AI can analyze thousands of user interviews in seconds. So what's left for human UX researchers?
Miwako Zosel explains why she's learning SQL and Python, where AI actually helps research (and where it dangerously fails), and why "research is glue"—the most human skill in UX.
For researchers wondering if their career has a future: this is your episode.
Guest: Miwako Zosel, UX Researcher at SmartBear
Two years before ChatGPT became a household name, Whitney Tolley was already seeing the cracks in how UX teams approached design thinking. Writing for the Cloudbeds Technology Blog in early 2023, she challenged the conventional wisdom around the Double Diamond—that beloved framework UX practitioners have relied on for nearly two decades.
In this conversation, Whitney reveals how AI has transformed her team's approach to design thinking. When a strategic workshop agenda became obsolete mid-session, AI helped them redesign day two in 30 minutes. When customer insights live in thousands of recorded conversations, AI helps surface the human stories that shape what they build.
Essential listening for UX professionals navigating AI disruption without losing what makes them valuable.
Additional advice on how to manage your UX career from Whitney.
Adam Howell launched Accomplice in 2021—one of the first generative AI design tools, before Midjourney or DALL-E 2. Now as Principal PM for AI at Versapay, he's seen both sides: building AI tools AND integrating them into real UX workflows.
In this episode of UX Evolved, Adam breaks down what's actually different about the AI disruption versus the Web 2.0 and mobile shifts he lived through at JotSpot, Google, and InVision.
Key Insights:
Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction03:15 - What UX meant in 2005 (spoiler: almost nothing like today)12:30 - Building through the Google/AJAX revolution22:45 - Creating Mocksup and the prototyping tool wars31:20 - Launching one of the first AI design tools43:10 - Why this disruption feels different52:40 - Skills that survive every tech shift58:30 - What UX looks like in 5 years
About Adam Howell:Principal Product Manager for AI at Versapay | Former Google UX Designer (Gmail, Google Sites) | Co-founder of Mocksup (acquired by InVision) | Founder of Accomplice (early AI design tool)
About UX Evolved:Long-form conversations with UX veterans navigating AI transformation. New episodes monthly exploring how our profession adapts and thrives.
Every UX professional is asking the same question right now: Is AI going to evolve our craft, or replace it entirely?
I'm Eric Ellis, and I've spent twenty years designing through every major technology shift—from static wireframes to AI-powered experiences. Here's what I know: UX was never just about the tools. It's about understanding human needs and translating them into experiences that actually work.
UX Evolved brings you in-depth conversations with the veterans who've navigated disruption before. We're cutting through the AI hype to explore what really matters—how our profession adapts, what skills endure, and why human insight remains irreplaceable.
This isn't about learning the latest AI tool. It's about understanding how to thrive as technology reshapes everything we thought we knew about design.
UX is evolving, not dying. Let's figure out how together.
