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NN/g UX Podcast

NN/g UX Podcast

The Nielsen Norman Group (NNg) UX Podcast is a podcast on user experience research, design, strategy, and professions, hosted by Senior User Experience Specialist Therese Fessenden. Join us every month as she interviews industry experts, covering common questions, hot takes on pressing UX topics, and tips for building truly great user experiences. For free UX resources, references, and information on UX Certification opportunities, go to: www.nngroup.com

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Episodes

37. XR: Improving Learning Outcomes

Extended reality (XR) experiences hold the potential to transform the way we learn, work, and collaborate. Specifically, it can make educational experiences more interactive, engaging and ultimately drive higher learning outcomes. In this episode, we feature Jan Plass, who discusses the affordances of XR technology, provides examples of XR learning experiences and shares his expectations for its impact on the education landscape. Jan Plass is a Professor at New York University, Paulette Goddard Chair, and Director of CREATE. Learn more about Jan Plass: CREATE Lab Looking Inside Cells On the Morning You Wake Verizon AR/VR Learning Apps (i.e. Visceral Science, Mapper's Delight, UNSUNG, Looking Inside Cells etc.) NN/g ARTICLES & TRAINING COURSES Augmented/Virtual Reality vs. Computer Screens 10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Virtual Reality Virtual Reality and User Experience Emerging Patterns in Interface Design ? (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)

The Design of Everyday Things CHAPTERS: 0:00-3:13 - Intro 3:13-5:35 - What is XR? 5:35-8:54 - XR as a Learning Opportunity 8:54-12:19 - Examples of XR for learning 12:19-15:30 - Evidence of Learning with VR Technology 15:30-18.51 - Can VR features Induce Emotions and Result in Better Learning Outcomes? 18:51-23.45 - Comparing UX in 2D and 3D spaces? 23:45-27:41 - Accessibility and Inclusivity in XR 27:41 - XR Development: The Role of Affordances

2024-03-01
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36. AI & UX: Innovations, Challenges, and Impact

The surge of AI is currently changing the way we work and live. To avoid feeling left behind, it is important to engage with and understand these tools. This is true for UX designers just as much as almost everybody else. In this episode, we feature Henry Modisett from Perplexity AI and Kate Moran to get two insightful perspectives on the current state of AI and its connection to UX. Learn more about Henry Modisett Learn more about Kate Moran Perplexity.AI NN/g ARTICLES & TRAINING COURSES AI for UX: Getting Started (free article) AI & Machine Learning Will Change UX Research & Design (free video) AI Improves Employee Productivity by 66% (free article) AI-Powered Tools for UX Research: Issues and Limitations (free article) AI: First New UI Paradigm in 60 Years (free article) Sycophancy in Generative-AI Chatbots (free article) Information Foraging with Generative AI: A Study of 3 Chatbots (free article) The ELIZA Effect: Why We Love AI (free article) Practical AI for UX Professionals (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:43 Perplexity AI: History & Value Proposition 10:30 Perplexity AI: Next Steps & Future Developments 15:04 Making AI User Friendly: Generative Interfaces 24:33 Understanding AI as a Consumer Product 28:28 Mental Models for AI 30:41 An Outlook for AI 35:51 NN/g?s Role in the AI Movement 37:34 Anthropomorphism of AI 40:07 Dealing with the Fear of AI

2024-02-16
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35. Wireframing & Prototyping (feat. Leon Barnard, Content Manager, Balsamiq)

Wireframing is an incredibly useful design technique to flesh out conceptual ideas and communicate them to others. However, with the advent of powerful prototyping tools, some designers may think of these as irrelevant or outdated practices. Leon Barnard, Content Manager at Balsamiq and co-author of the book Wireframing for Everyone, discusses why he thinks wireframing is not only still relevant, but essential for maximizing creativity and innovative thinking.

Connect with Leon Barnard Balsamiq Wireframing AcademyWireframing for Everyone (book) by Michael Angeles, Leon Barnard, & Billy Carlson

Related NN/g Articles & Training Courses

How to Draw a Wireframe (Even if You Can?t Draw) (free article)

UX Basics: Study Guide (collection of free articles)

UX Basic Training (UX certification course)

UX Deliverables (UX certification course)

Visual Design Fundamentals (UX certification course)

2024-02-02
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34. Data-Driven Decision-Making and Intranet Design (feat. Christian Knoebel and Charlie Kreitzberg, Princeton University)

We often talk about measuring progress, but it can sometimes be harder to do in practice than in theory, especially when you?re combining mixed research methods. However, some teams have managed to not only make sense of the data, but use it to make award-winning designs. In this episode we feature two members of Princeton University?s award-winning intranet team: Charlie Kreitzberg, Senior UX Advisor, and Christian Knoebel, Director Digital Strategy, and how they combined two frameworks: the 5D Rubric and pairLab, to bridge the gap between UX and product design.

