UX Evolved - Strategically fusing UX+AI

Eric Ellis

UX is evolving, not dying. Host Eric Ellis brings two decades of design leadership to conversations with UX veterans who've navigated everything from Web 2.0 to mobile to AI. These aren't tool tutorials or hot takes—they're strategic discussions about professional resilience and the irreplaceable human elements of design. New episodes monthly. Because the future of UX isn't about choosing between human and machine—it's about designing the fusion.

Episodes

  1. 02/12/2025

    Amit Popat: a beautiful AI product that nobody bought

    Amit Popat built a beautiful AI product that nobody bought. Then he sat in a hotel watching managers use whiteboards to make pricing decisions in 2019. That's when everything changed.From Cambridge math to building EasyJet's personalization engine to leading AI/ML at Cloudbeds, Amit has learned the hard way that cool technology doesn't win—solving real problems does. We dive into his own Alexa fail, why 1970s Paris Metro machines beat modern UX, and why tinkering and curiosity aren't optional in an AI-accelerated world.If you're building AI products or wondering how UX translates to this new landscape, this conversation will ground you in what actually matters: proximity to real problems beats assumptions every time. (00:00) Introduction(01:49) Welcome and Amit's Background(02:47) From Pure Math to Product Thinking(03:53) Early iPhone Development and UX Education(04:47) The Paris Metro Lesson: 1970s UX vs Modern Touchscreens(06:22) Removing Friction: Timeless Design Principles(07:00) The Value of Tinkering and Curiosity(08:45) Embedding Yourself in the Problem Space(10:06) The Whiteboard Story: Revenue Management in 2019(13:23) Building AI That Solves Real Problems(18:14) From Engineering to Product Leadership(21:45) The AI Hype vs Reality Gap(26:32) When Technical Excellence Meets User Needs(31:18) Network Intelligence and Pattern Recognition(35:27) Mistakes and Lessons Learned(38:57) The Alexa Catastrophe: Beautiful Product Nobody Bought(41:37) Dampening the Geek: Ego and Humility in Product Design(42:42) Closing Question: Redesigning Apple's iPhone Holder

    45 min

  2. 04/11/2025

    The Research Skills That Still Require Humans | Dan Zola (Google xWF)

    Dan Zola (1,000+ user interviews, Google) on what changes with AI research tools—and what doesn't. Body language, organizational trust, and knowing which follow-up question matters most. The skills worth investing in now.

    39 min

  3. 01/10/2025

    “Did You Hallucinate?” - What a UX Researcher Taught Me About AI

    AI can analyze thousands of user interviews in seconds. So what's left for human UX researchers? Miwako Zosel explains why she's learning SQL and Python, where AI actually helps research (and where it dangerously fails), and why "research is glue"—the most human skill in UX. For researchers wondering if their career has a future: this is your episode. Guest: Miwako Zosel, UX Researcher at SmartBear

    35 min
  4. When the Double Diamond Meets Machine Speed

    02/09/2025

    When the Double Diamond Meets Machine Speed

    Two years before ChatGPT became a household name, Whitney Tolley was already seeing the cracks in how UX teams approached design thinking. Writing for the Cloudbeds Technology Blog in early 2023, she challenged the conventional wisdom around the Double Diamond—that beloved framework UX practitioners have relied on for nearly two decades. In this conversation, Whitney reveals how AI has transformed her team's approach to design thinking. When a strategic workshop agenda became obsolete mid-session, AI helped them redesign day two in 30 minutes. When customer insights live in thousands of recorded conversations, AI helps surface the human stories that shape what they build. Essential listening for UX professionals navigating AI disruption without losing what makes them valuable. Additional advice on how to manage your UX career from Whitney.

    33 min

  5. 04/08/2025

    UX Designer Who Built Through Web 2.0, Mobile & AI Explains What's Actually Different This Time

    Adam Howell launched Accomplice in 2021—one of the first generative AI design tools, before Midjourney or DALL-E 2. Now as Principal PM for AI at Versapay, he's seen both sides: building AI tools AND integrating them into real UX workflows. In this episode of UX Evolved, Adam breaks down what's actually different about the AI disruption versus the Web 2.0 and mobile shifts he lived through at JotSpot, Google, and InVision. Key Insights: Why UX barely existed as we know it in 2005 (and what that means for AI anxiety)The real difference between past tech disruptions and today's AI momentWhich UX skills have stayed valuable across 20 years of changeWhy junior UXers might be in a better spot than junior developers right nowWhat AI-first UX actually looks like in practice Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction03:15 - What UX meant in 2005 (spoiler: almost nothing like today)12:30 - Building through the Google/AJAX revolution22:45 - Creating Mocksup and the prototyping tool wars31:20 - Launching one of the first AI design tools43:10 - Why this disruption feels different52:40 - Skills that survive every tech shift58:30 - What UX looks like in 5 years About Adam Howell:Principal Product Manager for AI at Versapay | Former Google UX Designer (Gmail, Google Sites) | Co-founder of Mocksup (acquired by InVision) | Founder of Accomplice (early AI design tool) About UX Evolved:Long-form conversations with UX veterans navigating AI transformation. New episodes monthly exploring how our profession adapts and thrives.

    51 min

  6. SEASON 1, EPISODE 100 TRAILER

    UX Evolved Intro

    Every UX professional is asking the same question right now: Is AI going to evolve our craft, or replace it entirely? I'm Eric Ellis, and I've spent twenty years designing through every major technology shift—from static wireframes to AI-powered experiences. Here's what I know: UX was never just about the tools. It's about understanding human needs and translating them into experiences that actually work. UX Evolved brings you in-depth conversations with the veterans who've navigated disruption before. We're cutting through the AI hype to explore what really matters—how our profession adapts, what skills endure, and why human insight remains irreplaceable. This isn't about learning the latest AI tool. It's about understanding how to thrive as technology reshapes everything we thought we knew about design. UX is evolving, not dying. Let's figure out how together.

    2 min

Trailer

About

UX is evolving, not dying. Host Eric Ellis brings two decades of design leadership to conversations with UX veterans who've navigated everything from Web 2.0 to mobile to AI. These aren't tool tutorials or hot takes—they're strategic discussions about professional resilience and the irreplaceable human elements of design. New episodes monthly. Because the future of UX isn't about choosing between human and machine—it's about designing the fusion.

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