People of Research | People of Research Newsletter

People of Research

People of Research

👋 We're People of Research A global community uniting researchers across all industries, from UX Research to Behavioral Science. Our mission is to advance the field of research through connection, collaboration, and growth. We’ve already welcomed over +2000 researchers from +60 countries into our global research community, and we think you should join us!

🧹 The Custodial Era of UX & 🤖 What a 1980s Photocopier Knew About AI Agents

Sep 10, 2026

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3 min read

🧹 The Custodial Era of UX & 🤖 What a 1980s Photocopier Knew About AI Agents

This week: why UX is now cleaning up after AI, the 1980s photocopier study that predicted agentic UX, where the research jobs actually went, and fresh research roles either side of the Atlantic.

People of Research

🤖 76 Open Questions in AI Usability & 🔬 Dogfooding Isn't User Research

Aug 13, 2026

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2 min read

🤖 76 Open Questions in AI Usability & 🔬 Dogfooding Isn't User Research

This week: Jakob Nielsen's 76 open questions for AI-era researchers, what dogfooding can and can't tell you, whether anyone can spot AI writing — and fresh research roles either side of the Atlantic.

People of Research

🔄 Three Reversals Reshaping How Research Operates & ⚖️ AI: Efficiency or Anxiety?

Jul 30, 2026

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3 min read

🔄 Three Reversals Reshaping How Research Operates & ⚖️ AI: Efficiency or Anxiety?

This week: AI reshuffles research's division of labour, the anxiety underneath the efficiency story, synthetic users vs. real participants — and Research Lunch Club matches go out tomorrow.

People of Research

🤖 The AI Answer You Shouldn't Trust & 🧹 Fix Your Messy CRM Data First

Jul 16, 2026

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3 min read

🤖 The AI Answer You Shouldn't Trust & 🧹 Fix Your Messy CRM Data First

This week: when to trust AI's read on your data, the CRM cleanup every researcher needs, and reporting that respects your reader's time.

People of Research

🧠 How I Use AI Without Letting It Do the Research + 🤖 AI in Your Research Workflow

Jul 9, 2026

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3 min read

🧠 How I Use AI Without Letting It Do the Research + 🤖 AI in Your Research Workflow

This week: diary study incentive design, AI as experience differentiator, and a practitioner's honest AI workflow. Plus, we're launching small IRL lunches for researchers!

People of Research

🤖 Let AI Do the Busywork & 🎯 The Research Skills It Can't Touch

Jun 30, 2026

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3 min read

🤖 Let AI Do the Busywork & 🎯 The Research Skills It Can't Touch

This week: Accelerating Research with AI from NN/g; Judgment, Taste, and the Parts of Research We Struggle to Define; and The Market Wants Its Hands-On Leaders Back. Our podcast pick is Leisa Reichelt on the contextual research renaissance from UX Research Geeks, our video pick is NN/g's Storytelling in User Research, plus fresh research roles across the UK, Europe and the Americas. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 17+ cities, before today's round of matches goes out!

People of Research

🧠 What AI Still Can't Do for Researchers & 🧪 Believable Isn't Valid

Jun 19, 2026

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3 min read

🧠 What AI Still Can't Do for Researchers & 🧪 Believable Isn't Valid

This week: Believability Is Not Validity from Tonie M. Gordon, PhD; Qualitative Researchers Point Out the Limitations of AI's Contributions from Kelley Cotter, Ankolika De and Priya C. Kumar; and What Gets Lost When UX Research Speeds Up from Maria Panagiotidi at UX Psychology. Our podcast pick is #185 How to Use AI Without Losing Your Research Soul with Nikki Anderson from Awkward Silences, our video pick is Data Isn't Enough: The Power of Narrative in UX from NN/g's Caleb Sponheim, plus fresh research roles across the UK, Europe and the Americas. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 17+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches!

People of Research

🤝 Where AI Belongs in Research & 🧪 What Happened When Agents Tried to Code 451 Tweets

May 28, 2026

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2 min read

🤝 Where AI Belongs in Research & 🧪 What Happened When Agents Tried to Code 451 Tweets

This week: Frontier UX Research Circa May 2026 from Jess Holbrook; AI in Research: Pace and what holds the Checkout.com UXR team; and Exploring Agent-Assisted Qualitative Analysis from Shreya Shankar. Our podcast pick is #188 Why AI Can't Replace Qualitative Research with Sam Ladner of Workday from Awkward Silences, plus fresh research roles from Netflix, Monzo, Booking.com, Lovable, eBay, PayPal, Etsy and more. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches TOMORROW!

