The hottest UX Research Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

2026 Predictions as a Comic Book and Poster Series

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 36 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. AI capabilities are accelerating fast and will shift from chat tools to autonomous, multimodal agents that can plan and execute complex tasks, changing how work gets done.
  2. As raw model intelligence becomes commoditized, user experience and workflow design become the main product differentiators, with interfaces generated in real time and much more interactive image/video editing.
  3. The AI economy will polarize: compute scarcity and subscription tiers create a two‑class system, single‑mode providers face consolidation, and model‑level dark patterns raise new oversight and defense needs.

UX Roundup: 2026 Predictions | AI Analyzing Usability | DeepMind Documentary | Amazon Agent | AI Prescriptions | Mechanical Turk

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 23 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🪑 Design UX Research
  1. AI is starting to automate UX work by analyzing usability session recordings — models already detect emotions well and could scale to identify usability problems, so organizations should preserve raw test recordings now.
  2. AI agents are being widely adopted in products and healthcare and are showing measurable effects — shopping assistants are driving higher purchase activity and some systems are now authorized to handle prescription renewals, improving convenience and efficiency.
  3. Caution is still needed: generative models have practical limits (like poor character consistency) and remote research data is at risk — platforms such as MTurk show widespread low-quality or AI-generated responses, so use more reliable panels or direct observation and plan for stronger identity verification.

Online Reviews: An Untapped Resource for UX Research?

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Online reviews offer easy access to real user feedback, going beyond predefined questions and providing insights into user profiles and product features that traditional research may miss.
  2. Large datasets from online reviews allow for analysis at a vast scale, enabling the discovery of weak signals affecting small user subsets that traditional research could overlook, especially in companies with limited research budgets.
  3. Sentiment analysis of online reviews can uncover user frustrations, needs, and pain points, helping identify where experiences fall short of expectations and providing insights into specific features and aspects of the user experience.

Quiz Answers: What Happened in UX & AI in 2025?

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 13 implied HN points • 08 Jan 26
🪑 Design UX Research
  1. AI is shifting value away from routine craft toward human skills like agency, judgment, and persuasion; tools like vibe coding and generative UIs let people state intent while AI handles implementation.
  2. UX practice must evolve with new interaction patterns for AI: design for long-running "Slow AI" tasks (return recaps, conceptual breadcrumbs, tiered notifications), use prompt-augmentation interfaces (prompt builders, parametrization), and optimize content for AI citation (GEO).
  3. AI will reshape organizations and the economy by lowering transaction costs and flattening firms, displacing many routine knowledge jobs while creating new roles (super-users, auditors, FDEs) and exposing gaps in how we measure value and ROI.

Understanding the Hawthorne Effect in UX Research

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 06 Feb 23
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. The Hawthorne Effect is when individuals change their behavior because they know they are being observed, impacting various behaviors from dietary habits to research study results.
  2. Possible explanations for the Hawthorne Effect include people conforming to expectations when observed and feeling pressured to perform better.
  3. To mitigate the Hawthorne Effect in UX research, steps like using control groups, minimizing feedback during studies, focusing on cause-and-effect relationships, and creating judgment-free environments can help obtain more accurate data.
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Uncovering Hidden Insights: Eye Tracking and Mouse Tracking for UX Research

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Traditional UX research methods focus on qualitative data from interviews, surveys, and tests, but new approaches like eye tracking and mouse tracking offer deeper insights into unconscious user behaviors.
  2. Eye tracking technology maps users' gaze on screens, providing insights into attention, distractions, and navigation patterns, although it can be costly and requires specialized equipment.
  3. Mouse tracking records hand movements and decision-making processes, complementing eye tracking data to reveal user interactions and uncover hidden pain points in interfaces.

Uncovering the Unspoken: Using Implicit Measures to Understand User Experience

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. UX researchers can benefit from using implicit measures in addition to explicit ones to gain a more comprehensive understanding of user experience.
  2. Explicit measures in UX research have limitations as they rely on users' self-reports, which may not capture unconscious processes influencing behaviors.
  3. Dual process theories suggest that both implicit, associative reactions and explicit, rational evaluations shape attitudes, leading to a better understanding of user perspectives in technology and experiences.

Triangulation in UX Research

UX Psychology • 238 implied HN points • 14 Jun 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Triangulation in UX research involves using multiple research methods or data sources to study the same phenomenon, enhancing credibility and providing more robust insights.
  2. There are 4 main types of triangulation recognized in research: data triangulation, investigator triangulation, theory triangulation, and methodological triangulation.
  3. Using triangulation in user research can lead to more confidence in data, reveal unexpected findings, and help to understand a problem more clearly, although it may also increase chances of confirmation bias.

Breaking into UX Research: what can you do to land your first role?

