NN/G UX Podcast

Latest Episodes:

36. AI & UX: Innovations, Challenges, and Impact Feb 16, 2024

Show notes

The surge of AI is currently changing the way we work and live. To avoid feeling left behind, it is important to engage with and understand these tools. This is true for UX designers just as much as almost everybody else. In this episode, we feature Henry Modisett from Perplexity AI and Kate Moran to get two insightful perspectives on the current state of AI and its connection to UX. Learn more about Henry Modisett Learn more about Kate Moran Perplexity.AI NN/g ARTICLES & TRAINING COURSES AI for UX: Getting Started (free article) AI & Machine Learning Will Change UX Research & Design (free video) AI Improves Employee Productivity by 66% (free article) AI-Powered Tools for UX Research: Issues and Limitations (free article) AI: First New UI Paradigm in 60 Years (free article) Sycophancy in Generative-AI Chatbots (free article) Information Foraging with Generative AI: A Study of 3 Chatbots (free article) The ELIZA Effect: Why We Love AI (free article) Practical AI for UX Professionals (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:43 Perplexity AI: History & Value Proposition 10:30 Perplexity AI: Next Steps & Future Developments 15:04 Making AI User Friendly: Generative Interfaces 24:33 Understanding AI as a Consumer Product 28:28 Mental Models for AI 30:41 An Outlook for AI 35:51 NN/g’s Role in the AI Movement 37:34 Anthropomorphism of AI 40:07 Dealing with the Fear of AI

35. Wireframing & Prototyping (feat. Leon Barnard, Content Manager, Balsamiq) Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

Wireframing is an incredibly useful design technique to flesh out conceptual ideas and communicate them to others. However, with the advent of powerful prototyping tools, some designers may think of these as irrelevant or outdated practices. Leon Barnard, Content Manager at Balsamiq and co-author of the book Wireframing for Everyone, discusses why he thinks wireframing is not only still relevant, but essential for maximizing creativity and innovative thinking.

Connect with Leon Barnard
Balsamiq Wireframing AcademyWireframing for Everyone (book) by Michael Angeles, Leon Barnard, & Billy Carlson

Related NN/g Articles & Training Courses

How to Draw a Wireframe (Even if You Can’t Draw) (free article)
UX Basics: Study Guide (collection of free articles)
UX Basic Training (UX certification course)
UX Deliverables (UX certification course)
Visual Design Fundamentals (UX certification course)

34. Data-Driven Decision-Making and Intranet Design (feat. Christian Knoebel and Charlie Kreitzberg, Princeton University) Jan 05, 2024

Show notes

We often talk about measuring progress, but it can sometimes be harder to do in practice than in theory, especially when you’re combining mixed research methods. However, some teams have managed to not only make sense of the data, but use it to make award-winning designs. In this episode we feature two members of Princeton University’s award-winning intranet team: Charlie Kreitzberg, Senior UX Advisor, and Christian Knoebel, Director Digital Strategy, and how they combined two frameworks: the 5D Rubric and pairLab, to bridge the gap between UX and product design.

Learn about the 5-D Rubric

Learn about pairLab

Related NN/g resources:

10 Best Intranets of 2022 (the year Princeton University won) (free article)
Intranet & Enterprise Design Study Guide (free article)
Past Intranet Design Annual: 2022 (the year Princeton University won) (534-page report)
Intranet Design Annual: 2023(most recent awards) (483-page report)

33. Tracking UX Progress with Metrics (feat. Dr. John Pagonis, UXMC, Qualitative and Quantitative Researcher) Dec 04, 2023

Show notes

Measuring a user experience can be intimidating at first, but it's an essential part of determining whether your work is moving in the right direction (and by how much). UX Master Certified Dr. John Pagonis shares his experiences from working with other organizations on measuring UX improvements and interpreting quantitative data.

