Episodios

  • Auditing Your UX Resources: Making the Most of What You Have

    Auditing Your UX Resources: Making the Most of What You Have
    May 22 2025

    In previous lessons, we've discussed aligning your UX role with organizational goals and understanding your current position. Today, let’s explore the tangible resources you already have. Many UX leaders instinctively request more people, budget, or time. While there’s a place for such requests (which we'll cover later), effective UX leadership begins by honestly recognizing what's achievable within your existing means.

    I understand this exercise might initially feel discouraging, particularly if resources are limited. But the goal here isn’t to uncover hidden opportunities immediately; rather, it’s about having a clear and honest appraisal of your current situation. This will enable you to set realistic expectations with senior leadership and articulate your needs more effectively.

    Budget: Understanding Your Current Limits

    Start by assessing your current budget honestly. Can you directly purchase tools, or do you always need approval? If you require approval, how supportive is your manager, and roughly how much per year can you typically spend without causing friction? Knowing your financial constraints and managerial support is essential for realistic planning.

    Tools and Software: Inventory and Optimize

    Clearly identify the tools already available to you, from user research platforms and design tools like Figma, to analytics platforms. Evaluate if you're spending effectively on these tools; could you reduce spending on applications you only occasionally use and reallocate that budget to areas of greater value? This clarity reveals immediate opportunities for optimization and highlights critical gaps.

    Staff and Support: Maximizing Existing Teams

    Next clearly understand what internal or external teams are already at your disposal. Make an honest assessment of their strengths and weaknesses, identifying how you can maximize the value of your current staff or partners. Consider how AI tools could augment your team's capabilities and improve efficiency, rather than immediately requesting additional headcount.

    Training: Leveraging Available Opportunities

    Evaluate existing opportunities for professional growth. Do you have current access to training, webinars, or coaching? Using these resources effectively will fill skill gaps without waiting for additional investment.

    Autonomy: Recognizing Your Current Influence

    Reflect honestly on your current autonomy. Do you have the authority to set policies relating to user experience? Do you get to decide and prioritize your own work? Can you influence broader approaches that teams use when developing products and services? Identifying the boundaries of your current influence helps you strategically expand it over time.

    Supporters: Leveraging Existing Relationships

    Identify your current supporters within the organization. Who already values UX? Building and nurturing these relationships is critical. Regularly engaging with your advocates, encouraging their support, and ensuring they see the positive impact of their involvement can significantly amplify your effectiveness, even with limited resources.

    Your Action Step

    Take 10 minutes today to jot down honest bullet points under these resource categories. Recognizing what you already have is crucial for practical planning. When you’re finished, reply to this email sharing one surprising strength or unexpected gap you uncovered. Your insights help me shape what we cover going forward.

    In the next email, we'll explore how to effectively present your findings to management. Don’t worry, we'll also revisit resources and influence later in the course, ensuring your strategy is as impactful as possible.
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    3 m
  • Baking UX into the DNA of Your Organization’s Strategy

