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The Voice of User
Weekly-ish essays on user research, methods, and the state of the field.

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Synthetic Users Are Influencing Your Design Decisions. New Research Says They're Right About as Often as a Coin Flip.

Synthetic Users Are Influencing Your Design Decisions. New Research Says They're Right About as Often as a Coin Flip.

Some Thoughts on Always-On Participant Access

Some Thoughts on Always-On Participant Access

Engineering Speed Is Not Going to Plateau. Your Research Model Is Priced On the Belief That It Will.

Engineering Speed Is Not Going to Plateau. Your Research Model Is Priced On the Belief That It Will.

The Book Is Out. You Sent It to Number One! Thank you ❤️

The Book Is Out. You Sent It to Number One! Thank you ❤️

UXR, Market Research, and Data Science Walk Into a Reorg, or: Why Your Job Title Has About Three Years Left

UXR, Market Research, and Data Science Walk Into a Reorg, or: Why Your Job Title Has About Three Years Left

AI Writes "Good" Questions Now. That Isn't the Problem.

AI Writes "Good" Questions Now. That Isn't the Problem.

Finding the Job Is Harder Than Doing It. So I Made a UXR-Only Job Board.

Finding the Job Is Harder Than Doing It. So I Made a UXR-Only Job Board.

Friction Is One of the Safeguards AI Removed

Friction Is One of the Safeguards AI Removed

So You Think You Can Run a UXR Function?

So You Think You Can Run a UXR Function?

What’s the Future for UXR? Here's what My Crystal Ball Says

What’s the Future for UXR? Here's what My Crystal Ball Says

So You Want to Build Digital Twins/Synthetic Users From Your Own Data? Here’s the In-House Blueprint

So You Want to Build Digital Twins/Synthetic Users From Your Own Data? Here’s the In-House Blueprint

Anchoring Effects in Self-Reported Experience Ratings: A Proposed AI-forward Calibration Instrument for CSAT

Anchoring Effects in Self-Reported Experience Ratings: A Proposed AI-forward Calibration Instrument for CSAT

Some Thoughts on Studying Agentic Systems: The Hard Part Is Invisible

Some Thoughts on Studying Agentic Systems: The Hard Part Is Invisible

The Six Signs Your UXR Team Is Actually Healthy

The Six Signs Your UXR Team Is Actually Healthy

Question: Why Do UXR Teams Need Hundreds of AI Interviews a Week?

Question: Why Do UXR Teams Need Hundreds of AI Interviews a Week?

The Same Study Is Not Worth the Same Everywhere: Evidence Has an Exchange Rate

The Same Study Is Not Worth the Same Everywhere: Evidence Has an Exchange Rate

PSA: This Is a Blog

PSA: This Is a Blog

The Factorization of UXR: The K-shaped Divide Underneath Modern Research Work

The Factorization of UXR: The K-shaped Divide Underneath Modern Research Work

Pure Qual Is Cooked. The Market Did Not Ask How You Feel About It.

Pure Qual Is Cooked. The Market Did Not Ask How You Feel About It.

LSE Tested AI-Led Interviews. This Is the Strongest Empirical Case for AI-Moderated Research Yet.

LSE Tested AI-Led Interviews. This Is the Strongest Empirical Case for AI-Moderated Research Yet.

Unpopular Opinion: The UXR Panel Presentation in Interviews Is a Performance, Not an Assessment

Unpopular Opinion: The UXR Panel Presentation in Interviews Is a Performance, Not an Assessment

Stanford and Columbia Tested User Digital Twins Against Real Survey and Interview Data. They Found the Same Thing. They Kinda Work (with a lot of caveats).

Stanford and Columbia Tested User Digital Twins Against Real Survey and Interview Data. They Found the Same Thing. They Kinda Work (with a lot of caveats).

UXR Is Not One Profession. It Never Was. That's Now a Problem.

UXR Is Not One Profession. It Never Was. That's Now a Problem.

Question: Is Junior UXR Worth It Anymore?

Question: Is Junior UXR Worth It Anymore?

The Strategic Case for UXR as an Intelligence Function

The Strategic Case for UXR as an Intelligence Function

The Readout Is an Event. Knowledge Is a State.

The Readout Is an Event. Knowledge Is a State.

