This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes.This episode welcomed Ruby Pryor, founder of Rex, a consulting firm specializing in UX research and strategic design.This episode gets into what it means to demonstrate the "business value" of one's work, specifically how researchers can and should quantify their impact in terms that are tangible to the company. Ruby shared ways to score early wins, build momentum, and overcome communication frictions to find shared value.Episode Highlights03:14 - UX researcher impact: insights, optimization, prioritization, strategy09:14 - Understanding organizational structures and strategy development collaboration20:22 - Challenge of quantifying impact and strategic level21:33 - Measuring strategy impact: challenges and indicators30:04 - Prioritizing investments based on strong market indicators38:51 - Stakeholders prioritize growth, revenue, and cost reductionAbout Our GuestRuby Pryor is the founder of Rex, a service design and UX research consulting firm. Her previous roles include UX research at Grab, strategic design at Boston Consulting Group and management consulting at Nous Group. She has taught courses on increasing the impact of UX to learners from 5 continents and has spoken about design and UX at conferences in Asia and Europe.Resources on UX Research ImpactHow to Track the Impact of Your UX ResearchLeading an Impactful User Research TeamUse Stakeholder Interviews to Drive Impact

Erin May sits down with Sam Ladner, Senior Principal Researcher of Strategy at Workday, to explore the evolving role of AI in qualitative research. Sam brings a refreshingly balanced perspective on where AI can genuinely help researchers and where it fundamentally cannot replace human insight.Sam explains how AI has transformed labor-intensive tasks like transcription and closed coding, freeing researchers to focus on the deeper work of sense-making and understanding outliers. She emphasizes that while AI excels at mathematical correlation hunting, qualitative research is about unriddling complex human experiences that require thinking, feeling, and imagination. The conversation covers practical applications like using MAXQDA for AI-assisted coding, the importance of explaining every outlier in qualitative work, and why emotional storytelling must remain exclusively human territory.Highlights03:09 Why machines can't replace human sense-making08:47 Human moments AI cannot understand12:00 Explaining outliers in qualitative coding16:27 Building effective coding systems for AI21:33 Getting AI to do closed coding properly29:26 When to use AI for low stakes research37:23 AI cannot substitute for qualitative researchAbout SamSam Ladner (she/her) is a sociologist who helps teams innovate, design, and learn. She is the author of Practical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private Sector and Mixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods Research. She has worked on dozens of advanced software projects at Microsoft, Amazon, and most recently Workday, where she worked as a Senior Principal Researcher studying the future of work. She is now an independent researcher and consultant, writing her third book, tentatively titled Practical Foresight: Strategic Foresight in Applied Settings. She received her PhD in sociology from York University and lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ResourcesPractical Ethnography: A Guide to Doing Ethnography in The Private SectorMixed Methods: A Short Guide to Applied Mixed Methods ResearchQual vs Quant vs Mixed-Methods Field GuideQualitative Sample Size Calculator

This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. This episode welcomed George Whitfield, an expert in applying AI to the analysis of qualitative data. George discussed the intricate challenges of leveraging language models to interpret expansive open-ended data (like interview transcripts), and emphasized the importance of context and not just keyword or topic identification.Episode Highlights03:48 - Innovating consumer insights using AI12:21 - Importance of human involvement in AI tools20:04 - Enhance discussion sections with  AI tools26:50 - AI-inspired insights provide inspiration, not guidance34:12 - Interpretation beyond analyzing transcripts36:46 - Applying engineering rigor to the process of building a businessAbout Our GuestGeorge Whitfield is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, and Software Engineer at Google. George holds 4 patents and has 3 degrees from MIT including a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and a Masters and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.Resources on Qual Data and AIOur AI in UX Report shares findings from a survey of over 1,000 researchersWhat does it mean to "code" qualitative data? This breakdown explains it all.Interested in trying an AI tool for your analysis? Here are 20 worth considering.

Erin May sits down with Aneta Kmiecik, founder of Be Your Own Design Team, to tackle one of the biggest questions facing designers today: how to position AI skills in portfolios and resumes. With 15 years in creative industries and a community of 200,000 followers, Aneta brings unique insights into navigating career strategy during this AI transformation.Aneta reveals her Past Present Future framework for career positioning and explains why most companies aren't explicitly requiring AI skills yet, but smart candidates should still showcase them strategically. She discusses the three designer archetypes emerging at AI native companies and shares practical advice on standing out when AI can generate portfolios and case studies for everyone.CHAPTERS00:00 Intro04:06 AI Skills in Job Descriptions Reality Check06:52 Research Strategy for AI Portfolio Positioning14:23 Audience Context Determines AI Skill Positioning17:49 Past Present Future Portfolio Framework27:10 Common Portfolio Mistakes in AI Era35:46 Future of AI Skills in Applications38:39 Favorite Research Interview TechniquesRESOURCESLenny’s Podcast featuring Jenny Wen, Design Lead for Claude - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh8bcBIAAFo 2024 AI in User Research Report - https://www.userinterviews.com/ai-in-ux-research-report CONNECT WITH ANETA KMIECIK:- LinkedIn: Aneta Kmiecik- Instagram: @ux.aneta- Newsletter: Be Your Own Design Team- Portfolio Course: uxportfolio.co

