User researchers already document findings at a faster velocity than orgs can act on them. It strains credulity that tech leaders are clamoring for even more yet worse AI-generated findings. My new blog post, "The only winning move is not to play." gregg.io/the-only-win...

New from my blog: The only winning move is not to play https://gregg.io/the-only-winning-move "Let’s not debase ourselves as user researchers further"

Fugazi is never the wrong answer. open.spotify.com/track/6p7f0M...

Maybe I'm out of step, but I don't think it's great when most of the sponsors of a major user research conference are selling products that replace user researchers with AI.

“I don’t have a password - it’s my thumb” is a phrase I hear way too often when I try to help my parents with their accounts. Biometric login adds such a degree of difficulty in assisting aging adults, especially from afar.

I don't want to be recorded by facial recognition glasses. I also don't want people to think I'm recording them because I wear Ray-Bans that look like the Meta privacy nightmare specs. About time for new frames. 👓

Mike Watt being backed up by Eddie Vedder, Dave Grohl, and Pat Smear.

Putting aside for a moment that the entire notion of user research is predicated on studying humans being, the doorknob phenomenon is very real, highly illuminating, and *impossible for any AI to replicate.*

Bad Religion’s 1992 song “Generator” is an early warning of AI’s rise to ubiquity, with prescient lyrics about text and photographs being subsumed under a generative layer. In this essay I will-

Every Silicon Valley innovation in the consumer space has been "what if this software was my mom" which explains why ChatGPT's primary use is as a therapist, relationship substitute for lonely boys, and "personal operating system" to organize their life

Eyes Wide Shut. Packed opening night in NYC. Masked party scene. “May I have the password, please?” Audience member immediately yells “BULLSHIT” and the whole place explodes with laughter.

There are ~17k Starbucks stores in US (which is 2x the number of coworking spaces). Really want to improve "collaboration, problem-solving, and culture-building?" I can think of 17k places where this will be way more impactful than an office.

This is (still) a great idea. And the same goes for Medium.com: if you are a local journalist and need a place to share your work, reach out if I can help you get started.

I am serious about supporting local journalism. If you want to report the stories, I will get you set up technically. And I will keep you online. HMU. PS>Any hosting partners wanna step up? How about one shared account for the first three new local publications? (Traffic will be small at first)

New from my blog: In praise of redundant publishing practices https://gregg.io/in-praise-of-redundancy "Publish for both your audience and your future self"

New from my blog: How I write https://gregg.io/how-I-write "A brief reintroduction"

I don’t know that anyone following me needs this reminder today, but just in case, turn off biometric authentication and switch to password on your phone if you think you could be arrested. You cannot be compelled to give a password, but biometrics are treated differently.

Sí, se puede

Pro tip for families sharing a small hotel room: the lobby restroom is always an option! And the fitness center might have a fully stocked shower.

For my work @ Medium.com, I'm studying why designers/UXRs write on the internet. If you blog or publish a newsletter, I'd love to learn more via this very short survey (or send me a DM if you prefer!): medium.typeform.com/to/cKg2sFIv?...

There's a special sense of pride that comes from doing meaningful work with an organization that embodies your values. blog.medium.com/yes-to-a-div...

i think it is important to say that the open and explicit racism of the president and the vice president isn’t just uncouth or “controversial” but a direct attack on tens of millions of americans and a dereliction of their duty to represent the entire country

Webinars are great! But think twice about the relevancy of webinars offering timely workplace advice from people who haven't been in a workplace *for years.*

Even if you haven't recently experienced a layoff and subsequent job search (like me), you should read this post about the UX job market by @jmspool.bsky.social. It's insightful and helpful for job seekers, hiring managers, and ICs: articles.centercentre.com/why-is-the-u...

Honestly enjoyable things I'm doing to finish 2024 before feasting and celebrating with my family: installing Ruby and Jekyll on a new Chromebook, and migrating 2FA accounts from Twilio to @bitwarden.bsky.social 's authenticator. Fun stuff!

Articles that hype or guess rather than inform Decorated with AI slop “art” Shared on a platform that costs you nothing but your eternal association with those who monetize hate A better world is possible if you don’t optimize for the dumbest, easiest option every step of the way.

I have so many questions for the org or person who decided that *Saturday night* is the ideal time to send a job rejection email. "Hey, dumb dumb. Not only do we not want to work with you, we also want to ruin your weekend. You're welcome."

UX resource to bookmark: a collection of research related bookmarks, organized by topics lie facilitation, case studies, interviews, methodologies and more, maintained by @gregg.io ⭐ greggcorp.notion.site/Research-Pra... (also thanks for adding some of my content in there)

Care makes work humane, yet it's rarely valued: "Care work in the workplace includes things like organizing team lunches, mentoring less experienced colleagues, and coordinating informal consensus-based decisions…." Always, always read @aworkinglibrary.com: everythingchanges.us/blog/care-wo...

Something new from my blog: Making research more durable https://gregg.io/durable-research "If we only answer what’s asked, we only answer known knowns. Our value comes from uncovering the unknown"

Deprioritizing links in favor of keeping people locked in a platform like some kind of shitty casino with no windows is one of the biggest sins of the major social sites (and even Google search results now). Being able to link directly to information unencumbered is more crucial than ever.

If you identify as a UX researcher and want to be included in this pack, reply here (or DM me if we're mutuals)! 🤝 🫡

📣 I created a starter pack for the UX research community! I made so many friends and learned so much over the years on Twitter. Let's recreate that magic here. ✨ go.bsky.app/K7LqGXU

If you're in the US and manage others, be there for your people today. Cancel non-essential meetings. Give folks the choice of time to themselves or a friendly ear. Here's what I said in case you want to remix it for your own situations:

The new #TheCure single "Alone" rips—one of their best songs, full stop. youtu.be/sx9SVAtMkJM

I still don’t understand how the first UX researcher to use “learnings” in lieu of findings or takeaways or insights wasn’t immediately fired or put on a performance improvement plan. #ux

👋 Re-introducing myself to the influx of new users + followers—welcome! I'm a UX researcher (Hearst Mags, Condé Nast, Vox Media, Mailchimp) + author (Research Practice). In a past life I was a designer of emo/punk albums + a design professor. AMA about research (or old midwest emo 🤘).

I vented about AI on my blog: "AI is neither the product nor the goal. It's like selling people on the capabilities of plumbing and paper manufacturing when they just want to make a bathroom stop during a road trip after a poorly-planned Taco Bell menu decision." #UXsky gregg.io/i-dont-care-...

Finally pared my UX Sky list down to the most active 50 people. Share this out to your network to get more user experience people on here! go.bsky.app/2NKjZdu

In case you're interested in moving your newsletter: we can migrate _everything_ for you. Subscribers, posts, paid subscriptions, images, the whole nine yards. It takes minutes, not hours.