What does it mean to design experiences in a world where pixels are no longer the focus? In this episode, service design thought-leader and author Erika Flowers shares her thoughts on how designers must evolve as AI transforms the tools, processes, and expectations of our work. Erika shares lessons from her journey—spanning early web design, pioneering service blueprinting at Intuit, and orchestrating experiences at NASA—and offers a forward-looking take on why skills like facilitation, systems thinking, and storytelling will define the future of design.

About Erika Flowers: helloerikaflowers.com [http://helloerikaflowers.com] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/helloeflowers]

Related NN/g Courses

Service Blueprinting [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/service-design/]

Accelerating Research with AI [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/research-with-ai/]

AI for Design Workflows [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/ai-for-design/]

Related Free NN/g Articles:

 * How Service Design Will Evolve with AI Agents [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/service-design-evolve-ai-agents/]
 * The Future-Proof Designer [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/future-proof-designer/]
 * Why I’m Not Worried About My UX Job in the Era of AI [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-job-with-ai/]
 * More Free Articles on AI [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/ai/]

51. The Future of Service Design in the Age of AI (featuring Erika Flowers, author of Practical Service Blueprinting)

AI can do more than it’s ever done… but there’s a lot of unfounded hype, especially when it comes to user research. When should you delegate tasks to AI? And when should you insist on keeping the human in the loop? In this episode, Therese Fessenden sits down with Alexander Knoll, co-founder of Condens, to discuss the strengths and limitations of AI tools for research, and the evolving role of the user researcher.

About Alexander & Condens: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/] | Condens.io [http://condens.io/]

Research Repository Guide: https://condens.io/guides/research-repository-guide/

On-Demand Recording of Condens Event: Making an Impact with User Research: How to Drive Change and Get Noticed [https://condens.io/events/making-an-impact-with-user-research/]

Alex’s Article with NN/g: Common-Sense AI Integration: Lessons from the Cofounder of Condens [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-integration-condens/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50]

Other Related NN/g Articles & Courses:

 * Free Articles about AI & UX [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep51]
 * Course: UX Basic Training [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/ux-basic-training/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50]
 * Course: Accelerating Research with AI [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/research-with-ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50]
 * Course: AI for Design Workflows [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/ai-for-design/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50]
 * Course: Designing AI Experiences [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/designing-ai-experiences/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50]



50. Responsible AI Use for Research Analysis (feat. Alexander Knoll, Co-Founder of Condens.io)

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/petermerholz

Podcast: 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=ep50

Product and UX: Building Partnerships for Better Outcomes: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/product-and-ux/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50

Leading 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=ep50

UX 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=ep50

New UX Managers: https://www.nngroup.com/courses/new-manager/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50



Related Free NN/g Articles:

DesignOps: Study Guide: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-ops-study-guide/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50

Product & UX: Study Guide: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/product-and-ux-study-guide/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep50

PM 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

49. Design Leadership & Org Design (feat. Peter Merholz, co-author of Org Design for Design Orgs)

UX practitioners often struggle with shifting requirements and increasing product complexity, making it difficult to design intuitive experiences. Object-Oriented UX (OOUX) offers a structured approach to simplify digital products by focusing on core objects rather than pages or screens. Sophia Prater explains how this method improves usability, reduces inconsistencies, and streamlines collaboration across teams.

About Sophia Prater: Bio (via RewiredUX.com) [https://www.rewiredux.com/team/sophia-v-prater] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiav/] | Instagram [http://instagram.com/sophiavux]



Learn more about Object-Oriented UX:

 * Upcoming Free UX Level-Up Training [⁠⁠https://OOUX.com/levelup⁠]
 * Sign up for the newsletter [https://OOUX.com/newsletter]
 * OOUX Podcast [https://OOUX.com/podcast]
 * OOUX for AI & AI for OOUX [https://OOUX.com/ai] (course)



Related NN/g Courses & Resources:

 * UX Basic Training [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/ux-basic-training/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep48] (full-day or 2 half-day course)
 * What is Object-Oriented UX? [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/object-oriented-ux-ooux/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep48] (3-min video)

48. What is Object-Oriented UX (feat. Sophia Prater, Rewired UX)

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 [https://www.nngroup.com/people/caleb-sponheim/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebsponheim/]

Full-Day Course: Designing AI Experiences [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/designing-ai-experiences/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47](also available in half-day formats)

Related NN/g Articles:

 * Artificial Intelligence Glossary [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/artificial-intelligence-glossary/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47]
 * How Do Generative AI Systems Work? [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-ai-works/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47]
 * Redefine Your Design Skills to Prepare for AI [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/prepare-for-ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47]
 * AI Features Must Solve Real Problems [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ai-user-value/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47]
 * More Free Articles on AI [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep47]

47. Designing AI Experiences: What to Consider (feat. Caleb Sponheim PhD, NN/g)

As tech layoffs and budget cuts dominate the start of the year, UX teams are navigating a critical challenge: proving the value of research while doing more with less. In this episode, NN/g Director of Research Maria Rosala sits down with ResearchOps pioneer Kate Towsey to explore how ResearchOps can help teams think strategically about the impact and efficiency of their research.