Ben Wiedmaier sits down with user research consultant Nikki Anderson to explore how researchers can stay relevant when budgets are tight and stakeholders are stressed. Nikki runs Drop in Research where she helps teams conduct research, facilitate better meetings, and build research practices from the ground up. She shares how companies are increasingly coming to her with validation requests rather than discovery work, driven by pressure to ship fast and hit numbers. The conversation reveals practical strategies for mixed methods research, using facilitation to drive action from insights, and leveraging AI tools without compromising research quality.Nikki explains why she creates forcing functions to slow stakeholders down when they want to rush into AI features without understanding the problem. She advocates for parallel convergent research design where surveys, interviews, and secondary research happen simultaneously to deliver insights faster. The discussion covers why synthesis remains a bridge too far for AI, how to turn research presentations into collaborative workshops, and specific ways researchers can demonstrate value through facilitation skills.Highlights00:00 Intro05:20 Mixed Methods and Data Triangulation10:07 Finding Small Tests When Teams Won't Wait14:46 Stakeholder Stress Driving Validation Requests23:30 Facilitation as Core Research Skill40:03 Using AI for Research Planning45:39 Demonstrating AI Skills to StakeholdersResources- AI for User Research 101 Course- 30+ Tools for every phase of UX Research- AI Context Engineering for Research Course

Ben talks with Kristen DeLap, fractional COO at Econify, to explore how UX'ers can build influence without formal authority. Kristen brings a unique perspective, having evolved from interior design to leading product teams at Herman Miller and now working as an operations executive. She shares practical strategies for understanding decision-making processes, translating design work into business impact, and creating the conditions where teams do their best work.They also cover essential skills for today's design professionals, including decision literacy, stakeholder translation, and the art of challenging assumptions diplomatically. Kristen emphasizes that while AI can generate design artifacts, it cannot create alignment across teams or orchestrate complex organizational dynamics. She offers concrete tactics like using customer stories to explain roadmaps, minimizing big presentation moments in favor of ongoing stakeholder engagement, and treating colleagues like users to better understand their motivations and constraints.Highlights11:08 Design Skills That Can't Be Replaced by AI15:56 Decision Literacy in Organizations21:42 Surprising Realities of Leadership Meetings24:36 Building Influence Without Organizational Power29:01 Storytelling via Roadmaps Exercise35:47 What Trade Off Are You Most Uncomfortable MakingResourcesA Framework for Decision-Driven ResearchUsing Research Roadshows for InfluenceThe UX Designer's Guide to Research

Erin and Ben chat with Laura Klein, Principal Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group, about the practical realities of AI in user research. Laura teaches a class on AI for researchers and brings a refreshingly balanced perspective to cut through the hype. She explains why those "five simple prompts that will change your life" are mostly nonsense and shares where AI actually works well versus where researchers need to proceed with extreme caution.Laura also shares her green, yellow, and red light framework for AI adoption. She champions AI for tasks like transcription and meta-analysis of old research data, while warning against using it for synthesis and insights generation without serious human oversight. The conversation explores how AI can help teams move faster without sacrificing quality, the importance of collaborative analysis sessions, and why junior researchers need extra guidance when using these tools.This episode offers practical guidance for any researcher trying to separate AI reality from the marketing promises flooding their inbox.Highlights07:07 Green light, yellow light, red light framework11:59 Framework for deciding when to use AI21:06 Will AI change the researcher role31:23 Focus on what AI makes possible35:17 Skills for advocating against AI hype42:07 AI makes things that look like insightsResourcesLaura's NN/g AI CourseThe AI in UX Research ReportUsing AI Moderation for Research

Ben sits down with Basel Fakhoury, CEO and Co-founder of User Interviews, and Baran Erkel, Chief Strategy Officer at UserTesting, for a conversation about the research industry's evolution. With AI reshaping customer behaviors and business decisions, both executives emphasize how the need for customer insights has never been greater, even as budget pressures mount across organizations.Basek and Baran share frameworks for executive decision making, explore how AI tools are moving beyond simply replacing human moderators toward creating entirely new research methodologies, and stress that as AI transforms products and experiences over the next few years, customer insights will be fundamental to shaping organizational cultures that keep customers at the center.Highlights05:15 How research influences corporate strategy12:25 Building effective decision making cultures19:07 Data formats that drive executive decisions26:28 AI everywhere in research tooling landscape29:30 Consolidating insights across teams and tools36:45 Customer centric approach during acquisition integrationResourcesRead more about the acquisitionThe State of User Research ReportVisual Design for Research Workshop

Ben Wiedmaier sits with Karl Randay, Experience Director at 383, to explore how designers can stay relevant in an increasingly automated world. Karl shares insights from working with major brands like Hilton and Jaguar on digital innovation projects that blend strategy, research, and rapid prototyping.They also talk about the "beige-ification" of design, where templated systems and AI tools risk creating homogeneous experiences across brands. Karl explains how his team uses AI as a research copilot while maintaining human craft and creativity. He also breaks down the skills modern designers need beyond visual craft, including business acumen, stakeholder communication, and the ability to translate design impact into executive language.Highlights06:26 Design challenges across multiple touchpoints19:04 Simple questions unlock stakeholder priorities25:31 Multi-skilled designers beyond specialization32:23 Career growth through T-shaped skill development36:53 The beige-ification of modern design42:44 AI as creative exploration partnerResourcesDesigner's Guide to UX ResearchThe 4 Steps to Redesigning SitesConnecting Research & Design Leadership

Ben is joined by Maria Rosala from Nielsen Norman Group and John Whalen from Brilliant Experience to wrap up 2025 and make some predictions for 2026. Maria and John share practical insights on everything from AI moderation tools to synthetic users, offering a balanced view of where these technologies excel and where human researchers remain irreplaceable.Maria and John also dig into the democratization of research across product teams, the importance of governance and strategy when implementing AI tools, and how researchers can position themselves as orchestrators of both human and artificial intelligence. Highlights08:22 AI tools creating pressure for faster delivery17:18 Governance and oversight for AI implementation24:55 Composite and synthetic users explained41:56 Hiring advice for new researchers44:27 Demonstrating AI proficiency in job applications49:25 Research industry predictions for 2026ResourcesResearch Wrapped 2025The State of User ResearchUltimate UX Jobs Board