People of Research

🛠 The Claude Code Skill for Interviews & 🤖 Codex + Claude Want Your Whole Workbench

May 19, 2026

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3 min read

🛠 The Claude Code Skill for Interviews & 🤖 Codex + Claude Want Your Whole Workbench

This week: How to Use Claude Code for Customer Research; From Ad Hoc Prompting to Repeatable AI Workflows with Claude Code Skills; Are Codex and Claude Becoming Everything Platforms for Work? Our podcast pick is #148 Understand Claude in 20 Minutes from Future of UX, our video pick is the Claude Design Tutorial for Designers, plus a featured Local Researcher role from Studio intO and fresh research roles from Netflix, Strava, Booking.com, Monzo, Etsy and more. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches!

People of Research

🤖 Qual Research, Now at 81,000-Person Scale & ⚡ The Design Process Isn't Dead — It's Compressed

Apr 29, 2026

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2 min read

🤖 Qual Research, Now at 81,000-Person Scale & ⚡ The Design Process Isn't Dead — It's Compressed

This week: Design Process Isn't Dead, It's Compressed; What is a Diary Study? 2026 UX Guide. Our podcast pick is Design is not dead, but has changed from Honest UX Talks, our video pick is AI in UX Research: What Really Changed Since 2023? from UXtweak, plus the latest research job listings from Booking.com, DuckDuckGo, GE Aerospace and more. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches!

People of Research

🗣️ Wireframes Are Dead & 🤖 AI Still Needs You to Check Its Work

Apr 23, 2026

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2 min read

🗣️ Wireframes Are Dead & 🤖 AI Still Needs You to Check Its Work

This week: AI Can Help with Survey Writing, But It Still Requires Human Expertise; AI, UX, and the Factory Model; The UX Skill That Replaces Wireframing in 2026. Our podcast pick is The Debt Trap from Hidden Brain, our video pick is AI Interviewers, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches!

People of Research

🤔 Your Research Tools Got Smarter... Did You? + 🧠 AI Analysis You Can Actually Trust

Feb 26, 2026

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7 min read

🤔 Your Research Tools Got Smarter... Did You? + 🧠 AI Analysis You Can Actually Trust

This week: How to Do AI Analysis You Can Actually Trust; Your Research Tools Got Smarter... Did You?; How AI Literacy Shapes GenAI Use. Our video pick this week is This AI Expert's Method Will Change How You Do Customer Research, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally — join Research Lunch Club, now live in 10+ cities, before we send out our latest round of matches tomorrow!

People of Research

💔 When Research Recommendations Break & 📈 Practical vs. Statistical Significance

Nov 12, 2025

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7 min read

💔 When Research Recommendations Break & 📈 Practical vs. Statistical Significance

📈 Practical vs. Statistical Significance, 💬 Why I Stopped Attending My UXR Interviews, 💔 When Research Recommendations Break - Join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities! Plus, our Member Interview from 🇺🇸 San Francisco, a podcast pick on Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, on unfakeable signals, friction, and trust in brands From Behavioral Science For Brands + the latests open roles in research!

People of Research

⚰️ 7 Deadly AI Sins for UX Professionals & 🤔 Which Decisions Deserve Your Energy

Oct 23, 2025

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7 min read

⚰️ 7 Deadly AI Sins for UX Professionals & 🤔 Which Decisions Deserve Your Energy

This week: 7 Deadly AI Sins for UX Professionals; How to Know Which Decisions Deserve Your Energy, and Which Don't; The perils of preference testing, plus 4 guidelines if you must. Our podcast pick is Aryn Korpalski - Keeping Research Human from Brave UX with Brendan Jarvis, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Sixth round of matches next week!

People of Research

🤔 Rethinking Correlation & ⏳ Deferred User Interviews.

Sep 29, 2025

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7 min read

🤔 Rethinking Correlation & ⏳ Deferred User Interviews.

This week: Rethinking Correlation; Deferred user interviews: a time-saving approach; Everyone wants a faster horse. We aim to please.. our podcast pick on Research Ops 2.0, Episode 3: Taking a Platform Approach to ResearchOps from Awkward Silences, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our 6th round of matches on TOMORROW!

People of Research

🪄 AI: Magic Wand or Pandora's Box? & ⚠️ The Dangers of Unmoderated Testing

Sep 18, 2025

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7 min read

🪄 AI: Magic Wand or Pandora's Box? & ⚠️ The Dangers of Unmoderated Testing

AI in UX Research: Magic Wand or Pandora's Box?; How unmoderated testing could be harming your designs; From Public Voice to Board Action: A Structured Decision-Making Process. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇺🇸 San Francisco, USA, our podcast pick on "The UX Research behind Intercom's Fin.AI with Karen Church - The Learners Podcast". And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our 5th round of matches on very soon!