Learn about the 5-D Rubric

Learn about pairLab

Related NN/g resources:

10 Best Intranets of 2022 (the year Princeton University won) (free article) Intranet & Enterprise Design Study Guide (free article) Past Intranet Design Annual: 2022 (the year Princeton University won) (534-page report) Intranet Design Annual: 2023 (most recent awards) (483-page report)
2024-01-05
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33. Tracking UX Progress with Metrics (feat. Dr. John Pagonis, UXMC, Qualitative and Quantitative Researcher)

Measuring a user experience can be intimidating at first, but it's an essential part of determining whether your work is moving in the right direction (and by how much). UX Master Certified Dr. John Pagonis shares his experiences from working with other organizations on measuring UX improvements and interpreting quantitative data.

Learn more about John Pagonis:

Connect on LinkedIn Watch a past keynote talk: Usefulness measurement: A practical guide for all UXers (37 min video)?

NN/g Resources about Usability and UX Metrics:

Usefulness, Utility, and Usability by Jakob Nielsen, PhD (2-min video) The UX Unicorn Myth (decathlon analogy, explained, 2-min video) Usability 101 by Jakob Nielsen, PhD (free article) Measuring UX and ROI (full-day course for UX certification) ?UX Metrics and ROI by Kate Moran?? (297-page report)

NN/g Articles about Microsoft's Desirability Toolkit and Adjectives List

?Using the Microsoft Desirability Toolkit to Test Visual Appeal? (free article) ?Microsoft Desirability Toolkit Product Reaction Words? (free article)

Jeff Sauro, PhD on UX-Lite, UMUX-Lite, SUS, SEQ

(an aside: his website, MeasuringU.com, is an excellent resource)

10 Things To Know About The Single Ease Question (SEQ) Measuring Usability with the System Usability Scale (SUS) 5 Ways to Interpret a SUS Score Measuring Usability: From the SUS to the UMUX-Lite ?Evolution of the UX-Lite?
2023-12-04
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Quick Update: Episodes Now On YouTube!

(But don't worry, we will still continue publishing future episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms!)

Check out our YouTube Channel here

Go to our YouTube Podcast playlist

2023-10-13
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32. Conducting Research with Employees (feat. Angie Li, UXMC, Senior Manager of Product Design at Asurion)

Research with employees might sound easy in theory: you work in the same company as the people you need to observe or interview, and you might not even need to pay them for input. However, there's a bit more to it than meets the eye. In this episode, we feature UX Master Certified Angie Li, and she discusses what has helped her organize and run successful research with internal team members.

Learn more about Angie Li

NN/g Articles & Training Courses

Employees as Usability-Test Participants (free article) Structuring Intranet Discovery & Design Research (free article) Ethnographic User Research (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) User Interviews (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) Usability Testing (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)
2023-09-08
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31. Service Design 101 (feat. Thomas Wilson, UXMC, Senior Principal Service Designer & Strategist)

Members of our UX Master Certified community are applying UX principles to their work in a range of different ways. In this episode, we interview Thomas Wilson, Senior Principal Service Designer at United Healthcare and discuss what service design is and what makes it challenging and rewarding.

Learn more about Thomas Wilson: LinkedIn

NN/g Service Design Resources:

Service Blueprinting (full-day or half-day formats) Service Design Study Guide (free article with links to many more) Learn more about UX Master Certification

Some of the (many) people and organizations Thomas mentioned:

Don Norman Service Design Network Erika Hall Adam St. John Lawrence Marc Stickdorn Anthony Ulwick Bob Moesta
2023-08-11
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30. Stakeholder Relationships (feat. Sarah Gibbons, Vice President at NN/g)

Building stakeholder relationships is no easy task but it is crucial for getting buy-in, aligning expectations and ultimately building trust. But, what even is a "stakeholder" and how do you know if you have good relationships built? In this episode, we feature a conversation between Samhita Tankala and Sarah Gibbons who discuss the challenges that come with stakeholder management and how to build successful relationships.

Learn more about Sarah Gibbons

Related NN/g articles, videos, and courses:

Successful Stakeholder Relationships (UX Certification course) How to Sell UX: Translating UX to Business Value (Video) How to Collaborate with Stakeholders in UX Research (Article) UX Stories Communicate Designs (Article) Making a Case for UX in 3 Steps (Video) Stakeholder Analysis for UX Projects (Article) UX Stakeholders: Study Guide

Other sources Sarah mentioned:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
2023-07-07
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29. UX Mentorship (feat. Tim Neusesser, UX Specialist at NN/g, and Travis Grawey, Director of Product Design at OfficeSpace)

The importance of mentorship for personal and professional development is an often-discussed topic, yet it can be challenging to find a mentor or become a mentor yourself. In this episode, we feature a conversation between a mentee, NN/g?s Tim Neusesser, and his mentor, Travis Grawey. In this episode they discuss how mentorship has impacted both of their careers.

