Many UX designers spend hours refining screens, perfecting interactions and perfecting their designs.

All this work to get ready to share with stakeholders.

Then they walk into a review meeting, share their designs, and ask:

“What do you think?”

🫠

Soon the conversation has devolved into debates about:

• button placement
• text size
• background colors

It’s quickly slipping into personal preferences.

Now all of these stakeholder opinions that have little to do with the user problem being solved.

The unfortunate truth is that great design is not enough.

Your ability to present, explain and facilitate discussion around your work can have as much impact on your career as your ability to create the work itself. If you can’t help others understand your designs and contribute meaningful feedback, those solutions may never make it into the product.

Tom Greever’s Articulating Design Decisions and Donna Spencer’s Presenting Design Work both tackle this challenge from different angles.

Together, they offer an important lesson:

Design reviews are not about showing work. They’re about creating understanding and driving better decisions.

What Most Designers Do Wrong

Many design presentations follow the same pattern:

• Jump directly into screens
• Explain details as they go
• Point out specific elements on the screen
• Ask for general feedback
• See feedback is not what they were seeking
• Defend their design choices when challenged
• Leave with unclear next steps

Have you seen this happen? This approach almost guarantees unhelpful feedback.

When stakeholders don’t understand the problem being solved, they focus on the only thing they can see: the interface.

That’s when comments like these start appearing:

• “Can we make that button red?”
• “I would use it that way.”
• “My partner would not like this.”
• “What if we added another icon?”
• “Can you make the logo bigger?”

The discussion shifts from solving user problems to collecting personal preferences. No designer wants that.

How to Present Design Work More Effectively

1. Start with the problem, not the screens

Before showing a single design, establish context.

Explain:

• Who the user is
• What problem they’re trying to solve
• What research or evidence informed the work
• What business goal you’re supporting
• What constraints influenced the solution

A design review should never begin with: “Here’s what I designed.”

Instead try:

“Customers told us they struggle to compare account options. Our goal was to reduce decision anxiety and improve conversion. Here’s one approach we’re exploring.”

Now everyone is evaluating the design against an objective rather than personal taste.

2. Tell a story

Donna Spencer emphasizes helping audiences understand the journey.

People process information more effectively when it is presented as a narrative rather than a collection of screens.

In other words, talk about “a person doing a thing,” as Donna says in her book.

A simple structure is:

1. Here’s the challenge.
2. Here’s what we learned.
3. Here’s our design response.
4. Here’s how it addresses the problem.
5. Here’s where we need feedback.

This prevents stakeholders from mentally jumping ahead and focusing on surface details.

3. Be explicit about the feedback you need

One of the biggest mistakes designers make is asking:

“Do you have any feedback?”

Of course they do! That’s an invitation for endless opinions.

Instead, ask targeted questions.

Examples:

• Does this approach address the customer problem?
• Are there business constraints we haven’t considered?
• Which of these two approaches best supports the workflow?
• Is there information we’re missing before moving forward?

Specific questions generate specific feedback.

4. Give people a job

When presenting the work, have each stakeholder look at the design through their lens. That way they are focused on what is important to their role. And they are less likely to provide random opinions since they do not align to the job they are critiquing the work for.

If they are a:

• Content strategist — Have them focus on the wording
• Developer — Have them focus on the technical feasibility
• Marketing director — Have them focus on whether the colors and fonts are on brand

5. Present decisions, not screens

Strong designers explain why decisions were made. This is a great way to show how research has influenced your design decisions.

Instead of saying: “The account summary moves to the top.”

Say: “Participants repeatedly looked for account balances first during testing, so we moved account summary information higher on the page.”

The first statement is a design preference. The second is a design decision supported by evidence.

6. Listen longer than you talk

When feedback arrives, resist the urge to defend yourself. This is not the time to show hurt feelings or start a battle.

Instead:

• Ask follow-up questions
• Clarify concerns
• Understand underlying motivations
• Separate opinions from actual risks

Sometimes a stakeholder’s suggested solution is wrong, but the problem they’re identifying is real. Your job is to uncover the concern beneath the suggestion. When you understand what success looks like for each stakeholder, you can frame discussions in language that resonates with them.

7. Facilitate the conversation

The best design presenters behave more like workshop facilitators than performers.

You need to:

• Guide the discussion
• Keep it focused
• Redirect when necessary

The review should stay focused on the important decision that need to be made, not every possible future enhancement.

8. Document agreements and decisions

Many teams have the same conversations repeatedly because nobody records what was decided.

After the review:

• Summarize key decisions
• Note open questions
• Capture action items
• Document rationale

Future debates become much easier when the reasoning and history is visible.

Start Doing This Today

You don’t need a new process. Maybe just modify your approach a bit.

Before your next design review:

• Create a one-slide summary of the problem you’re solving.
• Identify the three most important decisions reflected in your design.
• Prepare the specific feedback you need.
• Identify the “job’s lens” each stake holder should be viewing the design through and let them know
• Practice explaining design rationale in terms of user and business outcomes.
• End the meeting with documented decisions and next steps.

Even these small changes can dramatically improve the quality of feedback you receive.

The most influential designers are not necessarily the ones who create the best looking screens. They are the ones who can connect user needs, business goals, research insights and stakeholder priorities into a shared understanding that moves a team forward. They get that alignment.

I was waiting to get the bad news about a layoff…. Or at least I thought I was.

Here’s my story.

This image is nothing special.

Just a picture of getting ready to hear some pretty bad news.

It’s not a usual work day.

I am actually attending a conference. I need to drop my husband off at the airport before I go.

But I get a last-minute urgent meeting from my manager telling me to make time in my driving to take this important call.

Gulp.

This does not feel good.

Last-minute meetings between you and your manager when you are attending a conference must be serious, right?

I am sitting in my parked car at the airport waiting to join a call with my manager.

Then I get the news.

Due to organization restructuring….

Your role has been impacted….

Maybe you have heard very similar lines?

I am not really sure 100% was said after that. It’s a bit of a fog.

But I do know that layoffs are rampant in my industry. Layoffs are hitting folks I know every week. Maybe even every day.

But for some reason, I am spared.

I am not getting laid off.

I have made the list to stay.

I survive.

But that might not be the case for other people.

Again, I feel like I am hearing more about layoffs that job openings or people getting hired.

Maybe that’s just the Baader-Meinhoff effect kicking in.

Who knows? 🤷

Reflecting on the state of the tech, UX and product industry.

Hell, any industry, to be honest.

👉 I want to say today is 2 things:

1️⃣ If you have been laid off…. You will be OK.

I know it does not feel like it, but you will.

I have been through more than one layoff in my career and look, I am still here.

This is a test of your strength, which you will step up and show you have.

You will have a million different feels.

Up, down, positive, negative. Maybe all of those in a single day! That is OK. Accept them. Go through ALL of them. Learn a bit about yourself in the process.

l always say: “Everything happens for a reason.” And the tough part about that is, you may never know the reason. Never.

Get ready for the next AMAZING thing you are meant to do. Because for some reason, the universe is telling you that your job was holding you back from what you are REALLY supposed to be doing.

You have been handed a gift. 🎁

And in time, you will unwrap that gift and start a new chapter in your life.

2️⃣ If you know someone who has been laid off check in on them.

No matter how long ago the layoff happened: hours, days, weeks.

Hearing a caring, friendly voice could be the ONE thing that keeps them from slipping into a funk.

Knowing that another human is thinking of them could be the SMALL motivation to get them out of bed today.

Life is hard right now.

Anxiety is high.

Confidence is low.

We still need human connection.

Be there for that human that needs you on the other side.

Can you relate?

As we enter a new year, it’s time for that loved or hated UX tradition: bold predictions for the year ahead. But let’s be real, 2026 won’t just another lap around the sun for user experience professionals. The landscape is shifting fast. And the spicy truths are harder to ignore than ever.

Whether you’re a seasoned designer, a research pro, or somewhere in between, this list is your wake-up call (with a side of tough love and empathy). Grab your glass of wine, buckle up and let’s dive into the 26 trends that will shape — and shake — the world of UX in 2026.

Ready to stay relevant? Let’s go!

AI Will Rule the World — Or Will It?

1. AI Literacy Will Be a Baseline Skill

The days of treating AI as a “nice-to-have” are over. In 2026, AI is going to be as fundamental to UX as knowing how to use a mouse. If you’re not fluent in AI tools and concepts, you’ll be seen as a relic from a slower, less efficient era. You don’t want that, do ya?

So what? If you can’t speak AI, you’ll look outdated and get left behind. Teams will stop explaining AI basics to you, as they should. if you’re not up to speed, you’ll be excluded from key projects and conversations. The gap between AI-fluent and AI-illiterate UX designers and researchers will become a career chasm.

Now what?

• Experiment with AI tools for ideation and research. Do not wait for permission or “the right project.”
• Learn who to write prompts (some say it’s the new wireframing).
• Showcase AI-enhanced workflows in your portfolio, not just pretty screens.

