Insights Unlocked UserTesting

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.

In this Insights Unlocked episode, UserTesting’s CEO Andy MacMillan talks with Chris Messina, co-founder of the Ride Home AI Fund. They discuss AI’s rapid integration into our lives; ways in which AI will revolutionize work; the key elements of a successful product today; as well as Chris’s investment strategy for AI startups.

In this Insights Unlocked episode, Lawrence Williams talks with Dawn Procopio, founder and principal UX researcher at AI-Ethicist.com. They explore the critical role of UX researchers in ensuring that machine learning models are human-centered and ethically sound.