In this episode of Practical UX Methods: Research and Design Thinking, host Dr Chris Parker sits down with Douglas Ferguson — entrepreneur, human-centered technologist, and president of Voltage Control, an Austin-based agency known for its Design Sprints and innovation workshops.
Douglas shares actionable insights from his book Beyond The Prototype, revealing six practical steps to move from idea discovery to product launch. We explore the most powerful life lessons in design, the mindset behind lasting innovation, and how design thinking can drive change in today’s rapidly evolving world — from the challenges of COVID-19 to the cultural impact of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Whether you’re a UX designer, product leader, or creative strategist, this episode is packed with inspiration and methods to help you design with purpose, empathy, and real-world impact.
Connect With Douglas:
Douglas’s Books
Host: Dr Chris Parker
Email: c.parker@lboro.ac.uk
In this episode of Practical UX, we go beyond buttons and screens to explore what’s next for user experience: trustworthy AI, physiological synchrony in social VR, foldable device ergonomics, designing for the moments after a crash, and a bold provocation to design for human connection, not screen time.
Why explainable AI changes user behaviour by improving trust calibration (and why “AI literacy” talks aren’t enough).
How people’s heart rate and skin responses can sync in VR, offering a powerful new metric for co-experience.
What a foldable phone’s hinge teaches us about emotional ergonomics and multi-state interface design.
How post-crash UX should prioritise clarity, calm, and familiarity when fear overwhelms cognition.
A provocative case for Relation Artefact Design (RAD): tools that help us look at people rather than screens.
Explainable AI & Trust (mushroom task) — journal article
Leichtmann, B., Humer, C., Hinterreiter, A., Streit, M., & Mara, M. (2023). Effects of Explainable Artificial Intelligence on Trust and Human Behavior in a High-Risk Decision Task. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107539.
Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222003594 (ScienceDirect)
Physiological synchrony in Social VR — preprint
Kloft, A. M., Fabinc, J. M., Hirsch, L., Slezas, A., Hachmann, H., Cunneen, M., Brandt, S. S., Sams, M., & Welsch, R. (2025). It’s Always Better When We’re Together: Physiological Synchrony and Shared Experiences in Social VR. (Preprint).
Link: https://sciety-labs.elifesciences.org/articles/by?article_doi=10.21203%2Frs.3.rs-7134151%2Fv1 (Sciety)
Foldable smartphones UX framework — journal article
Liu, Y., Dong, L., & Rau, P.-L. P. (2025). Unfolding the User Experience: A Comprehensive UX Framework for Foldable Smartphones. International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 32(5), 1396–1412.
Abstract page: https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/view/10935
Direct PDF: https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/download/10935/1871/65113 (Public Knowledge Project)
Post-Crash UX (multi-modal guidance) — conference paper
Cho, Y., Kim, H., Ku, M., Yu, S., & Lee, J. (2025). Post-Crash UX: An Empirical Study on Multi-modal Interfaces for Immediate Driver Response. In AutomotiveUI Adjunct ’25 (ACM).
Link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3744335.3758486 (ACM Digital Library)
Provocation: Relation Artefact Design — journal article
Clemmensen, T. (2025). Stop Doing User Experience Design, Start Doing Relation Artefact Design. Interacting with Computers (Oxford University Press).
Link: https://academic.oup.com/iwc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/iwc/iwaf044/8283768 (OUP Academic)
If this episode sparked ideas for your project, class, or lab, please follow/subscribe on your favourite podcast app and share with a colleague. The next great design conversation might start here.
Do you have questions for the show, or want to suggest a paper? Email Dr Chris Parker at c.parker@lboro.ac.uk.
Practical UX kicks off with Steve Portigal, author of Interviewing Users (2nd ed.). We dig into why solid research sometimes says “don’t ship,” how the practice has matured (ops, leadership, insourcing), and why there’s no one “right way”—just better questions, synthesis, and confidence. Plus, Steve’s take on the future of research and a reminder to listen to ourselves. Follow and subscribe for more practitioner-level UX insights.
Buy Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights (second edition): https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users-second-edition/
Formally: The UX Usability Podcast
The UX Usability podcast returns after a prolonged hiatus. Dr Chris Parker talks about the show, its future, UX's role in the world around us, and life as an academic.
In the latest episode of The UX Usability Podcast, host Dr. Chris Parker from Loughborough University engages in an enlightening conversation with renowned author Irene Pereyra. The spotlight of this episode is Irene's latest masterpiece, "Universal Principles of UX." This groundbreaking book unveils the secrets to mastering the intricate art of user experience (UX) design.