2. AI Becomes Your First Draft Partner

AI is now the default co-pilot and partner for every UX deliverable, from wireframes to drafting research questions. Teams expect you to use AI for speed and scale, not just novelty. If you’re still starting from a blank canvas, you’re wasting time and missing out.

So what? Your value shifts from making stuff to critiquing, strategizing and aligning with business. If you’re not leveraging AI for first drafts, you’ll be seen as inefficient and outmoded. Your process will look slow and expensive compared to your peers.

Now what?

• Learn to prompt for design problems, not just screens.
• Build a library of reusable prompts.
• Focus your value on UX strategy and business alignment.

3. AI-Generated Personas Become the Norm (And Still Kinda Terrible)

Companies are churning out personas using analytics and AI summaries. They often skipping real human nuance. And this is not new. What is new is teams using “Synthetic users,” which are faster. But they’re missing the soul of actual user research. The shortcut is tempting, but it is a risky move for teams who care about accuracy and data informed decisions.

So what? Speed wins, but real insights and knowledge lose. Relying on AI personas risks building products for imaginary users. This leads to costly misfires and missed opportunities for empathy-driven innovation. Also, you might as well be building “fake” products for those “fake” users.

Now what?

• Insert real qualitative insights whenever possible.
• Teach teams when persona shortcuts are dangerous.
• Create “decision-ready” personas tied to specific moments.
• Surface flaws and assumptions created by AI-generated personas.
• And while you are at it, just forget making personas at all. Check out my video as to why.

Tight budgets mean fewer deep dives. But skipping qual research leads to costly mistakes. The pendulum swings back when teams need real answers.

4. AI-Assisted Synthesis Becomes Standard

AI can turn mountains of raw data into insights in minutes, making synthesis 5–10x faster. Is it really any good though? The magic “ah ha” moments often get lost in translation. AI doesn’t understand the unique context of your project. The risk of trading depth for speed can be a killer for sure.

So what? AI lacks context. Your judgment is still critical. If you rely solely on AI, your insights will be generic and shallow. You will miss the strategic edge that sets great UX apart.

Now what?

• Learn how to feed structured data into AI.
• Validate insights manually. Don’t trust the robot blindly.
• Use AI to find contradictions and edge cases.
• Always use critical thinking and check the work

Stakeholder Management & Soft Skills To Master

5. UX Pros Who Can Influence Will Win

In 2026, technical skills alone won’t get you far. The real power lies in influencing stakeholders and guiding product decisions. This is especially true when the room is full of strong opinions. If you can’t “read the room” and move the conversation, you’ll be stuck on the sidelines.

So what? Average skills + elite EQ (emotional intelligence) > elite skills + average EQ. Influence is the difference between being a strategic partner and a pixel pusher. Those who cannot sway decisions will be left out of the most impactful work.

Now what?

• Build relationships to earn trust.
• Strengthen negotiation skills.
• Frame UX as risk mitigation.
• Document wins where you changed minds.

6. UX Pros Must Show They Understand Business Models (Impact Over Craft)

Hiring managers will be done with pixel pushers. The pendulum will swing back from visual design as top skill to strategy holding the ranks. People who hire want UX pros who understand how their work drives revenue, retention and ROI. If you can’t connect your design decisions to business outcomes, you’ll be seen as junior, no matter your years of experience.

So what? Pretty mock ups don’t pay the bills. ROI does. If you don’t speak the language of business, you’ll be sidelined in strategic conversations and risk being replaced by those who do.

Now what?

• Learn to tie design decisions to revenue or retention.
• Add measurable outcomes to your case studies.
• Speak CFO language: “this design saved $X.”

7. Being Good at Cross-Functional Politics Is a Requirement

Navigating difficult PMs, skeptical engineers and shifting priorities is now part of the job requirement. Being talented and easy to work with is the new cheat code. Knowing how to work well with different roles, and understand their priorities will keep you in the game.

So what? If you can’t tell a “hard stakeholder story,” hiring managers assume you can’t handle real work. If you can’t build alliances across teams, you’ll be isolated and your projects will stall. Collaboration is now a survival skill.

Now what?

• Build low-drama, cross-functional relationships.
• Document how you’ve handled tough situations.
• Flex your “easy to work with” reputation.

If you’re not building your brand, you’re letting others define your reputation. Remember your personal brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Make sure that YOU control what they says.

8. Soft Skills Overtake Hard Skills in Hiring

Teams are prioritizing candidates who can align stakeholders and drive collaboration over those who obsess over pixel perfection. Sure, AI can design screens, but can it sell ideas or build consensus? Nope! The ability to communicate, facilitate and resolve conflict is now your superpower.

So what? Collaboration will reign over pixel perfection. The best ideas will never see the light of day if you can’t get buy-in. Soft skills are now the gatekeepers skills to get the best jobs and have an impact. Consider soft skills your secret weapon.

Now what?

• Develop negotiation and facilitation skills.
• Learn conflict resolution.
• Practice executive communication and storytelling.

9. Resilience Will Be the Ultimate UX Skill

Layoffs, AI disruption and market shifts have made chaos the new normal. The UX pros who survive are the ones who adapt quickly, learn constantly, and stay visible. If you’re not building resilience, you’re building obsolescence.

So what? Consider resilience to all the shit being thrown at you, the “new” black. And you have to learn how to adjust to all of these challenges. Those who can’t bounce back from setbacks will be left behind. Adaptability is now the difference between thriving and surviving.

Now what?

• Keep learning. You must never coast.
• Build multiple income streams.
• Stay visible and valuable.
• Build your personal brand online. (See more on that below)

Portfolio to Land that UX Job

10. Your Portfolio Needs to Have Proof, Not to be Pretty

The era of shiny, over-polished case studies is dead. Hiring managers want to see your thinking, your tradeoffs and the messy drafts that show real problem-solving. If your portfolio looks too perfect, they’ll assume AI created it and you can’t think for yourself. Or worse, they will think you made it all up and nothing is based on research.

So what? Hiring managers are hiring people for critical thinking skills. Portfolios that lack substance will be ignored. Proof of process and impact is now the golden ticket to job interviews.

Now what?

• Show your thinking, not just your outputs.
• Include “ugly” drafts and logic behind decisions.
• Showcase research conducted to inform designs or solutions.
• Highlight metrics and measurable impact.

11. Portfolios Will Be Video-First (Will Outshine PDFs)

Static case studies and PDFs are yesterday’s news. Video walkthroughs let you showcase your personality, clarity. and storytelling skills. Plus they’re easier to consume on mobile. It may feel weird — live everyone who makes videos is an “influencer.” But if you’re not on video, you’re missing the chance to stand out.

So what? 3-minute video walkthroughs and introductions on LinkedIn or YouTube are the new norm. If you’re not leveraging video, you’ll be invisible to recruiters who want to see your communication skills in action.

Now what?

• Learn basic video editing.
• Script concise case study narratives.
• Optimize for mobile viewing.
• Embrace multimedia to reach short attention spans.

Tools like Figma have nearly every design on the planet. So the importance of dedicated design system roles are fading fast. The future of visual design is about prompting, not maintaining.

2. Portfolios Will Need to Show Impact, Not Just Process

Employers are bored of endless slides showing your process. Hiring managers want to see results. It’s not about showing all of the deliverables you made during a project. Outcomes and impact are the new deliverables.

So what? Case studies should start with “here’s what changed for the business.” If you can’t prove your work made a difference, you’ll be passed over for candidates who can.

Now what?

• Rewrite case studies to highlight measurable outcomes.
• Include before-and-after metrics.
• But don’t make metrics up.
• Cut the fluff — nobody cares about your sticky notes.

Personal Branding — Love it or Hate it, You MUST Stand Out

13. Personal Branding Will Be Mandatory

If recruiters can’t find you online, you don’t exist. LinkedIn thought leadership is now table stakes, not a bonus. Your digital presence is your new business card — and your first impression.

So what? Visibility is the new resumé. Invisible professionals miss out on opportunities. Ff you’re not building your brand, you’re letting others define your reputation. Remember your personal brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Make sure that YOU control what they say.

Now what?

• Post regularly about UX insights.
• Share case studies publicly.
• Build a niche voice (spicy truth works).
• Have a point of view on things and don’t be afraid to share it.

14. Personal Branding and Being Findable Online Matters More Than Your Resumé

Your digital footprint is now your first impression. Senior talent is everywhere, but visibility is rare. If you’re not showing up in searches, you’re are pretty much invisible to the people who matter.

So what? Quiet talent loses to visible competence. If you’re not findable, you’ll be skipped over for roles before you even get a chance to apply. Never miss the opportunity to make a great first impression — even if you are not doing it live.

Now what?

• Post weekly insights on LinkedIn.
• Share behind-the-scenes thinking.
• Reuse content across platforms.
• Know your stuff and let the world know where you stand.

15. Having an Opinion and Thought Leadership Is a Hiring Advantage

AI can generate neutral outputs, but only humans can offer a real point of view. If you’re posting insights, writing breakdowns or sharing frameworks, you’ll get hired faster. Why? Because you are already out there in the world.