    Baking UX into the DNA of Your Organization’s Strategy
    May 15 2025
    In the previous lesson, I asked you to take an initial look at your role, your resources, and your reach. Now, over the next three lessons, we're going to dive into those three areas in more detail, starting with your role and how it aligns with something much bigger: your organization's goals.Because if you want UX to be seen as more than a support function, you can’t define your role in isolation. You need to connect it to the outcomes your leadership team is already striving for.Why You Shouldn’t Ask for a Job DescriptionOne problem I often see is that UX practitioners implicitly wait for their manager to define their role. Maybe they don't directly ask "What should my role be?" but their behavior suggests they expect management to take the lead.The intention is good. The outcome usually isn’t.Most managers don’t have the time (or the context) to define your role in a meaningful way. They don’t know your full skill set. They don’t always understand UX deeply. And they’re juggling a dozen other priorities. So what do you get in return?Either something vague and generic. Or a polite but firm, “Just keep doing what you’re doing.”That’s not leadership. That’s maintenance.Instead of asking what your role should be, come to them with a proposal. Show that you’ve thought about where you can add the most value. Frame it in terms they care about. Make it easy for them to say yes.This isn't just a UX tip; it's a universal rule for working with leadership: never go to management with a problem unless you also bring a potential solution.The Secret Weapon: Your Organization’s StrategyEvery organization has a strategy document floating around somewhere. It might be a PowerPoint from the senior leadership team, a CEO memo, or a PDF in your company wiki that nobody’s opened since it was uploaded.Dig it out. Read it carefully.These documents are more than corporate fluff. They’re your map to influence.Inside, you’ll usually find the goals that matter most to leadership over the next 1 to 5 years. Things like:Reaching new customer segmentsIncreasing revenue per userImproving employee productivityStrengthening brand loyaltyReducing operational costsThese aren’t just executive priorities. They’re your starting points. Because when you tie UX to goals that are already considered urgent and important, people stop seeing your work as “nice to have.”Find the UX Angle in the Business GoalsTake each goal and ask yourself: How could UX contribute to this?You might be surprised how often the answer is “quite a lot.”For example:If the goal is to improve employee satisfaction, you might look at the internal tools staff use every day. Could they be more intuitive, faster, or less frustrating?If it’s about growing market share among Gen Z, consider whether your digital products align with their expectations around speed, personalization, or visual language.If leadership wants to reduce support costs, you could examine the onboarding experience, help content, or navigation to reduce friction and prevent confusion.Now, not every goal will have a clear UX application. You don’t need to force it. Your job here is to find the intersections—where user experience has a natural role to play in business success.Prioritize Where You Can Make the Most DifferenceOnce you’ve mapped out a few potential connections, it’s time to focus.Ask two questions:How important is this goal to the business right now?How much influence do I realistically have over it?Goals that rank high on both fronts should be your top priorities. That’s where you’ll have the best chance of delivering visible results and earning trust.Also, consider the feasibility. Some goals might be technically within your remit but would require fighting through years of legacy systems or organizational red tape. Save those for later. Start where you can move quickly and show value.Write It Up as a One-Page Role VisionWith your priorities in place, draft a simple one-page proposal. This doesn’t need to be formal or fancy. It just needs to show your thinking.Structure it like this:Your Understanding of Company Goals: A brief summary in your own words.Where UX Can Contribute: A few bullet points on how user experience can support each goal.Your Role: A description of how you propose to spend your time and focus your energy.Next Steps: What you’d like to do next, and any input or validation you’re seeking from your manager.Here's a simplified example focusing on just one goal (you'll want to do this exercise for each relevant business objective):Company Goal: Increase first-year customer retention by 15%. UX Contribution: Redesign the onboarding experience, improve clarity of initial comms, run usability testing on account setup. My Role: Lead a cross-functional initiative to streamline onboarding and reduce user drop-off within the first 30 days. Next Step: Kick off initial discovery sessions with Customer Support and ...
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    6 m
  • Before We Charge Ahead, Let’s See Where We’re Standing