Learn more about Tim Neusesser

Learn more about Travis Grawey (who mentors along with many others at ADPList)

Related NN/g articles & videos:

Why You Need UX Mentoring (video) ?The C's of Great UX Mentorship? (video) Finding UX Mentors (video) UX Careers Report (free report)
2023-06-02
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28. Games User Research (feat. Steve Bromley, author and games user researcher)

Have you ever wondered what it's like to usability test a video game? Or what goes on behind the scenes of gaming studios as they prepare for big release dates? In this episode, games user researcher Steve Bromley shares how he got into the field, and what makes games different from traditional user experiences.

Steve's Website: gamesuserresearch.com; Steve's Book: ?How To Be A Games User Researcher

Other websites Steve Mentioned

A Theory Of Fun For Game Design (Raph Koster) A Playful Production Process Game Developer Conference Videos

NN/g's Free Articles and Videos on Games & Gamification:

10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Video Games (article) Games User Research (article) Video Game Design and UX (video) Gamification in the User Experience (video) Psychology & UX Study Guide (free study guide)

NN/g UX Certification Courses (full-day or half-day formats)

Persuasive & Emotional Design The Human Mind and Usability
2023-05-05
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27. Customer Journey Management (feat. Kim Salazar, Sr. UX Specialist at NN/g and Jochem van der Veer, CEO/Co-Founder of TheyDo)

If you ask experienced UX practitioners how to stay user-centric, you?ll inevitably hear something about the importance of customer journeys. However, as teams become more mature in their UX practices, the number of journeys being tracked and analyzed has been growing, sometimes faster than teams can manage, leading to scattered and uncoordinated redesign efforts. In this episode, we hear some tips about customer journey management from Kim Salazar of NN/g and Jochem van der Veer of TheyDo, a customer journey management platform.

Learn more about the episode guests:

Kim Salazar, Senior UX Specialist at NN/g

Jochem van der Veer, Co-Founder & CEO, TheyDo / TheyDo.com

Related NN/g courses & reports:

Customer-Journey Management (full-day / 2 half-days course)

Operationalizing CX: Organizational Strategies for Delivering Superior Omnichannel Experiences (142-page report)

Related NN/g articles & videos:

The Practice of Customer-Journey Mangement (free article)

What is Journey Management? (3 min video)

2023-04-08
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26. The Evolution of UX (feat. Dr. Jakob Nielsen, Co-Founder & Principal, NN/g)

The UX industry has recently seen what some call "unprecedented" shifts with layoffs and generative artificial intelligence rapidly changing how UX work is done. However, there have been similarly turbulent periods in tech, decades before. Dr. Jakob Nielsen reflects on the changes that have taken place over the near 25 years Nielsen Norman Group has been around, and discusses whether or not generative AI is just a phase or truly the next chapter of UX work.

Learn more about Dr. Jakob Nielsen

Past keynote speeches by Dr. Jakob Nielsen

Topics Covered:

1:45 - Dr. Jakob Nielsen's "origin story" 3:46 - What UX was like during the "dot-com boom" 6:30 - How the UX profession has changed since the "dot-com boom" 8:21 - Generative AI - a phase or the next chapter of UX work? 13:26 - How AI will shift the labor of UX away from pixel-pushing and toward orchestration/editorializing 16:58 - The future of UX: what keeps Dr. Jakob Nielsen inspired 19:34 - Balancing the pressure to build new features vs. fixing existing infrastructures (UX debt) 23:00 - Foundational UX ideologies: who is responsible for a good experience; matching how people actually behave 25:17 - Advice for people new to UX  27:40 - Advice for experienced UX professionals in preparing for a future with AI
2023-03-03
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25. Discount Usability: Expert Reviews and Heuristic Evaluations (feat. Evan Sunwall, UX Specialist, NNg)

With the recent surge in tech layoffs, a downsizing of UX labor means UX research is harder to do, meaning: research needs to be prioritized in really intentional ways. Discount inspection methods like expert reviews and heuristic evaluations can help identify high-priority design issues that need further research and design effort. In this episode, Evan Sunwall offers some insight into how to facilitate and communicate the results of these inspection methods. 