So what? If you’re “flexible with anything,” you’re invisible. The strongest people in UX have a point of view and are willing to share it when it counts.

Now what?

• Share frameworks and breakdowns.
• Post insights regularly.
• Don’t be afraid to be spicy — just be real.
• Unless you are a total asshole (don’t be that please) people who like your take will flock to you and follow. Hell, they may even hire you.

The Job Market Will Be Rough

16. The UX Bootcamp Bubble Finally Bursts

Employers have stopped pretending bootcamp grads are “job ready.” The market is flooded with certificates. But what matters now is experience and problem-solving. Bootcamps are no longer the golden ticket they once seemed.

So what? Strong candidates must prove thinking, not just tool mastery. The bootcamp shortcut is closed. And expensive! Only folks with real experience and critical thinking will get hired.

Now what?

• Highlight real projects and constraints.
• Mentor junior folks to help them level up.
• If you hire: screen for thinking, not tool mastery.
• Do not encourage bootcamps as a viable route into UX.

Like it or not, companies are looking for the “UX unicorn” who can do it all to keep their teams small and their budgets tight. It’s up to you if you want to be employable at places like that.

17. Entry-Level UX Jobs Will Be Nearly Extinct

Companies want plug-and-play talent, not juniors who need hand-holding. Much to the industry’s demise, the days of “entry-level” roles are fading. Entry-level job descriptions are stating “3 years experience” requirements for even the most junior positions. The ladder is missing its bottom rungs.

So what? Requiring years of experience for a junior role is the new normal. Breaking into UX will be harder than ever. Those without experience will need to hustle, gain experience and network to get noticed.

Now what?

• Mentor juniors if you’re senior; it’s a leadership flex.
• If you’re junior, volunteer or freelance to build real projects.
• Network like your rent depends on it (because it does).

18. UX Job Titles Will Shrink, Not Expand

Companies are consolidating roles to cut costs, and the “UX unicorn” is back. Except now it’s mandatory. Expect hybrid titles like “UX + product strategy” or “UX + AI prompt engineer.” Specialization is out; versatility is in.

So what? If you’re not multi-skilled, or even “full stack,” you may be overlooked for roles that demand breadth and depth.

Now what?

• Learn adjacent skills (product, data, AI).
• Stop saying “I don’t do X.” You do now.
• Build a portfolio that screams versatility.

19. UX Salaries Will Stagnate or Drop

Oversupply of talent and AI automation are putting downward pressure on salaries. Layoffs are adding fuel to the fire. Senior roles that used to command $150k are now settling for $120k, if we are lucky. The market is getting tougher, and negotiating perks is more important than ever.

So what? If you’re banking on steady salary growth, you are going be disappointed. Diversification (from skills to side hustle) is now a financial necessity.

Now what?

• Diversify income streams (consulting, content).
• Negotiate perks, not just salary.
• Upskill into strategy roles.
• Remember the market changes are not your fault.

Job Roles and Hiring Will Evolve

20. People Working on Design Systems Will Become a Thing of the Past

With AI and automation, building design systems from scratch is becoming obsolete. Tools like Figma have nearly every design on the planet. So the importance of dedicated design system roles are fading fast. The future of visual design is about prompting, not maintaining.

So what? Dedicated design system roles will fade away. If you’re clinging to design system work, you’ll be left behind as teams automate and streamline these tasks using AI. Don’t wait. Get on board.

Now what?

• Understand how to use Figma and AI prompts to design your system.
• Learn strategy and communication to transition to a different type of UX designer role.

Detached leaders will be replaced by those who can both set direction and deliver results. With all the layoffs of middle design and UX managers, hands-on is the new leadership standard.

21. Senior UX Roles Shift Away from Execution

Senior UX professionals are expected to mentor, influence, and set direction — not push pixels or write every research plan. The craft is important, but leadership and vision are what get you hired. If you’re stuck in execution, you’re missing the bigger picture.

So what? If you’re not showing thought and strategy leadership, you’ll be passed over for roles that require strategic impact.

Now what?

• Document frameworks for your team.
• Show “leadership artifacts” in your portfolio.
• Delegate craft work strategically.
• Balance execution with vision.

22. The “Back to Basics” Revival & Rise of the “UX Generalist 2.0”

Small teams want researchers who can design and designers who can analyze. “But I don’t do research…” is now a liability, not a badge of specialization. Teams are rediscovering that simple, usable flows outperform shiny AI features. Like it or not, companies are looking for the “UX unicorn” who can do it all to keep their teams small and their budgets tight. It’s up to you if you want to be employable at places like that.

So what? Simple, usable flows outperform shiny AI features. If you’re not a generalist, you’ll be boxed out of lean teams that need flexible, multi-skilled contributors.

Now what?

• Become a generalist with a sharp edge (e.g., research-heavy designer, systems-focused designer).
• Pick up at least one secondary skill.
• Cross-collaborate intentionally on your next project.
• Get comfortable shipping rough prototypes fast.
• Advocate for simple solutions first.

Teams are prioritizing candidates who can align stakeholders and drive collaboration over those who obsess over pixel perfection.

23. “Hands-Off” Leaders Won’t Get Hired

In 2026, UX leaders must both think and do. Strategy and execution go hand in hand. And companies want leaders who can roll up their sleeves.

So what? If you say “I don’t do the craft anymore,” the company hears: “I’m expensive and not useful.” Detached leaders will be replaced by those who can both set direction and deliver results. With all the layoffs of middle design and UX managers, hands-on is the new leadership standard.

Now what?

• Stay hands-on with both strategy and execution.
• Document how you balance leadership and craft.
• Show recent examples of direct contribution.

UX Research Will Change

24. Qualitative Research Becomes a Luxury — But a Necessary One

We’ve seen this many times…. Companies cut qualitative research first, then realize analytics can’t explain why users behave the way they do. Tight budgets mean fewer deep dives. But skipping qual research leads to costly mistakes. The pendulum swings back when teams need real answers.

So what? “Can we just run a quick survey instead?” is the default. But those “in the know” will see the short comings of a survey alone. If you can’t deliver high-impact qual, you’ll be seen as expendable. Quant alone won’t solve the toughest product problems.

Now what?

• Learn lean research techniques.
• Package qual insights as high-impact stories.
• Build templates for rapid synthesis.
• Pitch qual as decision insurance.
• Train junior UX folks (and maybe even PMs) on proper qual techniques to reduce mistakes.

25. UX Research Gets Split Into Two Tiers: Fast Food and Fine Dining

Research is now divided into Tier 1: AI-powered, quick-and-dirty studies, and Tier 2: deep, strategic qual with real humans. The gap between “good enough” and “truly insightful” is widening. Your mission is to show the value of both research approaches.

So what? If you can’t deliver tier 2 value, you’ll get replaced with tier 1. If you’re stuck in Tier 1, your work will be commoditized. Tier 2 researchers will command the respect (and budgets).

Now what?

• Double down on synthesis and storytelling.
• Learn to audit AI-generated insights for bias.
• Sell your judgment, not your note-taking.
• Document shortcomings and the risks of AI-generated research.

26. Research Will Be Automated — But Not Insightful

We’ve come full circle. As a UX pro, you will need to utilize AI to stay viable. Sure, AI can summarize interviews and crunch survey data. But it can’t interpret nuance or context (yet). Teams will ask, “We ran an AI survey; do we still need qualitative UX research?” The answer is yes — if you can deliver real insight, not just data.

So what? If you can’t add value beyond what AI delivers, your role will be seen as redundant. Insight that lead to value is your job security.

Now what?

• Double down on synthesis and storytelling.
• Learn to audit AI-generated insights for bias.
• Sell your judgment, not your note-taking.

I know some of these will not be popular, or even accurate. But like I stated, to expose aspects of my personal brand, I have to have a point of view. This article does that, my friend if nothing else.

👋 See you on the other side of 2026.

This is the transcript for a fun mock interview I had this Steve Jobs on topics hot in 2024. The video of Steve Jobs talking about politics on BlatzChatz is funny, so check out that for better entertainment value.

tl;dr bullet points summary:
Jen Blatz of BlatzChatz takes an existing interview from the D8 conference and edits answers to align with topics like the:

• Involvement of Silicon Valley in politics
• Negative aspects of political campaigns
• Value of traditional media
• Impact of ego in leadership
• Steve’s twisted take on leaving the world through holes in websites

Jen: So, let me ask you. Why do you think that some people leave this earth differently? Why was it different for you?

Steve Jobs: They said, because I bleed in six colors.

Jen: Uh, you bleed six colors? Wow, okay, I didn’t see that coming. We’re extraordinarily diligent and extraordinarily transparent about it.

Jen: Okay Steve, if you say so….

Jen: What does Steve jobs? The co-founder of apple. Think about the state of politics in 2024.

Jen: The interview starts out pretty interesting, but then stuff gets weird. Let’s see what happened.

Jen: Hi Steve, good to see you. So what do you think about the state of the political landscape right now?

Steve Jobs: This is this is America.

