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Summary
We know how things are at the start of 2024, and the long term future? That's anyone's guess. But what might the not-so-distant future look like for User Research? That's a horizon that's just around the corner—and one that you start planning for now. Join us for a free discussion with some UX research thought leaders who have some opinions you'll want to hear about the near future of our profession—and bring your own! We'll be hearing from Sam Proulx of Fable, Lija Hogan of UserTesting and Milan Mijatovic; moderated by Lou Rosenfeld. This Talk is Sponsored by Fable, an #AR2024 Virtual Sponsor.
Key Insights
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AI-driven user experiences are becoming non-deterministic, producing different user outcomes for the same input.
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Traditional UX research methods need to adapt because every user will increasingly have a unique experience.
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Designing for edge cases is now designing for the new norm, as all users are effectively edge cases in AI systems.
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Long, 100-page UX research reports are becoming obsolete due to faster research cycles and larger data volumes.
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Mixed methods research combining qualitative depth and quantitative scale is essential for understanding complex data sets.
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Data fluency and coding skills (e.g., Python, R) are becoming critical for UX researchers to analyze large-scale data and leverage AI tools.
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Understanding assistive technology and accessibility trends provides insight into future mainstream UI paradigms.
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Ethical considerations around data collection, especially privacy for vulnerable user groups, are urgent in modern UX research.
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Macro-economic pressures and shrinking teams increase reliance on AI augmentation to keep up with data volume and insight generation.
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Regulatory environments (like AI governance and accessibility laws) are increasingly shaping UX research practices across industries.
Notable Quotes
"If you ask ChatGPT the exact same question twice, you get two slightly different answers."
"Now everyone is an edge case; we must research edge cases because they are the new average."
"The era of 100-page reports is going away because we need faster, more actionable communication."
"Researchers will become heavy-duty sense makers not just data collectors or transcribers."
"Learning to code helps us understand the assumptions built into APIs and tools engineers use."
"Assistive technology innovations today are the foundation for tomorrow's mainstream user interfaces."
"It's not about having the most data but the best and right data for ethical and meaningful insights."
"Teams are shrinking and budgets cut, so AI is no longer a toy but a necessary augmentation tool."
"Design problems, not technical ones, are holding back AI interfaces like chatbots and AR."
"We need to embrace our humanity and connection to each other to create resonant user experiences."
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