NN/G UX Podcast

In this episode, Peter Merholz—co-founder of Adaptive Path and co-author of Org Design for Design Orgs—joins us to talk about what it really takes to build and scale effective design teams. We explore the systems, structures, and leadership mindsets that shape successful organizations, the relationships between product and design teams, and how design leaders can foster clarity, consistency, and impact as their teams grow. Whether you’re managing a team or aspiring to, this conversation is packed with insights on navigating the evolving role of design in today’s organizations.Learn More About Peter:Website: https://petermerholz.com/Newsletter: https://petermerholz.com/newsletter/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/petermerholzPodcast: https://findingourway.design/Book: https://orgdesignfordesignorgs.com/Full-Day Courses (also available in half-day formats):DesignOps: Scaling UX Design: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/scaling-ux-design-and-user-research/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50Product and UX: Building Partnerships for Better Outcomes: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/product-and-ux/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50Leading Highly Effective UX Teams: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/leading-ux-teams/?lm=pm-ux-different-views-of-responsibilities&pt=article&utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50UX Leader: Essential Skills for Any UX Practitioner: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/ux-leadership-skills-for-all/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50New UX Managers: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/new-manager/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50Related Free NN/g Articles:DesignOps: Study Guide: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-ops-study-guide/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50Product & UX: Study Guide: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/product-and-ux-study-guide/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50PM and UX Have Markedly Different Views of Their Job Responsibilities: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/pm-ux-different-views-of-responsibilities/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50

As AI continues to evolve, designers are increasingly finding themselves tasked with creating AI-powered experiences—often without prior experience in the space. In this episode, NN/g UX Specialist Caleb Sponheim discusses the current state of AI tools, what’s working (and what’s not), and how designers can position themselves to navigate this shift. We also explore what it really means to develop AI safely and how designers can play a role in ensuring ethical, user-friendly AI experiences.About the speaker: Bio | LinkedInFull-Day Course: Designing AI Experiences(also available in half-day formats)Related NN/g Articles:Artificial Intelligence GlossaryHow Do Generative AI Systems Work?Redefine Your Design Skills to Prepare for AIAI Features Must Solve Real ProblemsMore Free Articles on AI

Most experienced professionals in the industry will tell you that the best designs don't operate in a vacuum. Yet, most of our measurement approaches do. How do you know you're actually making a measurable impact toward users' long-term goals? Connor Joyce, author of the book, Bridging Intention to Impact, shares his thoughts on how to create and evaluate products that center on meaningful user outcomes. Connect with Connor Joyce Order the bookRelated NN/g Resources & Courses: Free Articles on Analytics & Metrics Report on UX Metrics & ROI Full-Day or 2 Half-Day Course on Measuring UX and ROI

Product-centric design can be an efficient way to design interfaces, but it can often lead to disjointed and poorly optimized customer journey experiences. Kim Flaherty shares her recent research into journey-centric design, and insights on how a journey-centric design practice can help organizations overcome product-centric challenges. Report: Architecting a Journey Management Practice Learn more about Kim: ⁠Bio⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ NN/g Resources about Journey Management: ⁠The 3 Competencies of Journey Management (5-min video)⁠ ⁠Journey Management vs. Service Design (4-min video)⁠ ⁠The Practice of Customer-Journey Management (free article)⁠ ⁠Customer Journeys and Omnichannel UX (free article)⁠ ⁠Journey Mapping to Understand Customer Needs (UX Certification course)⁠ ⁠Customer-Journey Management (UX Certification course)⁠

Icons are popular components to incorporate into digital designs that can help simplify user experiences. But, not every icon is created equal. In this episode, Kate Kaplan shares the latest insights from her research on digital iconography which can be found in her new book, Digital Icons that Work. Learn more about Kate Kaplan: Bio | LinkedIn Her book: Digital Icons That Work (nngroup.com) Other Related Articles: Imagery in Visual Design Article Digital Icons UX Quiz

“If you squint hard enough, every problem is a prioritization problem.” -Harry Max UX professionals are often faced with the challenge of managing backlogged work and doing so with limited time, budget, and resources. In this episode, we chat with Harry Max about the common misconceptions with prioritization and how to get better at it over time. ⁠Learn more about Harry Max NN/g Articles & Training Courses 5 Prioritization Methods in UX Roadmapping (free article) Using Prioritization Matrices to Inform UX Decisions (free article) Using Trade-Off Scales for Prioritization in UX Design Projects (2 min video) Incorporating UX Work into Your Agile Backlog (free article) Related Courses UX Roadmaps Design Tradeoffs and UX Decision-Making Generating Big Ideas with Design Thinking

In this episode, we dive into User Interviews with Steve Portigal, discussing their critical role in product development and design research. User interviews, a qualitative method, involve conversations with users to gather insights about their experiences, behaviors, and needs. We discuss the benefits of this approach, such as deep user empathy and informed decision making, alongside common challenges like bias and recruitment. Join us in understanding when to use user interviews and how to get the most out of them. NN/g Articles & Training Courses User Interviews (full-day/2 half-day UXC course) User Interviews 101 (free article) The 3 Types of User Interviews: Structured, Semi-Structured, and Unstructured (free video) When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods (free article) 5 Facilitation Mistakes to Avoid During User Interviews (free article) ⁠Learn more about Steve Portigal Interviewing Users (2nd Edition) 20% discount code: interviewing