Jen: Yeah, I totally get that. Do you think everyone around the world has the same problems with politics?

Steve Jobs: No, every single country has different standards.

Jen: That’s true. Did you ever think that we would be here today?

Steve Jobs: It’s surreal.

Jen: It’s surreal. Do you mean how the political campaigns are going?

Jen: You know, the information shared in them and the mudslinging that’s going to be happening from both sides?

Steve Jobs: There were a few handfuls, but there wasn’t anything. Even a percent of what there is now. It’s huge now.

Jen: Yeah, I think the ads are going to get worse as the election gets closer.

Steve Jobs: And this transformation is going to make some people uneasy. People from the PC world. Like you and me, it’s going to make us uneasy. Because the PC has taken us a long ways.

Jen: Okay. PC. Well, that could go a couple different ways. You could mean a personal computer. You are Steve Jobs. Or you can mean political correctness. But I hear you. There’s going to be some name calling. There’s probably going to be some racist and sexist remarks. It’s not going to be pretty. It’s kind of early days right now.

Steve Jobs: But when it really starts to happen, I think it’s uncomfortable for a lot of people and because it’s changed and a lot of vested interests are going to change and it’s going to be different. So I think that we’re embarked on that.

Steve Jobs: Just because we’re competing with somebody doesn’t mean we have to be rude.

Jen: Well, that’s true. What do you think of the former president who is running for president again?

Steve Jobs: This guy’s a son of a bitch liar.

Jen: Oh, okay. Tell me how you really feel, Steve.

Steve Jobs: We’ve got all the data. We know this.

Jen: What do we know?

Steve Jobs: One is completely open and uncontrolled

Jen: You said one. I think we know who you’re referring to. So is it safe to say that you’re not a fan of this person?

Steve Jobs: What happens sometimes, though, is that some people lie. Some people submit an app that they say does one thing but really does something else.

Jen: And by app, I think you mean the application to become president or accept the nomination.

Jen: Yeah, it does feel a little bit like we’re not hearing the whole story. We’re just getting soundbites about the narrative that the candidates are trying to get out there.

Steve Jobs: this guy’s a son of a bitch liar

Jen: Oh, okay. Tell me how you really feel, Steve.

Steve Jobs: We’ve got all the data. We know this.

Steve Jobs: They try to hide it from us. They get very clever about that. They try to hide it from us and we find it and we reject it and they run to the press and they tell the press the story about oppression.

Steve Jobs: And it gets written up and they get their 15 minutes of fame because they hope it will convince us to, to change our minds.

Steve Jobs: Which it never does, but they keep trying to do that and it’s unfortunate but we take it in the chin. That’s part of what we do and we don’t run to the press and go this guy’s a son of a bitch liar That’s just not appropriate for us to do.

Steve Jobs: You just mentioned the press. Do you think the truth is getting out to the people in the public, Steve?

Steve Jobs: One of my beliefs very strongly is that any democracy depends on a free Healthy press. And so when I think of the most important journalistic endeavors in this country I think of things like the Washington Post the New York Times the Wall Street journal You And publications like that.

Steve Jobs: And we all know what’s happened to the economics of those businesses. And some of them are in real trouble. So even more than magazines,

Steve Jobs: I think some of these newspapers are the news gathering and editorial organizations are really important. I don’t want to see us descend into a nation of bloggers myself.

Steve Jobs: I think we need editorial more than ever right now. So

Steve Jobs: Anything that we can do to help the New York times and the Washington post, the wall street journal, and other news gathering organizations. Find new ways of expression so that they can afford to get paid so they can afford to keep their news gathering and editorial operations intact. I’m all for.

Jen: So Steve, you’re talking about traditional media, like newspaper articles, political cartoons, and editorials, things like that, right?

Steve Jobs: Political cartoons got caught in that. Because by definition they defame people. So we didn’t think of that. That was an unintended consequence of a rule that said you can’t defame people.

Jen: And do you think there’s a lot of defamation going on in politics right now?

Steve Jobs: We had a rule that said you can’t defame other people.

Steve Jobs: Yeah, you can’t defame people.

Jen: Sure. That’s fair. We talked a lot about politics, Steve. Maybe a little too much. So let me wrap up by asking you who is going to win the presidential election.

Steve Jobs: The, it’s complicated.

Steve Jobs: Oh, I have no idea. I have no idea.

Jen: Yeah, I hear you. It is complicated. We have a person who was president in the past. Then they lost an election and now they’re running to be president again. It’s kind of strange right now.

Steve Jobs: Because nobody’s ever done this before.

Jen: Well, not quite, Steve. Grover Cleveland is the only former president who’s ever come back after being defeated for re election, and he won a second non consecutive win. I absolutely think we could do better.

Jen: Oh yes, I agree. To me, I kind of feel like when a person tries to make a comeback move like this. It’s just to feed a big ego.

Steve Jobs: So I don’t see why you have to change if you get big.

Jen: Ah, I hear you.

Jen: That makes sense. When people become famous or a powerful leader. Sometimes they forget the person that they used to be. They stop being friendly. Or the respectful person they once were. It’s really kind of sad, Steve. Don’t you think?

Steve Jobs: I, yes, I understand, and I feel your pain.

Jen: So, I want to talk about the tech companies for a minute. When it comes to Silicon Valley, are they involved in politics too much? Or maybe not enough?

Steve Jobs: Most people think not enough.

Jen: Oh, you think so? Tell me more about that.

Steve Jobs: We’re doing the best we can. We’re making mistakes. We’re fixing them as fast as we can. Are you really? A lot of people in the valley think we’re really old fashioned about this.

Jen: Yeah, I worry about this stuff, too.

Steve Jobs: And it’s pissing us off Really?

Jen:You’re getting pissed off?

Jen: No, Silicon Valley is not monolithic. We’ve always had a very different view than some of our colleagues in the Valley.

Jen: Exactly. Who cares what other people think? It kind of reminds me of a quote. There are all kinds of stupid people that annoy me, but what annoys me the most is a lazy argument.

Steve Jobs: No, we have. Wonderful arguments

Jen: Oh, okay. So it sounds like guys in tech are not all bad. You know, one person that comes to mind when I think of a tech bro is Elon Musk. Now, he can’t become president since he was not born in the United States. So he’s not even eligible to run.

Steve Jobs: He’s a nice enough guy about it.

Jen: Oh, okay. So you like Elon Musk? I’m surprised you’re calling him a nice guy.

Steve Jobs: They’re doing pretty well actually in some ways and they have some work to do in other ways.

Jen: Sure. You know, who isn’t guilty of that? I think a lot of people would agree that they could work on themselves a little bit.

Jen: So I want to wrap up this chat about politics with one more question. Thinking about who might win the 2024 presidential election. And I’d like to think that presidential candidates are not seeking the position just for power.

Jen: I’m hoping that they’re going for this position for good, right?

Steve Jobs: Yeah, I guess why wouldn’t they be is the question.

Jen: Because being president of the United States is a leadership role, not a dictatorship. There are multiple branches of government, as you know, and they all have to balance each other out. It’s not like one person gets to call all the shots.

Steve Jobs: The best ideas have to win, otherwise good people don’t stay.

Jen: Sure. I don’t really want to think about people leaving the country because of the person who’s in power. It’s kind of a scary thought.

Steve Jobs: So we have a history of doing that. ​

Jen: Yeah, I know it happens. People get fed up with the government and go to another place to pursue a better life.

Steve Jobs: I’ve actually always done a bit of that.

Jen: Uh, you what? Left the United States? I’d go so far as to say, Steve, that you actually left Earth. You died in 2011, remember?

Steve Jobs: There are holes in some websites, but those holes are getting plugged real fast.

Um, are you saying that you left earth through some holes in a website? Uh, what? What are you talking about?

Steve Jobs: So I understand that’s a problem for some people

Jen: Um, yeah, that’s a little strange for me to wrap my head around. So Steve, are you suggesting that back in 2011, One way to leave earth was to exit through holes and websites.

Steve Jobs: Oh, in its day, sure it was.

Jen: Okay. Yeah. Well, that’s interesting.

Jen: So, let me ask you. Why do you think that some people leave this earth differently? Why was it different for you?

Steve Jobs: They said, because I bleed in six colors.

Jen: Okay Steve, if you say so, we’re gonna move on now.

Jen: See, I told you that things got pretty weird.

Jen: Just wait till the next installment of this interview. There’s more weird stuff to come.

Jen: Now, this is not an AI generated video. This is a video with a little bit of clever editing. And creative license.

Jen: Obviously, we lost Steve years ago. And I’m creating this video with all the love and admiration that Steve Jobs deserves.

Jen: Oh, and one more thing. If you like this interview, subscribe to BlatzChatz because there’s more to come.

Check out the full recording of the 2024 Steve Jobs on Politics interview for great facial expressions, tone and vibes from both Steve Jobs and Jen from BlatzChatz.

When a coworker / boss / HIPPO / team member claims:
“I have YEARS of experience in this space, therefore I know what is best….”