    Before We Charge Ahead, Let’s See Where We’re Standing
    May 8 2025
    Hi there,In Lesson 1 we travelled from Roman amphitheaters to modern apps and saw that user experience is not what many consider it to be and needs repositioning. In Lesson 2 I asked whether you’re ready to lead that charge inside your organization. Today we roll up our sleeves and start that journey.The UX Maturity SpectrumOrganizations vary widely in their approach to UX. Some have established teams but treat UX as mere window dressing - "make it pretty". Others offload random tasks onto designers or forget UX exists until something breaks.Then there are companies just starting out, wondering how to even begin thinking about user experience.Whether you're trying to elevate an existing UX function or build one from scratch, there's work to be done.Why Start With An AuditI've seen many well-meaning UX champions charge into organizations like bulls in a china shop, alienating stakeholders with grandiose visions and unrealistic demands.So, before diving into any repositioning or new initiatives, we need an honest snapshot of where things stand. An audit is crucial because it:Ensures any vision or strategy we develop is grounded in reality, not wishful thinkingIdentifies hidden strengths and opportunities we might otherwise missReveals potential roadblocks before they derail our effortsHelps build a compelling case for changeThree Key Areas to AssessTo get a clear picture of where your organization stands with UX, we need to examine three critical areas:Role and PerceptionStart by understanding the gap between current expectations and potential. What does your organization believe UX should deliver? How does this compare to your vision for UX's role? Remember to focus on organizational goals - UX isn't just about improving user experience, it's about driving business outcomes.Available ResourcesInstead of dwelling on what's missing, take stock of what you already have. This includes your current budget, tools, level of autonomy, available time, and potential allies. Being realistic about your resources helps build achievable plans.Points of InfluenceMap out where you can already make an impact. Which decision-makers trust your judgment? What policies or assets fall under your influence? Understanding your sphere of influence helps identify where you can start making changes.Approach this assessment like a detective gathering evidence - quietly and methodically. Hold off on big presentations or headcount discussions for now. This groundwork will ensure that when we develop our strategy, it's both ambitious and achievable from where we're starting.Start Where You AreI know that right now you might be thinking "That's all well and good Paul, but I don't have the authority to make any real changes." I hear you. The idea of auditing and reshaping UX's role might feel impossible given your current position or organizational constraints.But don't let that stop you from this initial assessment. We'll tackle the "how to sell it" part in future lessons. For now, just focus on understanding where things stand - both the challenges and opportunities. This groundwork will prove invaluable when we get to implementing change.Agency & Freelancer NoteIf you run an agency or work as a freelancer, you might think this audit process doesn't apply to you. But it absolutely does - just from a different angle.Consider these three areas from your business perspective:Role and PerceptionHow do your clients typically view UX services? Are you seen as "the design people" or trusted strategic partners? Understanding this gap between current perception and your vision helps shape how you position your services and educate clients.Available ResourcesTake stock of your UX capabilities. This includes your team's expertise, case studies, methodologies, tools, and processes. What makes your approach unique? Where might you need to strengthen your offering?Points of InfluenceWhich clients already trust your strategic input? Where have you successfully shaped a client's approach to UX? These relationships and success stories become powerful tools for influencing future clients and expanding your impact.This audit helps you identify where to focus your business development efforts and how to better position your UX services. It might reveal opportunities to expand your offering or highlight areas where you need to better communicate your value.Your TurnGrab a sheet of paper (or your notes app) and jot down three columns headed Role, Resources, Leverage. Spend ten minutes filling each one with bullet points. Aim for brutal honesty. When you’re done, reply to this email and tell me one surprise you uncovered. I read every response and they shape the next lessons.In the next email we'll start with the first of the three parts in our audit. We will explore how to redefine UX's role to focus on business outcomes rather than just user needs. For now, let's get clear on where we stand.Talk soon,Paul
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    4 m
  • Are You Ready to Become a UX leader?