 * Learn more about Kate Towsey: katetowsey.com [https://www.katetowsey.com]
 * Kate’s Book: Research That Scales: The Research Operations Handbook [https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/research-that-scales/]
 * Kate's Substack: Scaling and Systematising Research [https://katetowsey.substack.com/]
 * Kate’s Masterclasses in Australia and Europe: https://katetowsey.com/masterclasses

 * The ResearchOps Community [https://researchops.community/]



NN/g Courses and Content on ResearchOps

 * Full-Day Course: ResearchOps [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/researchops/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep46]
 * Free Article: Research Ops 101 [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/research-ops-101/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep46]
 * 4-min Video: Strategic vs Reactionary Research [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/strategic-reactionary-user-research/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep46]
 * 4-min Video: Research Repositories 101 [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/research-repositories-101/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep46]
 * 3-min Video: Research Participant Database [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/research-participant-database/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep46]

46. Getting Strategic About Research (feat. Kate Towsey, author of Research that Scales)

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 [⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/connectconnor/⁠]



Order the book
[https://www.amazon.com/Bridging-Intention-Impact-Evidence-Based-Decision-Making/dp/0138360464]
Related NN/g Resources & Courses:


 * Free Articles on Analytics & Metrics [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/analytics-and-metrics/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep45⁠]
 * Report on UX Metrics & ROI [https://www.nngroup.com/reports/ux-metrics-roi/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep45⁠]
 * Full-Day or 2 Half-Day Course on Measuring UX and ROI [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/measuring-ux/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep45⁠]



45. Choosing Better User Impact Metrics (feat. Connor Joyce, Author & Behavioral Scientist)

To explore how is AI shaping UX research and analysis, host Therese Fessenden shares two interviews on the topic; one with Savina Hawkins, Co-founder of Altis, and one with Caleb Sponheim, UX Specialist at NN/g. In this episode we explore the opportunities AI presents for enhancing productivity and innovation in UX work, alongside the risks and challenges it brings. Savina & Caleb offer practical advice on how UX professionals can leverage AI tools effectively and remain competitive in their field. Learn more about Altis [http://altis.io/] Learn more about Caleb Sponheim, PhD [http://www.nngroup.com/people/caleb-sponheim/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep44] Get trained on using AI for UX work: Practical AI for UX Professionals Course [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/practical-ai-for-ux-professionals/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep44] NN/g Articles on Artificial Intelligence [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/ai/] Caleb’s Favorite Resources: Optimistic Perspective: Ethan Mollick’s One Useful Thing. [https://www.oneusefulthing.org/] Skeptical Perspective: Ed Zitron’s Where’s Your Ed At. [https://www.wheresyoured.at/]Weekly Newsletter [https://www.transformernews.ai/]

44. AI & UX Research (feat. Savina Hawkins & Caleb Sponheim)

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 [https://www.nngroup.com/reports/journey-management/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]



Learn more about Kim:

⁠Bio [https://www.nngroup.com/people/kim-flaherty/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]⁠ | ⁠LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimflahertyux/]



NN/g Resources about Journey Management:

⁠The 3 Competencies of Journey Management (5-min video)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/journey-management-competencies/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

⁠Journey Management vs. Service Design (4-min video)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/videos/journey-management-vs-service-design/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

⁠The Practice of Customer-Journey Management (free article)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/customer-journey-management/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

⁠Customer Journeys and Omnichannel UX (free article)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/customer-journeys-omnichannel/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

⁠Journey Mapping to Understand Customer Needs (UX Certification course)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/journey-mapping/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

⁠Customer-Journey Management (UX Certification course)⁠ [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/customer-journey-management/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=bonus-oct2024]

Bonus: Journey-Centric Design: The Evolution of UX Design Operations (feat. Kim Flaherty, NN/g)

With AI developing rapidly, and AI policy often lagging behind, calls for responsible tech design and development are louder and more public than ever. In this episode, Paige Lord offers some insight into ways UX professionals can play a role in creating ethical AI products and services.



Learn more about Paige Lord:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thepaigelord/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aiethicswithpaige



YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@aiethicswithpaige



Substack: https://thepaigelord.substack.com/



Other related content:

 * Design Risk Assessment [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-risk-management/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep43] (free article)
 * NN/g Articles & Videos about AI [https://www.nngroup.com/topic/ai/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep43]
 * Practical AI for UX Professionals Course [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/practical-ai-for-ux-professionals/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep43]
 * Emerging Patterns in Interface Design Course [https://www.nngroup.com/courses/emerging-patterns-interface-design/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ep43]





Responsible AI Institute: https://www.responsible.ai/

43. Responsible AI (feat. Paige Lord, Sr. Product Marketing Manager at GitHub)

The Nielsen Norman Group (NNg) UX Podcast is a podcast on user experience research, design, strategy, and professions, hosted by Senior User Experience Specialist Therese Fessenden. Join us every month as she interviews industry experts, covering common questions, hot takes on pressing UX topics, and tips for building truly great user experiences. For free UX resources, references, and information on UX Certification opportunities, go to: www.nngroup.com

Nielsen Norman Group

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