People of Research

👀 Bias & Temporal Reframing + 📉Organizations Don't Do User Research

Sep 4, 2025

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7 min read

👀 Bias & Temporal Reframing + 📉Organizations Don't Do User Research

This week: Why Organizations Don't Do User Research and How to Change That; The Importance of Critical Thinking in User Research; Your first UX researcher should report to product, not design. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇸🇬 Singapore, our podcast pick on How Klarna uses present bias and temporal reframing to make shopping feel irresistible from Behavioral Science For Brands, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Fourth round of matches on Monday!

People of Research

❌ You're not a UX Researcher + ⏱️ AI tools to reduce analysis time.

Aug 13, 2025

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8 min read

❌ You're not a UX Researcher + ⏱️ AI tools to reduce analysis time.

This week: 3 AI tools to reduce qualitative data analysis time by >50%; You're not a UX Researcher; Prioritizing customer insights across studies. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from Google HQ in San Francisco, our podcast pick on Hacking the Human Mind - Book Preview: Dyson, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities!

People of Research

🧬 Mixed-Methods Research & 🤖 What will Research look like in an AI future?

Jul 30, 2025

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5 min read

🧬 Mixed-Methods Research & 🤖 What will Research look like in an AI future?

This week: Mixed-Methods Research: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Data; Mixed Methods Studies That Mix; What will UX Research look like in an AI future?. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇺🇸 Chicago, USA, our podcast pick on "Real Talk About Synthetic Data" with Winston Li from The Analytics Power Hour. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Fourth round of matches on tomorrow!

People of Research

🧠 A Research Agenda for Generative AI in UX + 👀 How User Research Slowly Sucked the Soul Out of Design

Jul 24, 2025

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7 min read

🧠 A Research Agenda for Generative AI in UX + 👀 How User Research Slowly Sucked the Soul Out of Design

This week: A Research Agenda for Generative AI in UX; AI, ROI, and the Future of UX Research: Insights from Thomas Stokes; How User Research Slowly Sucked the Soul Out of Design. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇬🇧 London, UK, our podcast pick on Patrick Fagan, author of Hooked, on the behavioral shortcuts that influence what we buy, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Fourth round of matches this coming Thursday!

People of Research

1️⃣ First Researcher Starter Pack + 🤖Getting AI Discovery Right

Jul 17, 2025

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7 min read

1️⃣ First Researcher Starter Pack + 🤖Getting AI Discovery Right

This week: When Research Participants Aren't Who They Say They Are; Getting AI discovery right; First Researcher Starter Pack. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇳🇱 Netherlands, our podcast pick on Designing the Career You Actually Want, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Fourth round of matches on Monday!

People of Research

1️⃣ First Researcher Starter Pack + 🤖Getting AI discovery right

Jun 26, 2025

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8 min read

1️⃣ First Researcher Starter Pack + 🤖Getting AI discovery right

This week: When Research Participants Aren't Who They Say They Are; Getting AI discovery right; First Researcher Starter Pack. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇳🇱 Netherlands, our podcast pick on (INSERT), plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Fourth round of matches on Monday!

People of Research

💰2025 Research Budgets + 🛠️ The Future of Research Ops

Jun 19, 2025

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7 min read

💰2025 Research Budgets + 🛠️ The Future of Research Ops

This week: AI Summaries of Reviews; The 2025 Research Budget Report; The future of research ops with Kate Towsey: "AI won't replace researchers - but will redefine their roles". Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇺🇸 NYC, our video pick on How UX Researchers Shape the Future of Play, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our THIRD round of matches NEXT WEEK!

People of Research

🤖 When AI-Generated Lies Are More Compelling + 😠 Dealing with Difficult Participants in Research

Jun 11, 2025

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7 min read

🤖 When AI-Generated Lies Are More Compelling + 😠 Dealing with Difficult Participants in Research

This week: Learn How to Deal with Difficult Participants in Remote User Research!; What Happens When AI-Generated Lies Are More Compelling than the Truth?; Designing for Serial Task Switching. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇨🇦 Canada, our podcast pick on AI Therapy, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our THIRD round of matches this month!

People of Research

🤖 Six Forces Strangling UX Research+ The Human Touch in the Age of AI

Jun 5, 2025

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6 min read

🤖 Six Forces Strangling UX Research+ The Human Touch in the Age of AI

This week: Six Forces Strangling UX Research (And Why the Job Market is a Bloodbath); The Human Touch in the Age of AI: How Transformers are Reshaping Marketing and Consumer Behavior; and Why they said “No”. What researchers (and designers) miss about culture, silence, and trust. Check out our Research Lunch Club member interview from 🇺🇸 SF, our podcast pick on Behavioral Science behind Oatly's success, plus the latest job opportunities in research. And finally - join Research Lunch Club, now live in 33+ cities, before we send out our Third round of matches soon!

People of Research