    Are You Ready to Become a UX leader?
    May 1 2025
    Understanding Where You FitIf you're reading this, chances are you're passionate about user experience. But maybe UX isn't actually in your job title. Perhaps you're a marketer, project manager, developer, copywriter, or business analyst who deeply cares about making your products better for users. Or you might be a UX designer or researcher feeling stuck, constantly frustrated trying to advocate for UX in your organization.The reality is that organizations exist at different levels of UX maturity. Some don't value UX at all, others merely pay lip service to it, and many have good intentions but lack a clear strategic direction. Regardless of your exact title or background, what unites us is our shared goal to see UX truly valued and elevated.I've met countless individuals from diverse roles who desperately want to push UX forward, yet feel they're swimming against the current. If this sounds familiar, know you're not alone.UX Leadership Isn't for Everyone (and That's Okay)Let's be honest, UX leadership and strategy aren't for everyone. Many UX designers feel pressure to transition into leadership roles simply to advance their careers, only to find themselves bogged down by endless meetings, organizational politics, and little-to-no time spent on actual design.The truth is, UX leadership isn't about spending more time in Figma or user testing sessions. It's about navigating internal politics, setting strategic directions, and managing upwards, not just downwards. It demands patience, persistence, and the ability to influence and collaborate across departments. It's a marathon, not a sprint.That's not everyone's cup of tea—and that's perfectly fine. There are plenty of alternative paths for growth in UX, whether it's specializing in fintech UX, conversational UX, hybrid roles like UX and Design Ops, or even diving deeper into product-focused UX.Why Choose UX Leadership?But let's say you do feel drawn to leadership. Why step up into this challenging, yet rewarding role?Firstly, you'll gain wider-reaching influence, shaping not just individual designs but your entire organization's approach to user experience. This broader impact can be deeply fulfilling, especially if you're driven by a genuine passion for user-centered design.Secondly, stepping into UX leadership future-proofs your career in an era increasingly influenced by AI. While tactical design tasks might eventually be automated, strategic leadership and decision-making roles will remain secure for years to come.A Special Note for Agency Owners and FreelancersIf you run an agency or work as a freelancer, you might be wondering how UX leadership applies to you. Whether you're currently focused on UI design, web development, or other services, there's a valuable opportunity to evolve into a more strategic advisory role with your clients.By positioning yourself as a UX leader and strategic consultant, you can command higher rates and break free from the typical constraints of project-based work. Instead of simply executing clients' requests, you can help shape their organizational approach to user experience at a fundamental level.This transition isn't easy—it requires building new relationships, developing different skills, and potentially stepping away from the hands-on work you love. But if you're willing to make this journey, it can transform your business. I know this firsthand, as it's the foundation upon which I built my own consultancy.Myths About UX LeadershipThere's a lot of misunderstanding about what UX leadership truly entails. Let's bust a few myths:Myth #1: It's All About the UserMany assume UX leaders exist solely to champion the user's needs. While advocating for users is essential, your primary goal as a UX leader is to drive business value through improved user experiences. If it were only about users, we'd simply give products away for free. That would be great for users, not so great for business.UX leadership connects user needs to clear business outcomes, like increased lifetime value, customer retention, and higher average order values.Myth #2: UX Leadership is Mostly Team ManagementAlthough managing your team matters, your core role involves managing upwards, setting strategic direction, influencing stakeholders, and advocating for user-centered change at an organizational level. Your focus should be strategic, not purely operational.Myth #3: You Need a Fancy TitleYou don't need the official title of UX Leader or Head of Design to lead effectively. Whether you're a developer, marketer, or business analyst, if you're advocating for better UX practices, influencing change, and shaping how your organization thinks about users, you're already acting as a UX leader.Defining Your Role as a UX leaderSo, what exactly does being a UX leader mean?In my experience, it's about five key things:Advocating for Users: Keeping user needs at the forefront.Strategic Facilitation: Guiding and shaping UX vision across the organization.Acting...
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    6 m
  • From Amphitheaters to Apps: The Evolution of User Experience