Learn more about John Pagonis:

Connect onLinkedIn
Watch a past keynote talk: Usefulness measurement: A practical guide for all UXers (37 min video)⁠

NN/g Resources about Usability and UX Metrics:

Usefulness, Utility, and Usability by Jakob Nielsen, PhD (2-min video)
The UX Unicorn Myth (decathlon analogy, explained, 2-min video)
Usability 101 by Jakob Nielsen, PhD (free article)
Measuring UX and ROI (full-day course for UX certification)
⁠UX Metrics and ROI by Kate Moran⁠⁠ (297-page report)

NN/g Articles about Microsoft's Desirability Toolkit and Adjectives List

⁠Using the Microsoft Desirability Toolkit to Test Visual Appeal⁠ (free article)
⁠Microsoft Desirability Toolkit Product Reaction Words⁠ (free article)

Jeff Sauro, PhD on UX-Lite, UMUX-Lite, SUS, SEQ

(an aside: his website, MeasuringU.com, is an excellent resource)

Quick Update: Episodes Now On YouTube! Oct 13, 2023

Show notes

(But don't worry, we will still continue publishing future episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms!)

Check out our YouTube Channel here

Go to our YouTube Podcast playlist

32. Conducting Research with Employees (feat. Angie Li, UXMC, Senior Manager of Product Design at Asurion) Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

Research with employees might sound easy in theory: you work in the same company as the people you need to observe or interview, and you might not even need to pay them for input. However, there's a bit more to it than meets the eye. In this episode, we feature UX Master Certified Angie Li, and she discusses what has helped her organize and run successful research with internal team members.

Learn more about Angie Li

NN/g Articles & Training Courses

Employees as Usability-Test Participants (free article)
Structuring Intranet Discovery & Design Research (free article)
Ethnographic User Research (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)
User Interviews (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)
Usability Testing (full-day/2 half-day UXC course)

31. Service Design 101 (feat. Thomas Wilson, UXMC, Senior Principal Service Designer & Strategist) Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

Members of our UX Master Certified community are applying UX principles to their work in a range of different ways. In this episode, we interview Thomas Wilson, Senior Principal Service Designer at United Healthcare and discuss what service design is and what makes it challenging and rewarding.

Learn more about Thomas Wilson: LinkedIn

NN/g Service Design Resources:

Service Blueprinting (full-day or half-day formats)
Service Design Study Guide (free article with links to many more)
Learn more about UX Master Certification

Some of the (many) people and organizations Thomas mentioned:

30. Stakeholder Relationships (feat. Sarah Gibbons, Vice President at NN/g) Jul 07, 2023

Show notes

Building stakeholder relationships is no easy task but it is crucial for getting buy-in, aligning expectations and ultimately building trust. But, what even is a "stakeholder" and how do you know if you have good relationships built? In this episode, we feature a conversation between Samhita Tankala and Sarah Gibbons who discuss the challenges that come with stakeholder management and how to build successful relationships.

Learn more about Sarah Gibbons

Related NN/g articles, videos, and courses:

Successful Stakeholder Relationships (UX Certification course)
How to Sell UX: Translating UX to Business Value (Video)
How to Collaborate with Stakeholders in UX Research (Article)
UX Stories Communicate Designs (Article)
Making a Case for UX in 3 Steps (Video)
Stakeholder Analysis for UX Projects (Article)
UX Stakeholders: Study Guide

Other sources Sarah mentioned:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

29. UX Mentorship (feat. Tim Neusesser, UX Specialist at NN/g, and Travis Grawey, Director of Product Design at OfficeSpace) Jun 02, 2023

Show notes

The importance of mentorship for personal and professional development is an often-discussed topic, yet it can be challenging to find a mentor or become a mentor yourself. In this episode, we feature a conversation between a mentee, NN/g’s Tim Neusesser, and his mentor, Travis Grawey. In this episode they discuss how mentorship has impacted both of their careers.

Learn more about Tim Neusesser

Learn more about Travis Grawey (who mentors along with many others at ADPList)

Related NN/g articles & videos:

Why You Need UX Mentoring (video)
⁠The C's of Great UX Mentorship⁠ (video)
Finding UX Mentors (video)
UX Careers Report (free report)

28. Games User Research (feat. Steve Bromley, author and games user researcher) May 05, 2023

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what it's like to usability test a video game? Or what goes on behind the scenes of gaming studios as they prepare for big release dates? In this episode, games user researcher Steve Bromley shares how he got into the field, and what makes games different from traditional user experiences.

Steve's Website: gamesuserresearch.com; Steve's Book:⁠How To Be A Games User Researcher

Other websites Steve Mentioned