This week’s articles: 🧠 Learn from Kate Moran about using AI tools in UX research, likened to working with an intern, where she discusses their capabilities and limitations. Dive into Stuart Mills’ exploration of the promises and perils of nudge theory, questioning its effectiveness and ethical implications. Discover David Bar-El’s strategies on expanding the impact of UX research across organizations, demonstrating how it can influence various departments and drive innovation.​

Also, insights from Sahar Mor’s examination of the AI industry’s consolidation, highlighting how major tech acquisitions are shaping the landscape.

Plus, our curated selection of jobs, podcasts, and events for the week. Finally, our People of Research Member interview with Akshata Chitnis 🇬🇧/🇮🇳

📢 Announcements

🖥️  Virtual Event

🎟️ Join People of Research for our Lightning Talks Event!

Join us for our first Lightning Talks event featuring 4 exciting talks from leading researchers, designers, and strategists. Each talk is distinct, offering unique insights and perspectives on topics like research methodologies, design innovation, strategy, and professional development.

🗣️ Speakers

• ​Pavel Samsonov, Design Lead @ AWS

• ​Emily Vernon, CCXP⛵️, Global Brand Strategy Consultant @ Vernonical

• ​Sophie Aldebert, UX Researcher @ Centrica

• ​Amanda Jensen, MFA, Senior UX Researcher @ ETS

🤗 IRL Events

We’re excited to invite our members in 🇵🇹 Lisbon &  🇬🇧 London + the surrounding areas to our IRL socials in London and Lisbon! Meet like-minded researchers, exchange ideas, and maybe even bag your next role at our October 15th 🇵🇹 Lisbon event or our November 6th 🇬🇧 London event.

🔬 People of Research Member Interview

• 🌎️ Past People of Research Interviews

📰 Article Picks

This week’s article picks!

🔗 Your AI UX Intern, Meet Ari: Kate Moran delves into the metaphor of using AI tools in UX research like working with an intern. Moran argues that while AI tools can be incredibly fast and knowledgeable, they lack the deep emotional understanding and contextual awareness necessary for nuanced UX tasks. She uses the example of “Ari,” a fictional AI-based UX intern, to illustrate the limitations and strengths of AI in this field. Moran advises treating AI’s contributions as initial drafts that require verification and refinement, emphasizing the importance of human oversight and specific guidance when integrating AI into UX workflows.

🔗 The Great AI Consolidation: Sahar Mor explores the current trends in the AI industry, particularly the phase of consolidation among AI startups. Mor argues that major tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google are acquiring talent and technologies from smaller startups, shaping an evolving oligopoly in the AI market. The author uses examples like the acquisition of Character AI by Google and Adept by Amazon to illustrate how these large firms are securing cutting-edge technologies and top AI talent. Mor advises caution, emphasizing that while consolidation might streamline innovation, it also poses risks to diversity and dynamism in the AI sector, potentially stifling competition and innovation in the long run.

🔗 Making Ripples: How Your UX Research Can Reach Across the Organization: David Bar-El explores the transformative impact of UX research within large organizations, using his experiences at adidas as a prime example. Bar-El argues that UX research should not be confined to the initial scope but rather expanded to influence and benefit multiple departments and projects. He illustrates this point by detailing how his findings from research on adidas’s loyalty program, adiClub, not only met the strategic team’s needs but also enriched the understanding of CRM, Analytics, and Marketing teams. Bar-El advises UX researchers to broaden the visibility of their work, actively engage various teams early in the research process, and maintain open communication channels. By doing so, he emphasizes that UX research can create a ‘ripple effect’, enhancing decision-making and fostering innovation across the entire organization.

🔗 Nudge Theory: What 15 Years of Research Tells: Stuart Mills dives into the evolution and efficacy of nudge theory since its popularization by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in 2008. Mills explores how this concept has influenced public policy globally, with “nudge units” being implemented by governments. Despite its widespread adoption, Mills highlights a growing skepticism about nudge theory’s effectiveness, citing a major meta-analysis that found no solid evidence supporting its impact.

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🎟️ Event Picks

Join our free 🔥 Fireside Chat & AMA with the ReOps pioneer Kate Towsey on all things research, ReOps and Research That Scales. RSVP via Luma to get your spot!

• 👉️ Submit a question to Kate Towsey!

🎙 Podcasts Pick

This week’s Podcast Pick: 

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💼 Jobs Picks

Explore the latest roles for our community, all posted within the last few days and some just hours ago. If you’re a hiring manager and interested in sharing opportunities in research that reach +1000 researchers across 58 countries? ✉️ Email us!

UK & Europe

• User Experience Designer, NHS (London, On-site)

• L2 UX Researcher, Akraya (London, On-site)

• Senior UX Researcher, Mixed Methods, Vista (Spain, Remote)

• Senior/Staff UX Researcher, Bolt (Germany, Remote)

North America

• Behavioral Science Director, JTI (Danville, VA, On-site)

• User Researcher, Perplexity (US, Remote)

• Lead UX Researcher, Monetization (New York, NY, Hybrid)

• Lead UX Researcher, Craft Education System (US, Remote)

Asia

• Qualitative UX Researcher, Search, Google (Bengaluru, India, On-site)

• UX Researcher, Applause (Singapore, On-site)

Oceania

• Senior Quantitative UX Researcher, Google (Sydney, Australia, On-site)

• UX Researcher, Australian Council for Educational Research (Melbourne, Australia, Hybrid)

Latin America

• UX Research Ops, BRQ Digital Solutions (Brazil, Remote)

• Lead User Researcher, TripleTen (Buenos Aires, Argentina, Remote)

Don’t see roles in your location? Let us know in a reply and we’ll have a look!

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👋 About us

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