    From Amphitheaters to Apps: The Evolution of User Experience
    Apr 24 2025
    From Amphitheaters to Apps: The Evolution of User ExperienceLong before we had screens, scroll wheels, or skeuomorphism, we were already wrestling with what it meant to design for humans.Take the Roman Colosseum, for example.Built nearly two thousand years ago, this wasn’t just a feat of architecture—it was a carefully orchestrated user experience. The Romans didn’t just think about how to build it. They thought about how people would use it.They designed for easy access, with a ticketing system based on numbered entrances and a layout that could empty 50,000 spectators in under 15 minutes. The acoustics were finely tuned so the roar of the crowd carried across the arena, and shaded awnings (the velarium) helped protect people from the sun. Every detail was intentional.It was, in many ways, a masterclass in UX before UX had a name.UX Has Always Been About PeopleWe like to think of UX as a digital thing. But humans have been designing with users in mind since the first tool was shaped to fit a hand. Egyptian sickles curved to match the arc of an arm. Greek amphitheaters optimized for sightlines and sound. Roman roads were engineered for ease of maintenance—because someone had to clean them, after all.These weren’t just technical solutions. They were people-first designs.Even medieval cathedrals were built with experiential thinking. Architects considered the way light would filter through stained glass at different times of day. The experience of awe wasn't accidental.And while we’ll skip ahead now (you didn’t pick up this book for a lecture on Mesopotamian farming tools), it’s worth acknowledging this simple truth:UX isn’t new. Only the term is.The Digital ShiftThings changed in the mid-20th century. The rise of aviation and computing forced us to formalize our approach to usability. Mistakes became expensive—or fatal. So, human factors engineering emerged. We studied how people interacted with complex systems and tried to design those systems to be safer and more intuitive.It started in cockpits. Aircraft instrumentation had to be easy to read and understand under pressure. This wasn't about making things pretty. It was about saving lives. That pragmatic approach to human-centred design later shaped everything from microwave interfaces to early computer systems.Fast forward to the 1980s, and computing hit the mainstream.That’s when things really took off.At Xerox PARC, researchers introduced the first graphical user interface. Apple took it further with the Macintosh, turning computing from a tool for specialists into something everyone could use. Suddenly, usability wasn’t just a nice-to-have. It was a competitive advantage. And in 1993, Don Norman, while working at Apple, coined the term "User Experience."“I invented the term because I thought human interface and usability were too narrow.” — Don NormanThat moment matters. Because what Norman was arguing for was a broader view of design. Not just the screen. Not just the features. But the entire experience—from the first moment someone hears about a product to the support they receive after using it.“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.” — Don Norman and Jakob NielsenIn other words, UX was never meant to be confined to wireframes and user flows. It was meant to be everything.UX Gets StrategicBy the early 2000s, UX had a seat at the table—albeit a wobbly one. Jesse James Garrett released The Elements of User Experience in 2002, which became a cornerstone for the field.Garrett didn’t just break UX down into layers—strategy, scope, structure, skeleton, and surface—he emphasized that it all starts with strategy. Before we push pixels or run tests, we need to understand user needs and business goals.That idea changed things.We weren’t just designing interfaces. We were shaping how people experienced products, services, and even entire brands. UX wasn’t just implementation. It was about shaping products from the very beginning, not just making tweaks at the end.And as agile methods took over, UX adapted again. We embraced faster feedback loops, closer collaboration, and more iterative design. We moved from long documentation to quick prototypes. From abstract personas to real user insight.By the 2010s, UX had grown up.Design thinking gained traction. Suddenly, UX was sharing the spotlight with business strategy. Service design entered the conversation. We weren’t just designing digital tools—we were solving human problems, often in messy, non-linear ways.UX vs. Everything ElseAs UX matured, we saw these disciplines emerge from within it. Our understanding of UX broadened, leading to specialization in areas like UI design, product design, service design, DesignOps, and even extending into marketing and customer experience.So let’s clear things up a bit:UI Design is about what the user sees and interacts with. Think ...
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    11 m
  • UX Leadership and Strategy: A New Direction

    UX Leadership and Strategy: A New Direction
    Apr 17 2025
    If LinkedIn is to be believed UX design is a hot mess right now. People are regularly announcing that death of UX, complaining they cannot get jobs and entire companies are abandoning the term UX for product design. Not to mention the fact that AI will supposedly be replacing us all. If you care at all about improving the user experience, this will no doubt feel concerning. It certainly shocked me when I first saw the sheer number of doom and gloom comments.The Real State Of UXBut the more I looked into this the more I realized that this does not represent the reality. In fact the World Economic Forum believe that the UX profession will be one of the fastest growing roles over the next five years. They also identify deep human insight, strategic thinking, and leadership as key skills, all of which are inherent in the roll of UX.So where does this disparity between online sentiment and economic predictions come from? The problem lies in how people choose to define user experience design, and the fact that many fundamentally misunderstand the breadth and depth of the discipline.Many Misunderstand UXFor many, UX design has been largely synonymous with UI design. Sure, a UX designer might spend more time conducting user research and testing, but their primary deliverable is still a user interface.When you have this view of UX it is fair to say that things are dramatically changing at the moment.AI is fundamentally changing the nature of how we interact with technology and we may well see less interactions happen through a traditional user interface.There is a growing number of designers working on products these days and so adopting the title product designer instead makes sense.Add to this the fact that the market is over saturated with bootcamp graduates and it is not surprising that there is a feeling that UX is on the decline.But this really only look at a fraction of the user experience.Jared Spool put it well when he compared it to catering. He says it is like we are seeing a decline in demand for burgers and too many cooks who flip burgers. These burger flippers are worried, but instead of saying that burgers are in decline they are concluding people don’t eat out anymore. They are suggesting all restaurants are in trouble, not just burger joints.UX Strategy is the FutureI believe UX design, in its broadest sense, is more in demand than ever before. But it's not just about tactics - it's about strategy. The work goes beyond making Figma files and user interfaces. Instead, it focuses on how organizations work, their culture, how they communicate, and all the ways people interact with them. The user interface is just a small piece of this bigger picture.We Need a New Generation of UX ChampionsThe trouble is few are equipped to fulfill this role. Bootcamps certainly don’t teach it and many of those who find themselves in UX leadership roles have been given no training.To change how people see and value UX, we need new generation of leaders. These leaders must know what UX really encompasses and how to make positive changes in their organizations.I Want To Help You And UX EvolveWith all this in mind, I am relaunching my newsletter with a focus on UX strategy and leadership. After working in this field for 30 years and with things as they stand today, I feel this is the perfect time to share what I've learned.My hope is that I can give back to the community and maybe shape the future of UX to be about more than UI design. Realistically I am now in the latter part of my career and so my desire is to help the next generation of UX leaders and advocates.In each issue I am going to take you step-by-step through what true UX looks like and how to impact the entire user experience, not just the user interface.Ultimately the plan is to bring all of this together into a book. However, until then you can subscribe and join me on the journey. You can also signup at anytime in the future and take the email course from the beginning so you don’t miss out on what I have covered to that point.My intention is to write this for anybody who cares about the user experience, not just user experience designers. As you will quickly discover, I believe that UX is an organization wide responsibility and that we all impact the experience whatever our role. But, I also want to help UX designers who want to do more than work on interfaces and move into leadership roles.I am hoping you will join me for this journey. For me this is a passion project and an attempt to finally ensure user experience gets the respect it deserves. However, that is only going to work if people like you join me.So, if that sounds good, you can subscribe below today.
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    3 m
  • Are Synthetic Personas Smart UX—or Just Clever Illusions?

