recent layoffs and the scarcity of entry-level roles in UX.

Optimistic outlook for increased hiring and budget expansions in Q2 as companies recover from initial fiscal year planning.

The Evolution and Future of UX:

Exploration of how UX is still a burgeoning field with vast opportunities for growth.

Insight into public misunderstanding of UX roles and the potential for industry expansion.

Essential Skills for UX Professionals:

Importance of adapting to versatile research methodologies.

Emphasis on the need for UX professionals to acquire skills in both qualitative and quantitative research, including survey design and implementation.

The Role of AI in UX Research:

Discussion on the supportive role of AI in UX research, enhancing efficiency without replacing human researchers.

Future predictions for AI's integration into UX practices and how it can help manage and synthesize large data sets effectively.

Jennifer Romano's Current Projects:

Information on Romano’s latest initiatives focused on training and coaching in UX.

Highlight of a unique retreat aimed at bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world UX research experience.

Closing Thoughts:

Reflections on the importance of educating stakeholders about the value and methods of UX research.

Encouragement for UX professionals to continually adapt and integrate new tools and methodologies.

In this Insights Unlocked episode, UserTesting’s Andy MacMillan talks with David Rose about designing our augmented realities and what UX designers, product leaders and others should consider as they take on that challenge.
David Rose’s Journey in Tech Innovation
David discusses his wide-ranging experiences in industries from healthcare to toys and tech, highlighting his award-winning entrepreneurial journey and his role as the CEO of Lookout—an AI-powered maritime navigation system.
Seamless Integration of Technology
Explore how David has successfully embedded technology into everyday objects to enhance user experiences without intrusion. Learn about his projects like Lego Mindstorms and GlowCap, which seamlessly combine functionality with simplicity.
The Role of AR in Everyday Interactions
Dive into the transformative potential of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) in making everyday interactions more intuitive and engaging. David shares insights from his books and discusses how AR can reduce social isolation by enhancing real-world connections.
Practical Applications of AR in Safety and Navigation
Gain insights into Lookout, the AI camera system for boats, which David developed to improve maritime safety by providing navigational aids through augmented reality, showing how AR can address practical challenges in unstructured environments like open waters.
Future of UX in Spatial Computing
David discusses the future of user experience design in the context of spatial computing, offering advice for UX professionals on adapting to new tools and thinking paradigms to design more engaging and useful digital and physical products.
Ethical Considerations and Social Impact of Tech
The conversation also covers the ethical implications of technology, particularly the risks and benefits of AR and VR. David highlights the importance of designing technology that respects privacy and promotes social engagement.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that REI, the nation’s largest consumer co-op with some 23 million members, loves to talk with its customers.
In this Insights Unlocked episode, UserTesting’s LeTisha Shaw talks with REI’s Monique Lalonde about their continuous interview program with customers to support the product development life cycle.
“As our product-led practice matured, we saw an opportunity to foster a habit of talking to customers on a regular basis in support of the product development cycle,” said Monique, REI’s Director of Product Design. “Layne Foit (REI’s senior manager of UX research & Content) developed a scalable framework for continuous customer interviewing with a goal to empower teams with just enough research skills so they feel comfortable talking to customers, are able to analyze what they hear, and use those customer insights to drive innovation and customer centricity.”
Once a week, members from REI’s UX research and product teams meet up to talk with a customer about a specific problem they are experiencing. They then evaluate that interview together, listening for all the different things that people observed.
We often talk about shifting left in the product development lifecycle when you’re talking with your customers and prospects. This helps you develop products your audience wants, needs and will pay you money. It also helps avoid or reduce the cost of rework (estimated at more than $1 trillion annually) because you built something no one wanted.
REI is a purpose-driven specialty outdoor retailer dedicated to enabling life outside for all. The co-op was founded in 1938 as some mountaineering friends in the Pacific Northwest sought access to better climbing gear. As a co-op, with about 23 million members, they measure success differently than many companies. 
“Our goal is to run a healthy business, which enables us to make a positive impact on our employees, members, and society,” Monique said. “Our product design practice plays a critical role in supporting our goals, measuring their progress and impact in all our experiences.”
So far the program has been successful in conducting continuous research that can be measured and tracked, Monique said. 
“This shared experience is helping in cross-functional alignment, promoting a user-centered culture, and understanding a holistic picture of our customer journeys,” she said. “An unexpected benefit has been team building. Our product teams are 100% remote and our pilot teams reported feeling more connected to their co-workers thanks to the program.”

In this Insights Unlocked episode, Andy MacMillan, CEO of UserTesting, talks with Dave about the rapidly transforming UX research landscape, shedding light on how technological advances are reshaping our approach to understanding user experiences.
Dave has written several essays on the subject over on his website.
“What we're doing in user research compared to what we were doing 10 or 15 years ago is a much more understood set of activities,” Dave said. “And that means that the way that we undertake them, the amount of effort that it takes to undertake them is decreasing and the amount of knowledge that we as an industry have about how the craft of user research itself works is increasing. 
“User research is only one small piece of the puzzle,” he said. “And the user of user research are the product teams who are actually taking these insights and are weaving them into our ongoing processes. So as we look to the future of user research, I think we actually need to shift our view a level higher and look to the future methods of product development that will unfold along with a now more commoditized version of research.”
Dave suggests the future of UX research is to be closer aligned to the product development process.

In this Insights Unlocked episode, UserTesting’s Sean Treiser talks with UI/UX and product designer Karla Fernandes about designing, developing, testing and launching products on your own.