We often think to come back and say, “Ahhhh but you are NOT the user.”
But what if they are a user? What if they do use that credit card, shop at this store, or drive that car?

But what if they are a user?

Some alternatives to the “HIPPO” who claims to know best:
• We (the team) know too much. We know how the sausage is made.
• We are more emotionally invested in how things work out because it is our JOB to do so.
• We think WAY more about this experience than an average user does.
• We’re almost too smart for our own good. We need to remember that this experience is a tiny part of the user’s every day tasks and world. Tiny tiny. So we need to almost NOT think about our perception of this experience.
• We are giving this WAY more time and effort than a real user does.

What are your favorite alternative comebacks instead of “You are not the user?”

Update

I passed the CPACC exam. Woot! So I guess these study tactics were successful after all. Keep reading….

TL;DR

Taking the CPACC exam is no picnic. I am sharing the strategies I used to study for this challenging exam.

Granted, this plan may not work for everyone. Consider how you effectively learn, as you read through these suggestions, and choose what might work best for you.

And we’re off

Whew! I did it…. I took the CPACC exam.

Did I pass? I am not sure. I won’t find out a definitive answer for a few weeks.

Until then I can share my studying strategies to help you prepare for this challenging exam.

The funny thing about the CPACC exam material is, I first thought, “Oh, this stuff is so simple. It’s just common sense, right?” Nope! After I started to take the online courses, and bomb the practice quizzes, I knew this was not going to be so simple. If I wanted to pass the CPACC exam, I needed to come up with a serious learning strategy to be successful.

What is the CPACC?

According to the IAAP website, which is the organization that distributes the exam, the CPACC exam is: The IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) credential is IAAP’s foundational professional certification. Relevant domains for the CPACC credential include the web and other digital technologies, architecture and the built environment, consumer and industrial design, transportation systems, and any domain in which thoughtful design, policy, and management can improve disability access.

In other words, it’s a certification to signify that IT professionals know the ins and outs of accessibility core concepts. People who are CPACC certified are considered leaders in the field of disability and accessibility theory. They guide their teams to develop more accessible digital products and services, and even physical environments.

What’s the exam like?

• 100 multiple-choice questions — with four (4) possible responses
• Taken in 2 hours — which flies by quickly
• Closed book — which means you cannot reference any material — you have to know this stuff
• Challenging — I will say that I did feel like I knew most of the answers — maybe just not 100% confident about all of them.

How did I prepare?

I am not the kind of person who can crack a book the night before a major exam, skim the pages, absorb all the knowledge and ace the test. I wish! Nope, I have always had to work for my decent grades.

I am kind of old school. I am a physical, not digital, book reader. I like to highlight printed paper and review my highlights over and over. But I do not have a printer, and I want to save the trees a bit, so I opted out on printing the material for a paperless experience.

Since my go-to methodology of study was off the table, it took to a few new (to me) methods to prepare for this exam:

• Online courses
• Recordings of chapters and charts
• Highlighted digital PDF
• Physical flashcards
• Activities on a digital whiteboard Mural
• Practice quizzes
• Digital flashcards
• Typed notes
• Create songs

Now let me talk about how I tackled my “mixed-methods” approach to learning.

Online courses

There are a few highly recommended online courses to help you prepare for the exam. I was lucky enough that my employer had budget for me to take these courses to help me prepare for the CPACC exam. Basically, these online courses consist of a lot of written material, reworded from the “Body of Knowledge,” which is considered the CPACC exam source of truth. So, these online courses are a lot of reading, with some videos, to help reinforce or illustrate the concepts in different ways. The Deque course and the official IAAP course are not free, but both courses are very extensive when it comes to covering the material.

Would I recommend one over the other? Probably not. They are pretty similar in the material covered. And it’s tough for me to determine which source was the better one, since I do not know my result from the exam yet. Ha! My approach was to read these online courses, and take my own notes copy/pasted in MS Word. More on reviewing these typed notes below.

Recordings of chapters and charts

I hate the sound of my own recorded voice, don’t you? But my co-worker suggested that I record myself while reading the online courses to listen to the material audibly when I am away from my desk. I could listen while cooking, cleaning, walking the dogs, taking a break or just any other time I had a few free moments. I found this to be helpful because it gave me the opportunity to hear the information (and therefore internalize it) from a different sense other than reading.

I will admit, my mind tends to wonder while I am cooking or walking the dogs, so at times it was challenging to stay focused on the audio recordings. But listening to the information over and over, helped me to pick up pieces here and there that I might have tuned out the previous time I listened. For the charts, like the Universal Design for Learning Principals, I am not sure if listening through my ears, or viewing it with my eyes was a better approach. But again, taking every opportunity to internalize the information was the goal here.

Pro tip: Break up the content into smaller chucks. I would recommend making the recordings from 5 to 20 minutes, so that you can listen to them during shorter activities. I had some recordings that were longer, upwards of 50 minutes, and I found those to be too long to keep focus on. Making them shorter gives you more opportunities to listen to them when you only have a few minutes of free time.

Highlighted digital PDF

Like I said, I am old school, and I like to highlight textbooks. For me the opportunity to highlight the “Body of Knowledge” PDF was a good way for me to approach the learning the way I was comfortable with — highlight key concepts to review again later. Using Adobe Acrobat, I was able to highlight the key phrases in the PDF. Then I later read the PDF and audio recorded highlighted text for my “away from computer” activities. I also would review the highlighted portion when I felt like my eyes needed to see something other than the online courses or MS Word notes I was reviewing. Changing things up was key for me.

Physical flashcards

Flashcards are old school, but they can be a great “reality check” method to see if you are really absorbing the material. Sometimes, I fool myself thinking I am reading something and taking it all in. But I know my mind can wonder while reading too. So, to check that I am getting the material, I would take the practice quizzes and do the activities in Mural (see below). I pulled content for my flashcards from failed quizzes, my activities in Mural and other sources that just didn’t seem to be sinking into my brain. I just used stable card stock paper. One side had the topic, the other side had the definition, principle or statistic I was trying to remember. Physical flash cards were particularly helpful for me to learn:

• Laws
• Disability numbers and statistics
• Components or principles
• Definitions

Writing these cards by hand, and having them physically in my hands helped me to make a stronger connection with the material. I believe it helped me to learn it faster. The benefit of physical flashcards is that you can quiz yourself from both sides of the cards. For example:

• Side 1: What percent of the world has a disability?
• Side 2: 15%

Now you can quiz yourself from side 2 (15%) or side 1 (What percent of the world has a disability?). Flip it back and forth to quiz your knowledge from both ways.

Pro tip: In your learning rounds, eliminate cards from the stack as you get them correct. This helps you feel like you are making progress in learning, and it forces you to revisit the information you are having the most struggles learning. Get the answer right, remove it from the stack. Get it wrong, it goes back into the stack until you finally learn it.

Activities on a digital whiteboard Mural

Even though Mural was my tool of choice, you could use any virtual whiteboard or digital design tool to help “quiz” yourself on the material. Again, this was another means for me to move beyond reading, audio and quizzes. Working in a digital whiteboard forced me to apply the components to the principle.

Let me explain the steps of how I did this in Mural through an example:

• Determine what topics you need extra help remembering
• Black header for the name of the principle (use any colors you choose)
• Orange for the definition
• Yellow for the components of the principle
• Blue for examples from quizzes and courses
• Construct hierarchies so you have the correct answers to reference
• Make a copy of that to work with and “scramble”
• Use the Grid feature in Mural to mix up all the stickies (all except the principle headers)
• Once the stickies are mixed, try to apply them to the right principle
• The topics you get wrong, make a note to try to learn from your mistakes
• Repeat the activity until you perfectly assign topics to principles

The advantage of using a virtual whiteboard is the ample amount of space to work in. You can use several different approaches to help you structure material to help you learn. Stick a visual example or a graphic next to the content to help make visual connections for memory. You can use a variety or formats, illustrations, photos, text, drawing lines, creating timelines and charts. Use different colors, structural and visual approaches to bring out the knowledge in visual ways.

Pro tip: For my Mural, I had categories for Universal Design, Universal Design for Learning and POUR (Perceivable, Operable, Understanding and Robust). But do this for whatever information you might need extra help remembering.

Practice quizzes

Quizzes were a hard-core reality check for me. Just when I thought I had read the chapter, absorbed most of it, and really was learning…. Boom! Quizzes acted like a slap in the face that I was not focusing on the material strong enough. Ouch! In the past I would often skip the quizzes thinking, “Yeah I know this stuff. I don’t need to take the quiz.” Boy, was I wrong.

The quizzes from the online courses were helpful in a number of ways:

• Tested my comprehension of the material
• Showed the gaps in my knowledge
• Illustrated the types of questions
• Showed me how tricky the questions could be

Pro tip: I would not say that the quiz questions from the online courses are the exact questions on the exam. So don’t feel compelled to memorize the quiz questions from the courses, thinking they are going to be the same ones on the exam. What I would suggest is to make sure you know the answers for these online quizzes, just in case similar topics appear on the exam.