Vibecoded to Hell: The Tools Nobody Asked For, Nobody Maintains, and Nobody Can Turn Off

Vibecoded to Hell: The Tools Nobody Asked For, Nobody Maintains, and Nobody Can Turn Off

What Is AI Brain Fry Doing to UXR Researchers?

What Is AI Brain Fry Doing to UXR Researchers?

Some Thoughts on Vague Language, Plausible Deniability, and the Interpretive Layer UXR Refuses to Own (And Two Ideas That Might Help: The Delta and Vibedesigning)

Some Thoughts on Vague Language, Plausible Deniability, and the Interpretive Layer UXR Refuses to Own (And Two Ideas That Might Help: The Delta and Vibedesigning)

The UXR Academia-to-Industry Transition: What Nobody Covers

The UXR Academia-to-Industry Transition: What Nobody Covers

Synthetic Users Are Dead. Long Live "Survey Prediction." Same LLM. Same Problem.

Synthetic Users Are Dead. Long Live "Survey Prediction." Same LLM. Same Problem.

I Was Wrong About Synthetic Participants

I Was Wrong About Synthetic Participants

Stale Data, Confident Decisions. The Case for Research Expiration Dates.

Stale Data, Confident Decisions. The Case for Research Expiration Dates.

The Largest Review of Synthetic Participants Ever Conducted Found Exactly What You'd Expect. Synthetic Users Don't Work.

The Largest Review of Synthetic Participants Ever Conducted Found Exactly What You'd Expect. Synthetic Users Don't Work.

Most UXR Teams Do Not Mature. They Accumulate

Most UXR Teams Do Not Mature. They Accumulate

The Dev Orgs Are Restructuring Around AI. What Does This Mean for UXR?

The Dev Orgs Are Restructuring Around AI. What Does This Mean for UXR?

The Reason AI Is Not Delivering Is Not the Tools. It's Everything Around Them. And Research Is No Exception.

The Reason AI Is Not Delivering Is Not the Tools. It's Everything Around Them. And Research Is No Exception.

AI-moderated Research is a Modality Now. Stop Arguing About What to Call It. It Doesn't Need Your Approval. It Needs a Framework.

AI-moderated Research is a Modality Now. Stop Arguing About What to Call It. It Doesn't Need Your Approval. It Needs a Framework.

On the Concept of the "Frame": A Definition and Some Thoughts on Operationalization

On the Concept of the "Frame": A Definition and Some Thoughts on Operationalization

Question: Is Aaru actually proving that synthetic research can predict human behavior and replace real user research?

Question: Is Aaru actually proving that synthetic research can predict human behavior and replace real user research?

AI-Enabled UXR Teams Are Not Just Faster Old Teams

AI-Enabled UXR Teams Are Not Just Faster Old Teams

The Best Argument Against Synthetic Users Came From Anthropic's Alignment Team. (They Didn't Mean To)

The Best Argument Against Synthetic Users Came From Anthropic's Alignment Team. (They Didn't Mean To)

Your Research Repository Doesn't Work. You Just Don't Want to Admit It Yet.

Your Research Repository Doesn't Work. You Just Don't Want to Admit It Yet.

Some Thoughts on Vibecoding for UXR: Improving Project Execution Workflow with Disposable Microtools

Some Thoughts on Vibecoding for UXR: Improving Project Execution Workflow with Disposable Microtools

Question: Why does everyone deep in AI sound completely unhinged?

Question: Why does everyone deep in AI sound completely unhinged?

Towards an AI Maturity Ladder for UXR Teams

Towards an AI Maturity Ladder for UXR Teams

419 Researchers Tried to Ban AI from Qual. A CEO responded. Here's What Everyone Is Missing.

419 Researchers Tried to Ban AI from Qual. A CEO responded. Here's What Everyone Is Missing.

Feedback Without Being an Ass: The UXR Skill Nobody Trains

Feedback Without Being an Ass: The UXR Skill Nobody Trains

The Number One Thing That Gets You Hired in UXR is Networking (Not Your Resume)

The Number One Thing That Gets You Hired in UXR is Networking (Not Your Resume)

Question: Can I Put Numbers on My UXR Resume If I Do Not Have Numbers?

Question: Can I Put Numbers on My UXR Resume If I Do Not Have Numbers?

