Episodes

  • 47. Designing AI Experiences: What to Consider (feat. Caleb Sponheim PhD, NN/g)
    Feb 21 2025

    As AI continues to evolve, designers are increasingly finding themselves tasked with creating AI-powered experiences—often without prior experience in the space. In this episode, NN/g UX Specialist Caleb Sponheim discusses the current state of AI tools, what’s working (and what’s not), and how designers can position themselves to navigate this shift. We also explore what it really means to develop AI safely and how designers can play a role in ensuring ethical, user-friendly AI experiences.

    About the speaker: Bio | LinkedIn

    Full-Day Course: Designing AI Experiences(also available in half-day formats)

    Related NN/g Articles:

    • Artificial Intelligence Glossary
    • How Do Generative AI Systems Work?
    • Redefine Your Design Skills to Prepare for AI
    • AI Features Must Solve Real Problems
    • More Free Articles on AI
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    40 mins
  • 46. Getting Strategic About Research (feat. Kate Towsey, author of Research that Scales)
    Jan 24 2025

    As tech layoffs and budget cuts dominate the start of the year, UX teams are navigating a critical challenge: proving the value of research while doing more with less. In this episode, NN/g Director of Research Maria Rosala sits down with ResearchOps pioneer Kate Towsey to explore how ResearchOps can help teams think strategically about the impact and efficiency of their research.

    Learn more about Kate Towsey Kate’s Book: Research That Scales: The Research Operations Handbook Kate's Substack: Scaling and Systematising Research Kate’s Masterclasses in Australia and Europe: Defining a ResearchOps Strategy, 2025 Kate's ChaCha Club - a member's club for ResearchOps professionals: https://chacha.club/

    NN/g Courses and Content on ResearchOps Full-Day Course: ResearchOps Free Article: Research Ops 101 4-min Video: Strategic vs Reactionary Research 4-min Video: Research Repositories 101 3-min Video: Research Participant Database

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    50 mins
  • 45. Choosing Better User Impact Metrics (feat. Connor Joyce, Author & Behavioral Scientist)
    Dec 20 2024

    Most experienced professionals in the industry will tell you that the best designs don't operate in a vacuum. Yet, most of our measurement approaches do. How do you know you're actually making a measurable impact toward users' long-term goals? Connor Joyce, author of the book, Bridging Intention to Impact, shares his thoughts on how to create and evaluate products that center on meaningful user outcomes.

    Connect with Connor Joyce


    Order the book

    Related NN/g Resources & Courses:

    • Free Articles on Analytics & Metrics
    • Report on UX Metrics & ROI
    • Full-Day or 2 Half-Day Course on Measuring UX and ROI

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    42 mins
  • 44. AI & UX Research (feat. Savina Hawkins & Caleb Sponheim)
    Nov 26 2024

    To explore how is AI shaping UX research and analysis, host Therese Fessenden shares two interviews on the topic; one with Savina Hawkins, Co-founder of Altis, and one with Caleb Sponheim, UX Specialist at NN/g. In this episode we explore the opportunities AI presents for enhancing productivity and innovation in UX work, alongside the risks and challenges it brings. Savina & Caleb offer practical advice on how UX professionals can leverage AI tools effectively and remain competitive in their field. Learn more about Altis Learn more about Caleb Sponheim, PhD Get trained on using AI for UX work: Practical AI for UX Professionals Course NN/g Articles on Artificial Intelligence Caleb’s Favorite Resources: Optimistic Perspective: Ethan Mollick’s One Useful Thing. Skeptical Perspective: Ed Zitron’s Where’s Your Ed At. Weekly Newsletter

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    39 mins
  • Bonus: Journey-Centric Design: The Evolution of UX Design Operations (feat. Kim Flaherty, NN/g)
    Oct 25 2024

    Product-centric design can be an efficient way to design interfaces, but it can often lead to disjointed and poorly optimized customer journey experiences. Kim Flaherty shares her recent research into journey-centric design, and insights on how a journey-centric design practice can help organizations overcome product-centric challenges.


    Report: Architecting a Journey Management Practice


    Learn more about Kim:

    ⁠Bio⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠


    NN/g Resources about Journey Management:

    ⁠The 3 Competencies of Journey Management (5-min video)⁠

    ⁠Journey Management vs. Service Design (4-min video)⁠

    ⁠The Practice of Customer-Journey Management (free article)⁠

    ⁠Customer Journeys and Omnichannel UX (free article)⁠

    ⁠Journey Mapping to Understand Customer Needs (UX Certification course)⁠

    ⁠Customer-Journey Management (UX Certification course)⁠

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    37 mins
  • 43. Responsible AI (feat. Paige Lord, Sr. Product Marketing Manager at GitHub)
    Oct 11 2024

    With AI developing rapidly, and AI policy often lagging behind, calls for responsible tech design and development are louder and more public than ever. In this episode, Paige Lord offers some insight into ways UX professionals can play a role in creating ethical AI products and services.


    Learn more about Paige Lord:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepaigelord/

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiethicswithpaige


    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aiethicswithpaige


    Substack: https://thepaigelord.substack.com/


    Other related content:

    • Design Risk Assessment (free article)
    • NN/g Articles & Videos about AI
    • Practical AI for UX Professionals Course
    • Emerging Patterns in Interface Design Course



    Responsible AI Institute: https://www.responsible.ai/

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    37 mins
  • 42. Icons that Work (feat Kate Kaplan, Insights Architect @ NN/g)
    Sep 13 2024

    Icons are popular components to incorporate into digital designs that can help simplify user experiences. But, not every icon is created equal. In this episode, Kate Kaplan shares the latest insights from her research on digital iconography which can be found in her new book, Digital Icons that Work.


    Learn more about Kate Kaplan: Bio | LinkedIn

    Her book: Digital Icons That Work (nngroup.com)

    Other Related Articles:

    • Imagery in Visual Design Article
    • Digital Icons UX Quiz
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    35 mins
  • 41. UX Accessibility and Designing for Neurodiversity (feat. Stéphanie Walter)
    Aug 23 2024

    Accessibility isn’t a novel concept, but in the realm of digital design, it's rare to find a product or service that's truly accessible to a broad audience with many needs. In this episode, Stéphanie Walter shares a bit about what got her interested in accessibility to begin with, what accessibility truly means in UX, some common misconceptions, and how designers can create more inclusive experiences.


    Learn more about Stéphanie Walter: LinkedIn | stephaniewalter.design


    WCAG Standards


    Related NN/g Resources:

    Accessibility and Inclusivity Study Guide (free article)

    How to Conduct Usability Studies with Accessibility Report (free report)

    Usability Guidelines for Accessible Web Design Report (free report)

    Accessibility Articles and Videos

    Emerging Patterns in Interface Design Course (NN/g UX Certification-eligible course)

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    37 mins