The Genius of Uber's Loading Screen with Nick Cawthon | Horizons Pod cover art

The Genius of Uber's Loading Screen with Nick Cawthon | Horizons Pod

The Genius of Uber's Loading Screen with Nick Cawthon | Horizons Pod

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

 Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.—Nick Cawthon is a UX research and design leader who founded Gauge in 2001, where he helps Fortune 100 companies solve complex design challenges through mixed-methods research and human-centered design.Here’s some of my takeaways from this week’s episode…1/ 🎮 Product-Market Fit > Product Perfection: Uber's early “taxis nearby” loading screen shows how addressing emotional needs matters as much as raw functionality: the screen created trust and reduced anxiety by showing availability and social proof.2/ 🔍 Field Research Beats Lab Studies: Get out of sterile testing environments and meet users where they are. Conference networking, user shadowing, and contextual interviews reveal insights that controlled studies miss. Look for patterns across multiple casual interactions.3/ 🤝 Make Friends with Engineers: UX wins require technical understanding. Build relationships with developers, learn basic coding, and understand the constraints they work within. You don't need to be an engineer, but you should speak their language.4/ 📊 Quant Validates Qual: Start with qualitative research to understand the "why" and uncover hidden behaviors. Then use quantitative data (like log files) to validate findings at scale. The combo is more powerful than either alone.5/ 🎯 Solutions > Problems: When presenting difficult findings to stakeholders, always pair problems with potential solutions. "We found X issue, here's how we could fix it" lands better than just highlighting issues.6/ 🌐 Network Through Communities: Find experts through existing networks rather than cold outreach. Engage in industry communities, attend conferences, and build relationships before you need them.7/ 🤖 Use AI For Skills You Already Have: Use AI to accelerate work you understand, not replace skills you lack. It's great for ideation and initial drafts but requires human judgment for synthesis and refinement.8/ 🎨 Brand Consistency Across Touchpoints: Marketing and UX should pull from the same brand system. Align customer experience, digital interfaces, and marketing messages to tell a cohesive story.—Where to find Nick Cawthon:* Gauge: https://gauge.io/* Nick's Retrain Assessment: https://retrain.gauge.io/* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcawthon-ux-digital-agency-product-design-leadership/* X: https://x.com/ncawthon—In this episode, we cover:00:00 Introduction and Uber’s “Nearby Taxi” Interface02:27 Early Internet Days and Current Tech Parallels04:26 Evolution of UX and Human Interaction07:37 Understanding Human Experience in Design12:17 Merging Design and Development17:01 Working with Engineering Teams24:09 iPhone’s Impact on UX as a Discipline29:40 Analyzing Airbnb Reviews38:20 Managing Global Research Teams44:22 Presenting Difficult Findings to Stakeholders51:22 AI’s Role in UX and Personas57:18 Marketing and UX Collaboration1:00:38 Closing Thoughts and Resources—Obligatory disclaimer: I've worked at YouTube and Google for about a decade in various marketing teams. Nothing I say in my personal spaces is necessarily endorsed by them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit horizonspod.substack.com
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.