Irene Pereyra's book is nothing short of a comprehensive cross-disciplinary encyclopedia, offering a treasure trove of insights. Through the exploration of 100 meticulously crafted laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations, listeners gain a profound understanding of the multifaceted world of UX design. Whether you're a seasoned UX professional or just dipping your toes into the field, this episode promises to be a must-listen, shedding light on the essential principles that shape user-centric design in today's digital landscape. Tune in to uncover the keys to creating exceptional user experiences and elevating your design expertise.
Check out The Universal Principles of UX on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Principles-Strategies-Interactions-Technology-ebook/dp/B0BLZPBTTN
We talk with Karl Randay: Product Designer, Human Centred Design advocate, and currently Head of Design for Customer Experience Studio 383. He's worked in fashion and global leisure brands, healthcare, and the energy sector with over 20 years of experience, developing a deep understanding of designing for human behaviour. We discuss crafting authentic experiences, services, and products that make a genuine difference for real people.
Dr Parker talks with Gaurav Sharma about returning to his Masters in UX Design, international design, and life as a UX Designer at The Economist.
Loughborough University UX Design Courses
Virtual Reality (VR) is one of User Experience Design (UX)'s most exciting and challenging areas. This week, Frank Spillers, CEO and founder of Experience Dynamics shares his thoughts and approaches to designing engaging and meaningful experiences within the virtual world.
Frank Spillers CEO and Founder
Desk +1 503 978 9183 x100
Mobile +1 503 702 3608
Experience Dynamics- a Top 1000 Global Design company www.experiencedynamics.com
UX INNER CIRCLE
Learn UX 1:1 with Frank at www.uxinnercircle.com
Dani Sampson (freelance Brand Strategist) talks about the experience of design, what makes agencies work well, and creating powerful identities beyond UX.
Dr Chris Parker returns for Season Four of the UX Usability Podcast. We kick off in conversation with Sarah Doody about her trailblazing work shaping UX designers' career strategies, portfolios, and ways of working.
Discover Sarah's Career Strategy Lab at: https://www.uxportfolioformula.com/
Subscribe to hear Season 4 of the UX Usability Podcast as soon as it launches.
Cees de Bont (Dean of the School of Design and Creative Arts at Loughborough University) discusses his career inventing the Senseo coffee machine at Philips, managing design at Delft, and leading Design at Hong Kong University. We explore why emotion and dedication are essential skills in success and touching to hearts of others.
Dr Keneilwe Munyai describes her journey through fashion, design, and sustainability. We discover what a small Italian leather tanner has to offer African sustainability and the power of resilience.
Connect with Dr Parker
Discover Enterprise Design Thinking: https://www.ibm.com/design/
Dr Parker sits down with the incredible Karel Vredenburg (IBM) to discuss design education, enterprise design thinking, and the role designers have in a more responsible future.
Connect with Dr Parker
Dr Parker and Eugene Murphy discuss how Indeemo is revolutionising ethnography and diary studies for Design Research, why emotions are critical, and the future of technology.
Check out Indeemo: https://indeemo.com/
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Dr Parker talks with Abhijeet Shukla, UX Designer at Tata Design Consultancy Services (Mumbai), about his work beyond design thinking, working effectively in business, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in design.
Read more about PSAV design method:
Connect with Abhijeet on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijeetme1/
Dr Parker sits down with Mariam Braimah, product designer at Netflix and founder of the Kimoyo Fellowship to talk about creativity, inspiration, and Nigeria's stunning creative culture.
Visit The Kimoyo Fellowship https://www.kimoyofellowship.org/
Kimoyo Fellowship's Twitter: https://twitter.com/kimoyofellows
Mariam's Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbraimah_
Dr Chris Parker and Liangchao Xue discuss how to design Augmented Reality apps for fashion retail based on her award-winning PhD research.
Presentation slides: https://doi.org/10.17028/rd.lboro.13560320.v1
Read Liangchao's publications: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=P1d1sUkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
Liangchao on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liangchao-xue/
Dr Chris Parker and Hellen Pitikaris - Head of Conversion Rate-Optimierung & User Experience at Morefire GmbH - talk about the fundamentals of psychology that guide her in crafting excellent user experiences.
FREE eBook - The Scientific Foundation of the Limbic Approach: https://digital-commerce.post.ch/-/media/post-maxisites/e-commerce/dokumente/The-scientific-foundation-of-the-Limbic-approach.pdf