Connect with Evan Sunwall on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/esunwall/

Evan's Recommended Further Reading on NN/g:

Jakob Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics (article)
The classic heuristics for effective interaction design used by many UX professionals to evaluate digital experiences. Heuristic Evaluation of User Interface (video) How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation (article)  How to Conduct an Expert Review (article)

Other Books:

Don't Make Me Think (book) - a very short and easy-to-read primer on usability and its role in creating successful products.
2023-02-03
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24. Artificial Intelligence: What Is It? What Is It Not? (feat. Susan Farrell, Principal UX Researcher at mmhmm.app)

The term artificial intelligence, AI, is having a bit of a boom, with the explosion in popularity of tools like ChatGPT, Lensa, DALL?E 2, and many others. The praises of AI have been equally met with skepticism and criticism, with cautionary tales about AI information quality, plagiarism, and other risks. Susan Farrell, the Principal UX Researcher at mmhmm, shares a bit about her experiences in researching chatbots and AI driven tools, and defines what AI is, what it isn?t, and what teams should consider when implementing AI systems.

Susan Farrell's social media: LinkedIn; Mastodon
What Susan is working on: mmhmm.app

NN/g courses referenced in this episode: 

Design Tradeoffs & UX Decision Making (full-day and 2-day course)  Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (full-day and 2-day course) 

Recommended Reading to deep dive into artificial intelligence & machine learning: 

Age of Invisible Machines - Robb Wilson  The Promise and Terror of Artificial Intelligence - Os Keyes  Becoming a chatbot: my life as a real estate AI?s human backup The Invisible Workforce that Makes AI Possible For Humans Learning Machine Learning  What are large language models (LLMs), why have they become controversial?  On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? 

Interested in working for us? Check out our job posting and apply by Jan. 30, 2023.

2023-01-06
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23. Building Better Products with a Better Mindset (feat. Ryan Hudson-Peralta, Principal Experience Designer at Rocket Homes)

Building exceptional experiences usable by all is no easy feat. Focusing on what can be influenced and accepting what cannot be changed are two critical steps to crafting better products... and careers. We spoke with Ryan Hudson-Peralta, a principal experience designer at Rocket Homes, who often introduces himself as a "father, husband, international speaker, and designer... who just happens to be born without hands." Ryan shares a bit about his journey into the UX field, and how his mindset of curiosity and positivity allows him to create meaningful experiences with his designs and with his career.

Learn more about Ryan Hudson-Peralta: lookmomnohands.com

If you would like to learn about UX design, we have thousands of articles and videos at our website www.nngroup.com

Full-Day Design Courses (also available in 2 half-day formats)

UX Basic Training Web Page UX Design Application Design Mobile User Experience Designing Complex Apps for Specialized Domains
2022-09-30
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22. UX, Big Data, and Artificial Intelligence (feat. Kenya Oduor, Ph.D., founder of Lean Geeks)

How has the UX field changed over the years? What does the future of UX work look like if scope is wildly expanding? Will we be automated out of a job? What should teams do to ensure they?re not misinterpreting data? Kenya Oduor shares her thoughts on these questions and more, offering suggestions for UX professionals wishing to set themselves up for success in a future of coexistence with artificial intelligence systems and automation. (Surprisingly, these tips are quite helpful for planning and analyzing quantitative user research as well.)

Learn more about Kenya Oduor, Ph.D. and Lean Geeks: Bio, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, LeanGeeks.net

Related NN/g Articles & Videos:

The Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and User Experience (4 min video)

AI & Machine Learning Will Change UX Research & Design (11 min video)

10 Usability Heuristics in Interface Design (article)

Visibility of System Status (Usability Heuristic #1) (article)

Hierarchy of Trust: The 5 Experiential Levels of Commitment (article)

Related NN/g Course: Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (UXC course - full day or 2 half-days)

2022-08-12
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21. Making Your Visual Designs Work Harder For You (feat. Kelley Gordon, Digital Design Lead at NN/g)

Visual design takes a lot more work than just making things look pretty, and is a fundamental part of many user's experiences. Our digital design lead, Kelley Gordon, shares some practical tips for both designers and "non-designers" alike to strengthen visual designs and improve working relationships. 

Read more about Kelley Gordon here

Follow us on Instagram @nngux

Full-day courses and 1-Hour Talks referenced in this episode:

Design Critiques: What, How, and When (1-Hour Talk) Web Page UX Design (UXC Course) Visual Design Fundamentals (UXC Course)
2022-06-03
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20. What Makes a "Good" UX Professional?