UX Psychology • 119 implied HN points • 31 Oct 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Breaking into UX research can be challenging due to limited junior roles and increasing competition, but there are various pathways to entry.
  2. To prepare for a career in UX research, assess your existing skills, leverage past experience, network actively, and work on side projects.
  3. Consider applying for roles related to user research or product development, even if not directly in UX, to gain relevant industry exposure.

From no research to continuous research: a how to guide

UX Psychology • 138 implied HN points • 03 May 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Continuous research involves conducting fast-rhythm, open-ended user research sessions without a specific project focus, helping to uncover user pain points and opportunity areas.
  2. Creating a user research panel and semi-automating the process can help enable regular interactions with users, making it easier to schedule and conduct interviews.
  3. Continuous research can bring the 'voice of the user' to the company, but traditional UX research methods are still needed for specific personas or segments. Automating parts of the research process is crucial to establishing a continuous research habit.

How many participants do you need for a usability study?

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 02 Aug 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. The number of participants in a usability study should be chosen based on factors like the impact of the study, complexity of the product, target user groups, and study's purpose. A range of 3-20 participants is generally valid, with 5-10 being a sensible baseline.
  2. Increasing the number of participants in a usability study can improve the reliability of findings. For example, using 10 participants can uncover 95% of the problems on average, while 15 participants can identify 97% of the issues.
  3. Choosing the right methodology and preventing facilitator errors are crucial in usability testing, as poor methodology can lead to invalid study results regardless of participant group size. Quality over quantity is key in ensuring effective usability testing.

Demand Characteristics in UX Research

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 11 Apr 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Participants in research studies often change their natural behavior to match what they think the researcher expects.
  2. Demand characteristics, the Hawthorne effect, and social desirability bias are related but have subtle differences in how they impact participant behavior.
  3. To mitigate the impact of demand characteristics in UX research, strategies like using a double-blind approach, being mindful of participant cues, recruiting diverse participants, and employing methodological triangulation can be effective.

So you want to be a UX researcher?

UX Psychology • 79 implied HN points • 27 Mar 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Before transitioning to UX research, consider if it aligns with your interests and flexibility needs, as it differs from academic research.
  2. Networking with UX professionals, establishing an online presence, and engaging in enterprise activities can help you break into the industry.
  3. Developing transferrable skills, learning more about UX through various resources, and crafting an industry-focused CV are crucial steps for transitioning from academia to UX research.

Gamification in UX Research

UX Psychology • 99 implied HN points • 13 Oct 21
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Gamification involves using game elements in non-gaming contexts like education to enhance learning and behavioral change.
  2. In user research, games create a safe environment for participants to express opinions freely and uncover insights that traditional methods may miss.
  3. Design and research games can help improve user engagement, prevent biases, and uncover new insights, but creating effective research games requires expertise and clear rules.

Card sorting: how many participants do you really need?

UX Psychology • 39 implied HN points • 07 Jun 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Card sorting is a popular UX research method where participants group labels according to their own criteria, revealing their knowledge structure and helping create user-friendly information architectures.
  2. There are three main types of card sorting: open, closed, and hybrid, each serving different research goals.
  3. Studies suggest that 15-30 participants are usually enough for card sorting studies to provide reliable results, with 15 participants being sufficient for most projects but 20-30 recommended for larger projects.

UX Roundup: AI-First Design | Dark Design | Non-Deterministic UX | Jakob Live | User Research Job

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 27 implied HN points • 29 Jan 24
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. AI-first products involve retrofitting AI onto existing software for productivity gains, but true advancements come from rethinking work processes and building new AI-first products.
  2. Avoid dark design patterns in UX to create ethical and user-friendly interfaces.
  3. Designing for non-deterministic UX involves adapting to AI systems that generate outcomes dynamically and focusing on ambiguity and dynamism.

Using the SCQA framework in UX Research

UX Psychology • 19 implied HN points • 11 Mar 22
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. Using storytelling skills can help overcome challenges in presenting UX research insights - simplify and make it narrative.
  2. SCQA framework (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer) structures information for a clear and compelling story.
  3. Applying SCQA in presentations can make messages clearer, urgent, and more interesting, capturing audience attention effectively.

Reflecting on 2022

Eddie's startup voyage • 0 implied HN points • 25 Feb 23
💼 Business UX Research
  1. Reflecting on 2022: The year had challenges, but also growth and progress. Acknowledging setbacks is important for personal growth.
  2. Focus on SEO and UX Research: Investing in SEO helped improve search rankings, while learning about UX Research expanded knowledge but lacked experience.
  3. Bootstrapping a startup is tough: Building a startup alongside a full-time job is challenging. Despite progress, achieving Product Market Fit remains a goal.