Digital flashcards

Like I mentioned before, I used physical flashcards to help me personalize the material that I needed extra time to learn. But I also found a great online resource, Quizlet, where people had created flash cards to help them prepare for the CPACC exam. This was yet another reality check to see if I was absorbing the information.

Typed notes

I sure do love me some typed notes. It’s easy to copy and paste isn’t it? Maybe sometimes too easy.

• I had two sources for typed notes that I used to prepare for the CPACC
• My own notes I copied and pasted from online courses
• My co-worker Meg Wyble’s fantastic notes she took from online courses

Even though our resources were quite similar, (we were both pulling from the same IAAP and Deque sources) we took quite different approaches. Meg had a separate document for each chapter from the Deque course. I had one long MS Word document (over 80 pages) from the same course.

I found that Meg’s approach, having the content in smaller consumable chunks was much better. In fact, I didn’t even go back and read my notes after taking them because I thought the document was too long and overwhelming. Determine if copy/paste notes from an online source to your own notes is really worth it.

Create songs

I know, it is a silly concept. An adult singing songs to help remember the material? Well let me tell you, it worked. This is known as a mnemonic device, which is a learning technique that helps with information retention and remembering. This technique was also inspired by sage advice from my co-worker Jami Odell. I was listening to one of his recordings, and suddenly he was singing the Universal Design Principles to the “A-Team” TV show theme. What??? This catchy tune helped me to remember the principles as well. I know you might feel a bit silly making up songs to remember things, but it is effective. Try it the next time you really need to learn something.

Are there any ‘Cliffs Notes’ or ‘short cut’ version to reduce study time?

You wish! If you know of any, please share. But I feel like the level of details the tests asks would not be enough for a “short cut” version. You really need to know the details, and more importantly, how they apply to the concepts to real-world examples.

Format of the questions

Let’s talk about how the practice quizzes “showed me how tricky the questions can be” for a second. When I say tricky, I just mean you REALLY need to focus on what the question is asking you. For the most part, questions are not so much asking you to select the best definition of a term. That would be too easy. Instead, the questions require you to take your knowledge to the next level. Not only do you need to know the definition or principle, but you also need to APPLY that to the BEST example or concept. That is the challenging part. Here is an example of what I mean by a “tricky” question.

Question: Which is the best way to eat your way to good nutrition?

A. Include an array of colors to your plate

B. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables

C. Eat a large amount of high-protein foods like seafood, poultry, red meats, heathy fats, eggs and legumes

D. Drink wine since it is lower in calories than beer

The correct answer is B.

First, you need to understand what good “nutrition means,” and what types of food might contribute to “good nutrition.” Then you need to think about which truly is the BEST answer.

Answer A sounds good, but this is too generic. Do you know what “colorful foods should be eaten” even means? Skittles are pretty colorful, does that mean you fill your plate with this colorful candy? Nope!

Answer C is wrong because you should not eat a large amount of protein. Plus, it is not recommended to eat a LARGE amount of red meat and healthy fats. Note, pay attention to key words that make the answer less than BEST.

Answer D is wrong because alcohol consumption is not considered a positive contributor to good nutrition.

Could some of these answers up for debate? Probably. But the idea here is to select the BEST answer. That does not mean that all the other answers are completely wrong. They might not be the best answer. The key here is to pay attention to every word. One small detail can significantly change the question or answer. So read every question and option very carefully.

How long did all of this take?

I am not going to lie, this is definitely a time commitment and professional investment. I really can’t estimate how long it took me to prepare. And the amount of time a person needs is going to greatly vary. I started reviewing the material several months ago, but found it was not really sinking in.

The best strategy for me was to put a deadline in place and work from there. I decided I was going to take the exam in approximately 3 months. Then I started reading the “Body of Knowledge,” taking all the online courses, and reviewing Meg’s MS Word notes. But I was starting to worry that if I read it too far in advance, I would start to forget the material. Remember I am also balancing working full time and other extra curricular activities.

So I put a line in the sand: 1 month from today. I picked an exam date and booked it. There was no turning back. At that point, I was committing 1–4 hours a day to really learning the material, and using the mixed-method approach I just discussed. Again, that is my time estimate, you have to know how quickly you learn, how easily you forget and how much time you have to commit to learning.

Now what?

Hurry up and wait. Exam grading takes 4–6 weeks after the close of the exam session. My exam session was from July 19 to August 16. I took the exam on August 3rd.

I will say, it takes a village to help a person through challenges like the CPACC exam. It is a beast. I had some great notes and tips from co-workers who had already passed the exam. I had such fantastic moral support when I felt like I was “dumb as a box of hair,” certainly destined to fail. It was my village that reminded me that “I’ve got this” and helped me reach the finish line.

For me, that victory lap (whether I passed the exam or not) was a yummy banh mi sandwich.

Online Resources

My IAAP presentation on how to study for CPACC on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kq7CL9Mr234

Body of Knowledge https://www.accessibilityassociation.org/resource/IAAP_CPACC_BOK_March2020

Deque’s CPACC exam preparation course https://dequeuniversity.com/online-courses/iaap-cpacc

IAAP and Princeton University prep course https://iaap.edunext.io/courses/course-v1:IAAP+CPACC+2021/about

Quizlet flashcards https://quizlet.com/search?query=cpacc&type=sets

Let’s talk about some, all-encompassing and broad questions that are a great way to wrap up an interview. These types of questions allow the participant to share information that you may not have covered in the interview.

When you ask these follow up questions, usually the participant will say something like, “I think we covered everything.” Then the participant can go on their merry way. But sometimes, by asking one of these great wrap questions, you tap into pure gold with the participant. These final questions bring up topics you never imagined to ask about. And sometimes these final thoughts are fantastic.

Check out some of my favorite follow up questions when it comes to conducting UX research interviews with participants:

If you had a magic wand…

I love to ask the question, “If you had a magic wand….

• What would you change? OR
• How would you like for this to be? OR
• What would you do differently?

This is a great way to really understand what is really important to the participant. This is especially valuable when topics do not come up in the interview, but the participant thinks it is important to share.

Also, this is a great way to surface innovation opportunities. If you hear about pain points, goals or motivations while the participant answers this question, these can be great golden nuggets to take back to your team to explore through further research or design.

Granted, this can be a tough question to answer for some people to answer. They may not “think outside of the box,” and they may just feel like they covered everything in the interview. That is ok. But for those who do have additional info, give them time to surface that now. It may take them a few moments to collect their thoughts. So be sure to give them plenty of time to think about it and answer. Silence is golden.

Is there anyone else I could talk to about this?

Don’t be afraid to ask if there are other people you could talk to on this same subject. Participants can be great referrals, especially if you are talking to internal employees or to people in very niche markets. If there is another person that is knowledgeable about the subject, usually participants are more than happy to share the name and contact information for additional people you can talk to.

Is there anything else we did not cover that you would like to share?

I can’t tell you how many times people will say, “No that is all…. Except for blah blah.”

Wait, there’s more? Yes!
Sometimes participants think they have covered everything. But then they get to thinking, and more great info surfaces.

Also, it may be a topic that did not come up in the interview, but is still fantastic information. Most of the time the participant will just say, “No I do not have anything more to add.” But just in case, it’s a great way to give the interview some closure.

What haven’t I asked you about today that you think would be valuable for me to know?

This question is very similar to the previous question. This gives the participant another opportunity to share things that may be on their mind, but did not come up in your research session.

In the end, giving the interview participant an opportunity to share information that may not have come up in the conversation is not only a polite way to let the participant share what’s important to them. This also gives you the opportunity to learn more that you may not have been thinking about.

We are near April 9th, which would have been my mother’s 91st birthday. However, my mom will not see her birthday this year. She passed away from cancer on February 24th, just a few weeks before her birthday. She lived a full life, living to see 9 decades, raising 6 children and surviving multiple battles with cancer. But it was her time to go. And I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to say goodbye.

When my dad died in 2011, I had to make a tough choice:

• Do I go back to Indiana now to say goodbye?
• Do I wait until dad passes and go back for the funeral?

I went back and forth on the decision to go back for my dad for a couple of weeks. I made the decision that I was going to wait until he passed away, and go back to Indiana from California to attend his funeral.

Then one night I abruptly changed my mind. Something pushed me to go back right away. So my husband and I hopped on the next flight we could get from Los Angeles to Fort Wayne. We didn’t even tell my mom or my siblings we were coming back. We were only planning on staying a few days… or so we thought.

We walked up to my dad’s hospice room and surprised him. At that point, he was not talking much, he was refusing food, and he was extremely weak. I remember thinking he was just a shell of what my father was just a couple of months before. Like I said, our arrival was a surprise, and you could see the confusion on his face. He looked to my mom and sister for answers. “Did you know she was coming here?” — you could tell he was thinking. Then he said the words that have stuck with me ever since: “You finally came.”

My dad was waiting to say goodbye to me and I never knew it. He died the next day.

Fast forward to 2023. My mother is in assisted living and steadily declining. Her mental and physical health are on a gradual decline. When her cancer came back again, and it was untreatable. Then her assisted living turned to hospice care. The reality sunk in: mom was never going to get better and go home.