What does it take to be successful in the field of user experience? There isn't a single, clear-cut answer, but there are a number of different skills, traits, and perspectives that foster better workplace relationships and strengthen creative problem-solving. Anna Kaley and other fellow NN/g UX Specialists offer their insights on the commonalities that highly effective UX professionals seem to share, and how they can enable more human-centered outcomes. In this episode... Anna Kaley proposes "6 C's" list of characteristics that enable UX practitioners to succeed in the workplace. Maria Rosala shares some findings from our UX careers research, which prove have some timeless advice, despite frequent changes in the industry. Tanner Kohler highlights the importance of human-centered research versus feature-focused research in creating human-centered designs. Rachel Krause offers recommendations on how to evolve from being a designer in isolation into a designer with influence. Kim Salazar discusses the necessity to see ambiguity not as something to be feared, but as something to be explored. Finally, a featured clip from UX Certified community member, Katherine Joyce which celebrates habits and mindsets to which we all can aspire.
2022-04-19
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19. Designing a UX Career (feat. Sarah Doody, Founder of the Career Strategy Lab)

Have you thought about your career lately? Chances are, you have - given the buzz around the record high voluntary resignation rates during this ?Great Resignation.? In this episode, Sarah Doody, UX Researcher, Experience Designer, and Founder of the Career Strategy Lab, shares her thoughts on how UX professionals can design their ideal careers, whether they?re in the market for a new role or not.

Read more about Sarah Doody: 

Website (sarahdoody.com) Twitter (@sarahdoody) LinkedIn (/in/sarahdoody) Instagram (@sarahdoodyux)

NN/g Resources on UX Careers:

Jakob Nielsen: How to Start A New Career in UX (2-min video) UX Careers (free 90-page report) Growing in your UX Career: A Study Guide (article) Portfolios for UX Researchers (article)

Interested in working with us? Apply to this posting by April 4th

2022-03-18
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18. Presenting UX Work in a Compelling Way (feat. David Glazier, Senior Staff UX Designer at Illumina)

UX professionals often find themselves saddled with the burden of convincing others to value UX work. David Glazier, Sr. Staff UX Lead of Digital Experience at Illumina tells his story about how effective communication helped him get buy-in with stakeholders and key decision-makers.

Read more about David Glazier on LinkedIn

Courses & Talks mentioned in this episode:

Storytelling to Present UX Work (live, full-day UX Certification course) VR & User Research (1-hour recorded talk by David Glazier) Presenting to Stakeholders (1-hour recorded talk, related

More articles, videos, and upcoming training can be found at www.nngroup.com

2022-02-04
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17. User Research Trends: What's Changed and What Hasn't (feat. Erin May and JH Forster, hosts of Awkward Silences)

There is no question that user research has changed over the last two years, but how significant are those changes? The answer is complex, but User Interviews' Erin May (VP Growth & Marketing) and JH Forster (VP Product) demystify these trends and share their observations and hopes for the years to come.

Check out the Awkward Silences podcast by User Interviews

Erin May: Twitter (@erinhmay), LinkedIn

John-Henry (JH) Forster: Twitter (@jhforster), LinkedIn

User Interviews: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

Related NN/g Articles & Videos:

Recruiting and Screening Candidate for User Research Studies (article)

Qualitative Research Study Guide (article)

Quantitative Research Study Guide (article)

Related 1-Hour Talks:

Remote Research Trends (1-Hour Talk)

How Inclusive Design Expands Business Value (1-Hour Talk)

Upcoming Training Events:

Virtual UX Conference January 8-21  (2 half-day format)

Qualitative Research Series April 4-8 (5-day training event)

User Interviews Links:

The State of User Research 2021 Report

User Research Field Guides

Recruit 3 research participants for free on UserInterviews.com

2022-01-07
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16. What's up with DesignOps? (feat. Kate Kaplan, Insights Architect at NN/g)

As design teams mature in size and scope, the importance of intentionally designing and systematizing processes, approaches, and tools becomes increasingly difficult to ignore. Kate Kaplan shares insights from her research studying design teams and offers tips for those seeking to initiate and lead DesignOps efforts as a way to make design more impactful at their organizations.

Learn more about Kate Kaplan on LinkedIn and nngroup.com

NN/g Resources Mentioned:

DesignOps 101 (free article)  DesignOps Maturity (free article) 6 Levels of UX Maturity (free article)  UX Maturity Stage 3: Emergent (free article)  DesignOps: DesignOps: Scaling UX Design and User Research (UXC course)

Other Links Mentioned:
Rosenfeld Media?s DesignOps Summit: ??https://rosenfeldmedia.com/designopssummit2021/

A note on companies to follow, from Kate: "There are so many teams at different organizations publicly sharing and publishing their DesignOps journeys and experiments, and I think that willingness to share is amazing and points to the greater community being built around DesignOps. Some that come top of mind to follow are Salesforce, Cisco, IBM, AirBnB, Pinterest, Athena Health, Atlassian. Most of these companies have internal design blogs or medium channels where they share their approaches."

2021-12-13
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15. The Metaverse, Blockchain, and UX (feat. Geoff Robertson, Founder & UX Specialist at Chockablock)

A two-part podcast episode discussing the implications of decentralized computing and mixed reality on the future of UX work.