Some Thoughts on AI Tooling for UXR: The Rise of Micro Research?

Some Thoughts on AI Tooling for UXR: The Rise of Micro Research?

Research Velocity Is Mostly Ops Maturity (And Other Uncomfortable Truths)

Research Velocity Is Mostly Ops Maturity (And Other Uncomfortable Truths)

How to Do UXR in a Domain You Barely Understand

How to Do UXR in a Domain You Barely Understand

Question: Who Actually Wants/Buys Synthetic Users/AI personae?

Question: Who Actually Wants/Buys Synthetic Users/AI personae?

Why the Most Interesting Behavioral Methods Do Not Survive Modern UXR: You Will Not Ship Your Markov Chain Project

Why the Most Interesting Behavioral Methods Do Not Survive Modern UXR: You Will Not Ship Your Markov Chain Project

Anthropic Interviewer and (other AI Interviewers) Will Split Organizations in Two

Anthropic Interviewer and (other AI Interviewers) Will Split Organizations in Two

The Bots Are Coming for Your Surveys (And They're Smart!)

The Bots Are Coming for Your Surveys (And They're Smart!)

When the Pipeline Becomes the Problem: H-1B, Outsourcing, and the Politics of Tech Labor (Subscriber Only Post)

When the Pipeline Becomes the Problem: H-1B, Outsourcing, and the Politics of Tech Labor (Subscriber Only Post)

Working Under the Fear of Layoffs: How chronic insecurity rewires teams, dulls creativity, and erodes trust

Working Under the Fear of Layoffs: How chronic insecurity rewires teams, dulls creativity, and erodes trust

How to Level Up Qual in UXR (Without Getting Lost in Academic Theory)

How to Level Up Qual in UXR (Without Getting Lost in Academic Theory)

A Self-Reflection Framework for UX Researchers (Especially During Performance Review Season)

A Self-Reflection Framework for UX Researchers (Especially During Performance Review Season)

Google Cloud’s Cuts And The Bigger Story: Why UXR Roles Are Disappearing

Google Cloud’s Cuts And The Bigger Story: Why UXR Roles Are Disappearing

How to Start Quant in UXR (Without Getting Lost in the Math)

How to Start Quant in UXR (Without Getting Lost in the Math)

From Theory to Practice: Making Minimum Viable Rigor Work for Real Teams

From Theory to Practice: Making Minimum Viable Rigor Work for Real Teams

Your Team's Not Research-Literate? That's Your Problem Too

Your Team's Not Research-Literate? That's Your Problem Too

What Makes Someone an Expert in UX Research? (Hint: It's Not Just Methods)

What Makes Someone an Expert in UX Research? (Hint: It's Not Just Methods)

UX Research is Not Therapy. But Sometimes It Should Be.

UX Research is Not Therapy. But Sometimes It Should Be.

You’re Not an AI Expert: 5 Myths That Give You Away

You’re Not an AI Expert: 5 Myths That Give You Away

The Value of UXR Isn't Dead. But Your Assumptions Might Be

The Value of UXR Isn't Dead. But Your Assumptions Might Be

Your UXR Edge? It’s Not AI tools. It’s You🫵❤️

Your UXR Edge? It’s Not AI tools. It’s You🫵❤️

Stop Calling It a Roadmap. It’s Just a To-Do List (Until You Tell a Better Story)

Stop Calling It a Roadmap. It’s Just a To-Do List (Until You Tell a Better Story)

Synthetic Personas, Stochastic Theater: Why LLM Outputs Aren't Qualitative Insight

Synthetic Personas, Stochastic Theater: Why LLM Outputs Aren't Qualitative Insight

Everyone's a UX Researcher Now: How Your Entire Company Stole Your Job and Does It Worse

Everyone's a UX Researcher Now: How Your Entire Company Stole Your Job and Does It Worse

What I Got Wrong About the Six Forces Killing UXR Article (And the Deeper Truth I Found in Your DMs)

What I Got Wrong About the Six Forces Killing UXR Article (And the Deeper Truth I Found in Your DMs)

Six Forces Strangling UX Research (And Why the Job Market is a Bloodbath)

Six Forces Strangling UX Research (And Why the Job Market is a Bloodbath)

The UXR Survival Guide: 7 Types of Research Gaslighting (And How to Counter with Evidence-Based Sass)