I now have the luxury that I do not have to make that dreadful decision: do I go now, or do I go later? I am fortunate enough to work at a company where I can work remotely.

My company:

• Knows I am qualified to manage my time and tasks to get things done
• Sees I am meeting deadlines
• Values that skill sets like mine can be found outside of the corporate headquarters boundaries
• Understands that people can balance personal time and work time without the watchful eye of a micro-managing boss
• Does not require the a$$ to be in the seat to get the job done
• Provides boundaries to balance work / life balance
• Trusts that I can do my job

Other companies said they trusted their employees and valued their skills when they required everyone to work from home during the pandemic. Why has this trust shifted now? Why are companies now trying to pull employees into the office “X” days a week to justify their investment in real estate? Enough about that rant, let’s get back to the story.

Perhaps if we humanize what it is like to come into the office, and the pain points around doing so, some empathetic managers will think twice before setting such stringent requirements.

Because I am fortunate enough to work for a company where I can work remotely, I was able to spend some quality time with my mother in her final days. I didn’t know it was going to be her final days, but alas, they were. I was able to laugh with her, hear her stories and give her hugs before I could do it no more. Though death always feels too soon, and you always want more time, at least I got to say goodbye to my mother. The flexibility of not being required to be in the office, or located near an office building, provided me with the freedom to make the right choice for me: to see my mother before she passed, and to say goodbye to her as she slipped away.

Because I work for a great company that offers this flexibility of remote work I was able to:

• Balance working and visiting my mother
• Spend quality time with family
• Make arrangements around my mother’s funeral
• Take a bit of time to grieve and distance myself from work to start to heal

I am sharing this story with you, not to elicit sympathy, but to humanize a perspective. This is a perspective that is lost in numbers, statistics and the numerous articles about companies requiring employees to come back into the office now that the pandemic has subsided.

I thought it was time to share a personal story so that you might empathize with the benefits of remote work. We hear so many empty numbers and soulless counts of people being called into the office.

• Are we hearing the personal accounts and effects of what going back in the office is doing?
• Are we hearing about the struggles people are having with a long commute?
• Are we hearing about people having less time to spend time with their families?
• Are we hearing about the time wasted on meetings in empty office buildings that could have easily been conducted from the comfort of our established home office?
• Are we hearing about sacrifices people are making to accommodate thankless companies that are trying to justify what they pay to keep their office leases?

I think it’s time we focus on the human side of this arrangement. It’s time we share some of these personal stories. That is why I am sharing mine. Perhaps if we humanize what it is like to come into the office, and the pain points around doing so, some empathetic managers will think twice before setting such stringent requirements. My hope in sharing my story is that some employers might reconsider the firm policies they are making, and start thinking about how these decisions affect their employees and colleagues. Some employers will remember how much people “stepped up to the plate” to work from home and keep operations running. And they will appreciate ALL of this was done remotely.

If nothing else, the pandemic proved that humans are adaptable, they are flexible and people are capable of working without being in a physical office location. As your company considers removing remote positions, think about how these companies are taking away the freedom of an employee, like me, to say goodbye to my mother.

My dear friend attended a theme park with her family this past summer. She was excited to…

• Enjoy this quality time with her family
• Ride the attractions
• Eat great food
• View in the sites
• Take tons of pictures
• Create fond memories they would cherish for years

Alas, the theme park, which I will call “Let Yourself NO theme park” to protect the “innocent,” did not produce the desired results for this once-in-a-lifetime family trip.

Let me give you a little bit of context about my dear friend who I will call Linda. In the years I have known Linda, I have seen her struggles to walk grow stronger, which breaks my heart with every step she takes.

Linda is disabled. She has a hereditary degenerative disorder that is slowly making it more and more painful and difficult to walk or stand or handle any uneven terrain. But my dear friend Linda is also a wife, a mother, and a dedicated full time professional.

Linda and her family try not to let her disability hinder normal family fun as much as possible. They chose to visit her home state of California and attend the “Let Yourself NO theme park” after researching that their rides were handicap accessible. More importantly, that THE entire park was handicap accessible. However, all day at the theme park, Linda and her family were met with quite a lot of hassle, frustration, embarrassment, and hardship.

Wrap some kind of brace/splint/foot cast onto your legs, wear your bulkiest clothing, and try to get in and out of your rides. See how it feels. Have your kids and husband or wife be forced to watch you struggle as everyone else stares at you.
— Linda’s suggestion to anyone trying to empathize with her experience

Linda shared her story with me and I felt like I needed to share it with the world. We are told that we need to make things MORE accessible. But what does that really mean? When we think of designing software, UX professionals often think of increasing the font size, using high-contrast colors or making sure the colors used are not the only indicator for people who are color blind. But what about all the other disabilities?

Are we thinking about people who struggle with:

• Hearing impairment
• Sensitivity to sensory stimulation
• Difficulty learning or retaining information
• Speech impairment
• Cognitive disabilities
• Mobility challenges
• And many more!

As people who make product, service or design decisions, we probably are not thinking enough about the various challenges people face in their lives.

So let’s get back to Linda’s letter to the “Let Yourself NO theme park.” This is the letter she wrote to the park, but did not send. I know my thought was, “Why in the hell didn’t she send it to those a$$holes?!?!”

Well for Linda, she was worried she might get in trouble with her employer. (They have a strict and cautious social media / public communication policy.) She also was embarrassed that this happened to her and her family. No one wants to admit that they could be responsible for reducing their family’s fun time due to their their own physical limitations. Plus, Linda told me that just getting it out on paper, and out of her head was therapeutic enough.

Well, folks, that is not enough for me. I am sharing Linda’s original letter with you all so that we can all get better and build empathy for others. Internalizing that disabilities come in many forms, and affect many worlds in the digital and physical, are critical. It takes stories like these, to remind us who are making design decisions for the world, that we need to do better. We ALL need to do better. Think about how YOU will do better based on Linda’s story.

TLDR: Highly inaccessible ‘accessibility’ tactics. “Let Yourself NO theme park” claims handicap accessible and happily takes handicap people’s full price ticket money but appears to not like, not understand, and not want any handicapped person to participate and enjoy park attractions.

Letter from Linda to “Let Yourself NO theme park”

I am writing this so that maybe just maybe you can understand and maybe you can make improvements to your park to be more inclusive and adaptive for customers in the future. I will never be back, but that doesn’t mean some other poor sap should get bamboozled like I did. Maybe those future families will have a better time if changes are made now.

Let me start with what worked well:

• Parking that was close to security and at general admission fee.

And that’s about it. (By the way, charging that much for general parking is disgustingly greedy. It should be free with ticket purchase.)

Now let me share the hardships and explain the areas of opportunities for you to build an inclusive experience.

Communicate Process and Guidelines

Paper cards required to allow me to access the handicap accessibility features. While this can only be an idea to avoid people from taking advantage of these services, this requirement was not explained to us at the gate as I drove in my electric scooter. It wasn’t until we got all the way to the far corner to ride our first ride that we were almost turned away. Thankfully the team member who took the time to explain the process to us let us ride that one ride (with our two impressionable kids in tow) before we had to make our way back to the front gate to prove that I needed the scooter I brought into the park and that I was actually handicapped to require the accessibility services of the rides. My suggestion: put up a sign at least! Educate ALL your team members to take the 2 minutes to direct people coming into the park with scooters/wheelchairs to customer relations right then and there. Provide instruction online while purchasing the tickets. There’s no reason for my experience to ever happen. Making things hard for people to take advantage of services at the cost of making things even harder on the people who actually need those services is not okay. It’s just simply not okay. Figure out a better way.

This would be the same for anyone with little kids using a stroller. So I can only assume you don’t want families with little kids or families with disabled persons to visit your park? Because why else would you make it that hard if it wasn’t to be a deterrent?

Curbs and Stairs

What is the purpose of curbs and stairs and steps in a park that is packed with people and hard to navigate even if I had two good legs? Finding a curb entrance, finding ramps, finding anything to allow my scooter to get me to normal areas of the park was not easy. (This would be the same for anyone with little kids using a stroller–so I can only assume you don’t want families with little kids or families with disabled persons to visit your park because why else would you make it that hard if it wasn’t to be a deterrent.) My suggestion — no curbs. No steps. Make everything a ramp if it has to be raised up for some reason. Simple.

Provide Plenty of Space

Compliant space allowance in stores and restaurants. Seriously — people in wheelchairs and scooters still want to buy merchandise and eat–we paid all this money to be there so we want mementos and we’re human so we get hungry, too. People with strollers also need space to push their kids through (it’s not just handicapped who are limited in this way). Most of the pathways in the stores and food areas are so tightly packed that it was miserable to try and shop as well as get through a food line or find a table. And I was in a travel/compact scooter, I can’t even imagine how those huge park scooters handled these areas. These are clearly only for people with two good legs and feet. And that is short sighted, stupid, and cruel to anyone who doesn’t match that description. My suggestion — get a bunch of your executives and your executives’ children and some park personnel–put those people in your huge scooters you rent and ask them to get through every single ride, activity, show, restaurant, and shop. Have someone in the scooter with 2 kids try to order food and find a seat. Experience the struggle first hand so you can feel what I felt and do something about it. See how it makes you feel trying to get through and can’t. Feel how scary it is that your kids are out of sight and you’re unable to get to them or how frustrated they are when they want to show you something and you can’t get there. Make the adjustments to the space.