    Are Synthetic Personas Smart UX—or Just Clever Illusions?
    Apr 3 2025
    Hello all.I admit, I didn't expect much. In fact, I was fully prepared to dismiss it as just another AI gimmick—a shiny distraction from real user research. But after experimenting with using AI-generated personas (or "synthetic personas," as they're being called), I found myself in a strange new territory: genuinely impressed.If you're skeptical, trust me—I get it. Personas traditionally demand significant legwork: user interviews, surveys, digging into analytics. Cutting corners here can feel uncomfortable, even reckless. Yet, despite my reservations, the AI method delivered insights deeper and richer than I'd anticipated.But let's slow down for a second. What exactly am I talking about?How AI Generates Synthetic PersonasThe method is straightforward:First, you prompt AI to do deep research into your target audience online. You ask it to dig into questions your users might have, tasks they're trying to accomplish, their emotional state, influences shaping their perception, and so on.Next, you instruct it to distill this mass of data into clear, structured personas. No manual research needed—no lengthy user interviews, no distributing surveys, and definitely no trawling through endless analytics reports.On paper, this is a dream. But it also feels a bit... risky, doesn't it? After all, aren't we skipping the very essence of UX: truly understanding real people?That's exactly why I approached it cautiously.Unexpected Discoveries from AI PersonasHere's what surprised me though—while the AI didn't independently generate personas I hadn't considered, it asked incredibly insightful questions about my target audience that prompted me to explore additional user segments. As we discussed each potential persona, it suggested ways to add more depth and nuance to my initial ideas.During a recent client project, this questioning approach led me to expand beyond my basic buyer personas. The AI's prompts helped me flesh out variations I might have glossed over—like the specific concerns of nervous first-time buyers. Because creating additional personas was so effortless, I ended up developing a much richer, more nuanced set of user profiles than I'd originally planned.In short, I got a more detailed picture of my users—and it took just a fraction of the usual research time.So, Should We Trust Synthetic Personas?Here's the honest answer: not entirely.AI is scouring web data, but it's doing so without human empathy, intuition, or nuance. It's excellent at synthesizing vast amounts of data but struggles with subtleties like hidden motivations or evolving emotional contexts.Still, as a starting point, it's impressive. Think of synthetic personas as a sophisticated first draft, but still in need of human validation to avoid slipping into clever illusions.Synthetic Personas Must Be ValidatedPeople don't always express their true needs and desires online. What appears in digital spaces is just a fraction of human experience. This limitation becomes even more pronounced when dealing with niche products or services - there simply might not be enough relevant online data for AI to generate meaningful personas. Without sufficient training data, these synthetic personas risk becoming oversimplified or misaligned with actual user needs.That's why validation becomes crucial. One of the most effective ways to ensure your synthetic personas reflect reality is to share them with actual end users for feedback. Do these AI-generated profiles genuinely represent their experiences? If not, how do they differ? This real-world validation can highlight gaps or misconceptions in the synthetic personas while providing valuable additional insights.Even if direct access to end users proves challenging, there's still room for validation. Internal stakeholders who regularly interact with your target audience—such as customer service representatives, sales teams, or account managers—can provide valuable feedback on how well these synthetic personas align with their day-to-day observations of real users. Their practical experience can help refine and ground these AI-generated profiles in reality.Don't Lose Touch with Real UsersThere's another critical downside: synthetic personas create a barrier between you and your users. One of the most rewarding aspects of UX is direct interaction with real people. Face-to-face conversations, interviews, and observational research not only give you authentic insights but also help you build genuine empathy.When you rely solely on AI-generated personas, you miss out on that human connection. Your understanding becomes theoretical rather than experiential. This lack of direct interaction can subtly but significantly impact your ability to truly empathize with users' genuine struggles, needs, and aspirations.In short, synthetic personas shouldn't replace direct conversations—they should complement them.My Verdict: Useful, With CautionSo, where do I land on this?I believe synthetic personas have ...
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    6 m
  • Are You Obsessed With Usability?