Geoff's Website: geoffrobertson.me

1-Hour Talks discussed in the episode:

Blockchain 101 Blockchain & UX

Related courses:

Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (UX Certification eligible course)

Upcoming online events:

Intranet and Employee Experience Symposium: Nov 9-10 Qualitative Research Series (5-Days): Nov 15-19
2021-11-08
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14. Keeping Product Visions User-Centered (feat. Anna Kaley, UX Specialist at NN/g)

Product visions can align a team and inspire a better future state. When visions stem from real user needs, the ideas that follow have the greatest potential for success. NN/g UX Specialist Anna Kaley discusses keeping users at the center of product development, and shares insights from next weeks' UX Vision and Strategy Series, presented alongside Chief Designer, Sarah Gibbons.

Read more about Anna Kaley (NN/g bio)

Referenced courses and training series:

UX Vision and Strategy Series (Oct 18-22, 2021) with Anna Kaley and Sarah Gibbons Product and UX: Building Partnerships for Better Outcomes Being a UX Leader: Essential Skills for Any UX Practitioner Lean UX and Agile

Related (free) videos & articles:

UX Vision (3-min video by Anna Kaley)
Create an aspirational view of the experience users will have with your product, service, or organization in the future. This isn't fluff, but will guide a unified design strategy. Here are 5 steps to creating a UX vision. UX Roadmaps: Definition and Components (article by Sarah Gibbons)
2021-10-14
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13. Special Edition: What's the "UX hill" you would die on?

To kick off Season 2, we're releasing a special edition episode, inspired by a tweet posted by @AllisonGrayce in Feb 2021, where she asks followers, "what's a #ux hill you regularly die on?" Host Therese Fessenden asks both NN/g team members and members of the UXC and UXMC community what issues, topics, and principles they fiercely stand by, and shares their answers.

Guests and submissions featured in the episode (in order):

Chris Callaghan (UXMC) - UX and Optimisation Director (Manchester, UK)
Twitter: @CallaghanDesign

Kara Pernice - Sr. VP at Nielsen Norman Group
Bio: nngroup.com/people/kara-pernice 

Mary Formanek (UXMC) - Senior User Experience + Product Lead Engineer (Arizona, US)
Mary's Article: "Label Your Icons: No, we can?t read your mind. Please label your icons."
Tiktok: @UXwithMary

Ben Shih - UX Consultant and Product Designer (Stockholm, Sweden)
Portfolio: benshih.design

Rachel Krause - UX Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group
Bio: nngroup.com/people/rachel-krause/ 

Anna Kaley - UX Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group
Bio: nngroup.com/people/anna-kaley

You can find also information about the upcoming UX Vision and Strategy Series with Anna Kaley and Sarah Gibbons here. 

2021-10-08
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12. ResearchOps (feat. Kara Pernice, Sr. VP at NN/g)

One might think user research gets easier when there are more people available to do it; but managing research initiatives at scale can be a difficult task in itself. In this episode, Kara Pernice, Senior VP at NN/g shares her experience and insights about managing UX research operations.

Kara Pernice's Articles and Videos (NN/g bio) 

NN/g courses and articles referenced in this episode:

ResearchOps (UX certification course)  ResearchOps (article)  Research Repositories for Tracking UX Research and Growing Your ResearchOps (article)  Design Systems 101 (article) DesignOps (UX certification course) 

Research repository tools mentioned:

Dovetail Consider.ly Airtable 

Other ResearchOps pioneers and communities:

Kate Towsey's Work (articles on Medium) Leveling up your Ops and Research ? a strategic look at scaling research and Ops (by Brigette Metzler) ResearchOps Community (and Slack channel)

...and if you were curious what research papers launched Kara into her UX career, here are two of them:

Nielsen, J. (1990). Big paybacks from 'discount' usability engineering. IEEE Software 7, 3 (May), 107-108. Nielsen, J. (1992). Finding usability problems through heuristic evaluation. Proc. ACM CHI'92 (Monterey, CA, 3-7 May), 373-380.
2021-07-02
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11. Solo UX: How to Be a One-Person UX Team (feat. Garrett Goldfield, UX Specialist at NN/g)

Advocating for UX work is hard. It's even harder when you're the only UX professional on your team. That said, there is still hope for one-person UX teams, and Garrett Goldfield shares his recommendations on how to make the most out of limited time and resources, and how to lead the charge in shifting corporate culture toward a more human-centered future.