The UXR Survival Guide: 7 Types of Research Gaslighting (And How to Counter with Evidence-Based Sass)

Quantum UXR Diplomacy: Translating Across the Multiverse of Stakeholders

Quantum UXR Diplomacy: Translating Across the Multiverse of Stakeholders

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 3: How AI is Collapsing the Old Field and Forcing a New One to Emerge

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 3: How AI is Collapsing the Old Field and Forcing a New One to Emerge

Tradition Is Just Peer Pressure from Dead People: Why Your UX Process Needs an Exorcism

Tradition Is Just Peer Pressure from Dead People: Why Your UX Process Needs an Exorcism

The No-BS Trust and Safety UX Research Playbook

The No-BS Trust and Safety UX Research Playbook

The UX Research Coach Scam: When Failure Became a Business Model

The UX Research Coach Scam: When Failure Became a Business Model

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 2: Qualitative Research, Now with 0% Human Contact and 100% Synthetic Empathy

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 2: Qualitative Research, Now with 0% Human Contact and 100% Synthetic Empathy

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 1: Quantitative Research, Now With 87% More Bullsh*t

UXR in the Age of AI — Part 1: Quantitative Research, Now With 87% More Bullsh*t

A Comprehensive Guide to Cosmic Segmentation and Astrology-Driven UX Insights

A Comprehensive Guide to Cosmic Segmentation and Astrology-Driven UX Insights

Stop Measuring BS: The Feedback Revolution Your Product Team Actually Needs

Stop Measuring BS: The Feedback Revolution Your Product Team Actually Needs

You’re Not IDEO in 2004. Stop Saying Design Thinking Before I Slap a Sticky Note on Your Forehead

You’re Not IDEO in 2004. Stop Saying Design Thinking Before I Slap a Sticky Note on Your Forehead

Measuring Research ROI: The One Metric to Rule Them All (Just Kidding—It’s Chaos)

Measuring Research ROI: The One Metric to Rule Them All (Just Kidding—It’s Chaos)

BREAKING: SliceMR and Op4G Indicted for $10 Million Survey Fraud that Shocked Absolutely No One

BREAKING: SliceMR and Op4G Indicted for $10 Million Survey Fraud that Shocked Absolutely No One

The Art of Research Storytelling: Tips for researchers presenting insights to PMs, designers, VPs, engineers, and other species of distracted stakeholders

The Art of Research Storytelling: Tips for researchers presenting insights to PMs, designers, VPs, engineers, and other species of distracted stakeholders

You worked at Big Tech. We get it. A Rant About the People Who Can’t Shut Up About Their Big Tech Past

You worked at Big Tech. We get it. A Rant About the People Who Can’t Shut Up About Their Big Tech Past

The 10 Habits of Highly Ineffective UX Teams

The 10 Habits of Highly Ineffective UX Teams

UXR Needs a Seat at the AI Table (Even If It's the Folding Chair from the Break Room)

UXR Needs a Seat at the AI Table (Even If It's the Folding Chair from the Break Room)

The Trolley Problem Is the Most Honest UXR Metaphor and We All Know It

The Trolley Problem Is the Most Honest UXR Metaphor and We All Know It

The Doomsday Prepper Mindset for Working with Research Panel Vendors

The Doomsday Prepper Mindset for Working with Research Panel Vendors

UXR Survival Guide: One Giant Duck, 1000 Tiny Horses, and Organizational Maturity

UXR Survival Guide: One Giant Duck, 1000 Tiny Horses, and Organizational Maturity

LinkedIn and I are Facebook official (again). Status update: It's complicated

LinkedIn and I are Facebook official (again). Status update: It's complicated

05
Aug

Synthetic Users Are Influencing Your Design Decisions. New Research Says They're Right About as Often as a Coin Flip.

10 min read
28
Jul

Some Thoughts on Always-On Participant Access

11 min read
21
Jul

Engineering Speed Is Not Going to Plateau. Your Research Model Is Priced On the Belief That It Will.

9 min read
17
Jul

The Book Is Out. You Sent It to Number One! Thank you ❤️

2 min read
13
Jul

UXR, Market Research, and Data Science Walk Into a Reorg, or: Why Your Job Title Has About Three Years Left

7 min read