Spaces Too Tight for Lines

Inaccessible ride waiting lines. I have no problems waiting in line–I don’t want to cut. If I have a fast pass, I’ll use it, but otherwise fair is fair. But the lines are not built for me. There’s no way I could walk them, stand that long, or climb the stupid ramps, steps, and what-not to get to the ride. So I’m forced to use the ‘fast lane’ as the accessible route with my electric scooter. But wait — if there’s a long line, I get a return time to come back. OH and if the line gets longer when I return at my return time, I get turned away. If I weren’t in a wheelchair, I would have gotten to ride. But alas, not for a handicap.

Inaccessible Ride Seats

How low and tight does something have to be to make it safe? I don’t know, but most of your rides are the most difficult to pull up out of when you don’t have two good legs or two good knees. Again, not everyone is the size nor abilities of your average teenager. And nothing is posted anywhere indicating the possible difficulties or experience of getting in and out of the actual ride seat. So let’s walk through this — you get the ‘I’m disabled pass’, you manage the curbs, you painfully drive through cobblestone bumps, you figure out how to get through the fast lane wheelchair stuff, you miss half of the ride experience (in some cases a huge miss like with Hogwarts castle), and then you can’t easily get in and out of the seat b/c your leg strength and ability isn’t that of a normal more athletic person… My suggestion — wrap some kind of brace/splint/foot cast onto your legs, wear your bulkiest clothing, and try to get in and out of your rides. See how it feels. Have your kids and husband or wife be forced to watch you struggle as everyone else stares at you. Maybe you’ll feel how embarrassing it felt to me, how awkward and uncomfortable the entire experience was. Now imagine that the brace area was also painful. It’s difficult to pay all the money to come to your park and be subjected to this level of discomfort. I never want to experience that again.

Not everyone is the size nor abilities of your average teenager. And nothing is posted anywhere indicating the possible difficulties or experience of getting in and out of the actual ride seat.

Own It — Be Clear You Are Not Really Accessible

What is the benefit of a moving walkway that you can’t even slow the speed down like Disneyland can? The small time-savings you get by having rides on a conveyor belt forces people like me to either struggle with instability (and the fear/anxiety that goes with it despite having a cane to assist) and require help from strong family members, fall into seats and quickly try to be ready before the ride begins, or miss the whole interior experience entirely (Hogwarts) as well as add even more wait time in order to wait for the ONE seat that can be stopped so I can load in without hurting myself. I’m serious–you have not accounted for ANYONE who doesn’t have the capability of a teenager. And this is unacceptable. Families like mine are more common than you think. And we have funds to come to your park and voices to share our experiences. My recommendation: if your target market is not to families like mine, fine–just be decent enough to state that up front on your website so we know it instead of being lulled into thinking it’ll be okay and then be subjected to these atrocities. Own it. Be clear that you are not equipped or desiring handicapped or anyone else who are not athletic to attend your attractions. Don’t make yourself out to be accessible and family friendly when you are clearly not.

Why in the world would you think this experience was suitable for a customer who paid just as much as everyone else to come into your park and then be treated with such backhanded-absurd-inaccessible services claiming to be accessible.

Changing Elevation and Levels

Upper and lower lots — with an afterthought on what to do about those dang handicapped. Regular legged people get to take a fun 5 minute escalator ride down–complete with amazing views–to go experience 3 amazing attractions and little food shops. Handicapped are forced to only have one family member join them, take an elevator that isn’t big enough to turn around in so have to drive in and back out blindly, then wait for a transfer bus with limited space (3 spaces for scooters), so wait longer for the next transfer bus, and then take a 10–15 minute back alley route down and around the mountain to the loading zone of the lower lot, have to wait for the attendant to pull the scooter out backwards because you’re 10 feet in the air and anxious about driving backward on a small ramp, and then go scavenge the area for the rest of your family waiting for you somewhere in the lower lot. Lower lot is worse with more curbs and stairs and additional difficult food lines that force family members to take the brunt of whatever you need. Why in the world would you build such a contraption unless you were trying to deter its usage. Why in the world would you think this experience was suitable for a customer who paid just as much as everyone else to come into your park and then be treated with such backhanded-absurd-inaccessible services claiming to be accessible. The bus attendants were at least nice–please give them my additional thanks for them being so human and helpful.

Accurate Website and Information

All information on the official website before booking our trip said that EVs were supported and that all rides were handicap accessible. You can barely make this claim and your accessible attempts were horrendous. I hope you feel ashamed and guilty to see those little blue accessibility signs all over your park. You could have saved me a thousand dollars had you just been up front about your inaccessible park. I did my best to salvage what I could for my family’s experience, but my husband has never been so pissed, and even my 11 year old was pointing out the frustrating and inescapable failings of your facilities.

Do The Right Thing

So here’s my final recommendation — fix your park to be actually accessible or stop the lies and be clear that it is not the park for physically handicapped people. I hope you do the right thing and fix everything to be inclusive or be clear about the actual experience (or accessible farce) in order to ward off and prepare persons with disabilities.

Linda

Get a bunch of your executives and your executives’ children and some park personnel–put those people in your huge scooters you rent and ask them to get through every single ride, activity, show, restaurant, and shop. Experience the struggle first hand so you can feel what I felt and do something about it.

It is a strong UX skill to make that connection with your participant and get them to feel comfortable talking with you. To do this, you need to build rapport… and fast! Interviews can make people nervous, so making the participant feel comfortable as soon as possible is quite important. The sooner you get that participant’s trust, the deeper you can get to your discussion.

Generally a great way to start an interview is to get a person talking about themselves. This is a topic they know quite well, and is easy for them to engage in a discussion. Also, you might be talking to people who work in highly technical fields, and their job title doesn’t really clearly indicate what they actually do in their job. A natural way to get a person to open up, and to learn about them is to ask them about their profession. But be careful. Since people love to talk about themselves, and they are often experts in their field, the participant might go into too much detail if you ask them to explain their job title. Or they might assume you know what the job title means, and again, dive right into the weeds when technicality you might not understand.

But I have a way to avoid this deep dive into technical no-man’s land. Presenting this statement is a way to get a person to tell you about what they do for a living, while editing out much of the technical expertise you really don’t need to hear.

My favorite rapport-building and opening question is:

“Talk to me like I am a 10-year old child, and very briefly tell me what you do for a living.”

This question is great on so many levels. Let’s dive into those now.

Talk About Me

Like I said before, people love talking about themselves. It’s an easy topic to talk about. And when your participant starts talking about something they know well, like their job, that makes them feel more comfortable. Thus, allowing people to start off in an interview speaking about themselves is a great rapport builder. By framing the question, and asking them to keep it simple for a child to understand, hopefully your participant’s answer will not eat up too much interview time. There’s no guarantee. Because like I said, people do like to talk about themselves. But by suggesting that they keep it brief, this could guide your participant from going on and on about their profession.

Funny

Humor often connects people and makes things seem less tense. By framing the question, and asking your participant to relate to speaking to a 10-year-old child, that often makes the person giggle a bit. If they don’t come right out and laugh, I find that this makes participants at least smile a little. We know that participants can sometimes be nervous at an interview. So easing the tension, and cracking an innocent joke can build rapport.

Keep it Simple

When you need to talk to a 10-year-old child, you need to keep things simple. This is why you ask participants to frame their professional story as if they are telling it to a child. The hope is the participant will use smaller words, simple language, and cut out all of the the technical jargon. Asking them to think of their audience as a child, hopefully causes a person to stay out of the expert-level details, and give you a high-level overview of what they do in their job.

Relatable

Most people have encountered a 10-year-old child in their life. Whether they have a family member or friend who is a child, or just recall what it was like to be that young. We know what it is like to talk to a child. It’s a universal reference, no matter how old or young a person is. People have some idea that speaking to a child is different from speaking to an adult. Again, the hope here is that people can relate to speaking to a child, and keep the description simple and understandable.

Short and Sweet

Note, we asked the participant to keep it brief in this statement. This was done intentionally for a couple of reasons. First, they won’t spend too long of your valuable interview time going on about what they do. Sure it’s nice to know. But for most interviews I participate in, what a person does for a living is not as critical as other information I need to learn about them. Asking about their job is more of an icebreaker. And second, you usually want them to keep it high level, and asking them to keep it brief, will hopefully do just that.

To summarize, building rapport quickly through one simple statement can be a powerful tool in your researcher toolkit. Asking a person to keep their answer simple and brief, by pretending they are talking to a 10-year-old child, is a great way to speed up that rapport building. What are your favorite methods to quickly build rapport with your participant?