Read more about Garrett Goldfield (NN/g bio)

Resources & courses cited in this episode:

Episode 1. What is UX, anyway? (feat. Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the usability guru) (previous NN/g UX Podcast episode) The One-Person UX Team (UX Certification course) The Human Mind and Usability (UX Certification course)
2021-06-04
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10. On Delight, Emotion, and UX - Flipping the Script with UX Specialists Therese Fessenden & Rachel Krause

To celebrate our first podcast milestone, we flipped the script. NN/g UX Specialist Rachel Krause guest-hosts this episode, and interviews host Therese Fessenden about the concept of "delight" in user experience: what it is, why the pursuit of delight can often be a short-sighted and misunderstood endeavor, and how a more holistic approach to interpreting and anticipating user needs can more reliably lead to an experience that delights beyond a single interaction.

Read more about the hosts: 

Therese Fessenden's Articles & Videos (NN/g bio) Rachel Krause's Articles & Videos (NN/g bio)

Free resources cited in this episode:

A Theory of User Delight: Why Usability Is the Foundation for Delightful Experiences (free article) Design for Emotion (by Daniel Ruston, UX Lead at Google Design) Principles of Emotional Design (Intuit case study by Garron Engstrom) How Delightful! 4 Principles for Designing Experience-Centric Products (Autodesk MLP case study by Maria Giudice) Research: Perspective-Taking Doesn?t Help You Understand What Others Want (HBR article by Tal Eyal, Mary Steffel, Nicholas Epley) Harvard Psychiatrist Identifies 7 Skills to Help You Get Along With Anybody (Inc. article by Carmine Gallo about Helen Riess' work)

Other resources cited in this episode:

Emerging Patterns in Interface Design (UX Certification course) Persuasive and Emotional Design (UX Certification course) DesignOps: Scaling UX Design and User Research (UX Certification course) Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter (book) 
2021-05-07
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9. You Are Not the User: How the the False Consensus Effect Can Lead Good Design Astray (feat. Alita Joyce, UX Specialist at NN/g)

Does having more experience in the UX industry enable you to make better design decisions by intuition? Does user research ever become a waste of time if some research already exists in academic papers? The answer, it seems, is not that simple. In this episode, UX Specialists Alita Joyce and Therese Fessenden discuss why, after all these years doing independent user research, you should still test your interfaces and research with your own customers.

Read more: Alita Joyce's Articles & Videos (NN/g bio)

Free resources cited in this episode:

Viral video (by @tired_actor) "The Square Hole" (TikTok video) The False-Consensus Effect (free article) The ?False Consensus Effect?: An Egocentric Bias in Social Perception and Attribution Processes (PDF of full study by Ross, Greene, and House) 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design (free article) How to Conduct a Heuristic Evaluation (free article)  10 Usability Heuristics Applied to Video Games (free article) Don Norman - Changing Role of the Designer Part 2: Community Based Design (4 min video) Adam Grant - The "I?m Not Biased" Bias (Tweet about NBC Sunday Spotlight feature) 

Other resources cited in this episode:

The Human Mind and Usability (UX Certification course)  Persuasive and Emotional Design (UX Certification course)  Democratizing Innovation by Eric Von Hippel (book) Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (book)
2021-04-02
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8. Thinking Beyond Interactions: Omnichannel Experiences and CX (feat. Kim Salazar, Sr. UX Specialist at NN/g)

What does it take to create a great customer experience? As it turns out: a lot more than just a series of great interactions. Kim Salazar, Sr. UX Specialist, shares her expertise on what omnichannel experiences are, why they matter for CX, and how having a mature CX means fundamentally changing how we view and handle UX work.

Resources cited in this episode

Ep. 1 - What is UX, anyway? (feat. Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the usability guru) (our inaugural podcast episode) Operationalizing CX: Organizational Strategies for Delivering Superior Omnichannel Experiences (142-page report) CX Transformation (full-day course) Journey Mapping to Understand Customer Needs (full-day course) Kim's Articles & Videos (NN/g bio)

Other related articles & videos

What is Omnichannel UX? (2-min video) User Experience vs. Customer Experience: What?s The Difference? (free article + 4 min video) Good Customer Experience Demands Organizational Fluidity (free article)
2021-03-05
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7. Lessen Digital Misery with Complex Apps (feat. Page Laubheimer, Sr. UX Specialist at NN/g)

"Keep it simple," is one of many great UX mantras... but how exactly does someone "keep it simple" when working with complex applications? In this episode, Page Laubheimer, Senior UX Specialist with NN/g, shares his expertise in information architecture (IA) and complex app design, recommends a few ideas to "lessen digital misery" on business-to-business (B2B) and enterprise applications, and offers advice for when you have to redesign a legacy application that is part of a user's everyday life.