    Are You Obsessed With Usability?
    Mar 13 2025

    I bet that subject line made you think this email was going to be about the importance of focusing on usability. But actually, we shouldn't be.

    Too many UX designers I meet are obsessed with making things as seamless and streamlined as possible. That’s great—up to a point. But usability isn't our entire job. In fact, focusing too much on usability can make an experience feel sterile, even soulless.

    Let’s take a slot machine as an example. If you handed a slot machine over to the average UX designer, they’d probably strip it down to its most minimal form: no flashing lights, no spinning reels—just a plain screen that instantly tells you if you won or lost. Maybe it wouldn’t even require you to press a button! It could just detect when you put in money and deliver the result instantly.

    And yet, we all know that’s not how slot machines work. Because they’re not just about usability. They’re about anticipation, excitement, and emotional engagement. The flashing lights, the spinning reels, the suspense—they all play a crucial role in making the experience what it is.

    Learning from Customer Experience Professionals

    This is where UX designers can learn a lot from customer experience (CX) professionals, especially those who design offline experiences. They understand that the way people feel about an experience matters just as much—if not more—than how easy it is to use.

    In fact, this is why I often think of myself as a Customer Experience professional rather than a UX designer. I've found that embracing the broader CX perspective allows me to consider the entire customer journey, including offline touchpoints and the entirety of the experience, rather than fixating solely on digital usability.

    CX professionals measure things like brand perception and emotional engagement. They think about how an experience builds loyalty. And just like them, we need to work alongside marketers, sales teams, and customer support to align our designs with broader business goals—not just usability scores.

    Beyond Usability Metrics

    If we only measure usability, we miss the bigger picture. Instead of just tracking usability testing results, we should be looking at Net Promoter Scores (NPS), customer service feedback, and online sentiment analysis. AI has made it easier than ever to analyze reviews, support tickets, and social media comments to see not just what users find easy, but how they actually feel about their interactions with a product.

    A Restaurant Is More Than Just Food

    Think about a restaurant. From a usability perspective, as long as you get seated quickly, can order easily, and receive food that meets your nutritional needs, the job is done. But we all know that’s not what makes a restaurant great.

    The ambiance, the presentation, the service, the flavors—these are the things that turn a meal into an experience worth remembering. UX is no different. If we focus solely on making things usable, we risk creating experiences that are efficient but forgettable.

    So, let’s stop designing slot machines that just say “win” or “lose” and start crafting experiences that truly engage people. Because usability alone isn’t enough—it’s how we make people feel that ultimately matters.
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    3 m
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