Resources cited in this episode:

Designing Complex Apps for Specialized Domains (full-day course) Data Visualizations for Dashboards (4-min video) Dashboards: Making Charts and Graphs Easier to Understand (NN/g article) Why I Now Use ?Four-Threshold? Flags On Dashboards (Nick Desbarats' article) Tesler's Law (Wikipedia article) Page's NN/g Articles and Videos (bio page)
2021-02-05
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6. Ethics in UX (feat. Maria Rosala, UX Specialist at NN/g)

Aren't all "user-centered" designs ethical by default if we're giving people what they want? Not exactly. Maria Rosala, UX Specialist at NN/g, shares her thoughts about how we can be better researchers and designers by asking critical questions about our research and design decisions, evaluating important tradeoffs, and ensuring we include the right people in our research and design process.

Resources Cited in this Episode:

User Interviews (UX Certification course) Design Tradeoffs and UX Decision Frameworks (UX Certification course) Ethics in User Research (1-hr online seminar) You Are Not The User: The False-Consensus Effect (free article) TED Talk: How I'm fighting bias in algorithms | Joy Buolamwini (9 min YouTube video)

Also related: How Inclusive Design Expands Business Value (1-hr online seminar)

2021-01-01
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5. ROI: The Business Value of UX (feat. Kate Moran, Sr. UX Specialist at NN/g)

How do you evaluate the impact of UX work? As the world faces another bout of pandemic lockdowns, UX teams are finding themselves in a tough position of justifying their work to business decision-makers. Kate Moran, Senior UX Specialist at NN/g, shares insights from her recently published report on UX Metrics and ROI (return on investment) and offers advice on how to prove your worth. In this episode, we cover: what ROI is and why it matters, avoiding common pitfalls when calculating ROI, and how to stay growth-oriented without harming long-term business strategy. 

Resources cited in this episode:

UX Metrics and ROI report (297-page report) Measuring UX and ROI (full-day course) Myths of Calculating ROI (free article) Don't Shame Your Users Into Converting (4-min video) Stop Shaming Your Users for Micro Conversions (free article)  Kate's NN/g Articles and Videos (bio page)
2020-12-04
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4. Creativity During a Crisis (feat. Aurora Harley, Sr. UX Specialist at NN/g)

"Diamonds are made under pressure," but what does that mean for creativity and productivity? Aurora Harley, Senior UX Specialist, shares some advice on staying creative and productive during times of stress, thoughts on reframing constraints as opportunities, and tips for nurturing an environment that fosters innovative thought regardless of distance.

Resources Cited in this Episode

Effective Ideation Techniques for UX Design (full-day course) Changing Role of the Designer (Don Norman) (5 min video) Ideation Techniques for a One-Person UX Team (2 min video) Remote Ideation - Synchronous or Asynchronous Techniques (4 min video) Troubleshooting Group Ideation: 10 Fixes for More and Better UX Ideas (free article)
2020-11-06
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3. UX Careers: Growing in (and out of) Your Current Role (feat. Rachel Krause, UX Specialist at NN/g)

What does a typical UX career path look like? Are there even typical career paths in UX? How can you become a UX leader? What should new and seasoned UX professionals keep in mind as they move through their careers? Rachel Krause, a UX Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, shares her insights from her research on the UX profession, and perspectives from her own journey into the field of user experience.

Resources Cited in this Episode:

What a UX Career Looks Like Today (free article) User Experience Careers (90-page report) Management vs. Specialization as UX Career Growth (3 min video) The State of UX Job Descriptions (3 min video) Being a UX Leader: Essential Skills for Any UX Practitioner (full-day course)
2020-10-09
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2. Empathy, Adaptability, and Design (feat. Sarah Gibbons, Chief Designer at NN/g)

Sarah Gibbons & Therese Fessenden discuss empathy and adaptability as critical design skills (perhaps now more than ever) and share thoughts on how design plays a bigger role than meets the eye. 

Resources cited in this episode:

NN/g Instagram: @nngux  Service Blueprinting (full-day course) Design Thinking is Like Cooking (2 min video) UX Roadmaps (full-day course) UX Roadmaps: Definition and Components (free article) Sarah's NN/g Articles and Videos (bio page)

Also related: Brené on Comparative Suffering, the 50/50 Myth, and Settling the Ball (Unlocking Us with Brené Brown podcast episode)

2020-09-04
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1. What is UX, anyway? (feat. Dr. Jakob Nielsen, the usability guru)

Nielsen Norman Group is celebrating its 22nd anniversary by launching our very own NN/g UX Podcast. Join host Therese Fessenden as she interviews NN/g co-founder Dr. Jakob Nielsen on the most important questions about our industry: What really is "user experience," anyway? And what is the state of UX now, compared to when NN/g started 22 years ago? 

Resources Cited in this Episode:

The Definition of User Experience (article) WAP Mobile Phones Field Study Findings (article) Describing UX to Family and Friends (3-min video) Usability 101: Introduction to Usability (article) User Experience vs. Customer Experience (article) Jakob Nielsen's Profile, Articles, and Videos
2020-08-10
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