I spoke with Greg about why so many AI projects fail and what good UX has to do with it. We talked about the real role of research, why empathy beats aesthetics, and how designers can work better with data scientists. Whether you’re building with AI or just trying to make sense of it, this one’s full of hard-earned wisdom.

Over the years, Greg Nudelman has contributed to the world through:

* 24 design patents
* 6 Featured Mobile apps
* 6 design books in 3 languages including UX for AI: A Framework for Designing AI-Driven Products (April 2025)
* Hundreds of millions in design ROI
Greg loves leading UX teams that create the "When can I buy this?" experience for their customers, then nurturing innovative AI/ML-based products to market through creative four-in-a-box collaboration between PM, Data Science, Dev, and UX. As an "Ombudsman of Innovation", Greg's work revolves around twin obsessions: UX for AI and Practical DesignOps to bring customer-empowering ideas to market. Greg is a thought leader on UX for AI, Lean Product Design, Rapid Prototyping, and fast shipping of industry-defining digital products that exceed business goals and blow away customer expectations. Sought-after executive-level keynote speaker, with 100+ keynotes and workshops in 18 countries. Greg's specialty is leading UX teams designing products for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, Analytics, Mobile, Biotech, Finance, and creating Design Systems for Enterprise Software.

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If you, or someone you know, would like to be a guest on the podcast send an email to podcast@userexperience.org.

Nick helps design teams stay ahead of the curve with their AI transformation. He has been curating self-assessments for UX & Design Teams at retrain.gauge.io, helping analyze industry trends and any barriers to adoption. Nick founded Gauge in 2001 in the San Francisco Bay Area to help organizations with evidence-based strategy and product decisions. Clients have grown to include Electronic Arts, Genentech, Airbnb, Adobe and many others. Nick is a professor in Data Literacy and Visualization in the Design Strategy MBA program at his alma mater, California College of the Arts.

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I sat down with Nick Cawthon and Casandra Cain to talk about how AI is reshaping UX design, and what that means for mentorship, emotional intelligence, and the future of our field. We explored trust, tooling, education, and why staying adaptable is more important than ever.

Parts

00:00 Introduction to UX and AI

07:32 The Evolution of User Experience

14:53 Trust in AI and User Experience

18:26 Projects and Practical Applications of UX

29:20 The Future of Design and Technology

30:15 AI and UX Patterns: Current Trends and Future Directions

35:47 Mentorship in the Age of AI: Guiding New Designers

41:18 Personal Philosophy: Balancing Anxiety and Optimism

45:34 The Importance of UX: Advocating for User-Centric Design

49:30 Gage.io: Services and Target Audience Insights

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If you, or someone you know, would like to be a guest on the podcast send an email to podcast@userexperience.org.

Dhyey Mavani is a Software Engineer at LinkedIn, where he works on inference optimization for generative AI models within the AI Platforms org. With a rare triple major in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Statistics from Amherst College, Dhyey graduated with two summa cum laude honors theses: one in Mathematics, where he formalized chip-firing games and the Graphical Riemann-Roch theorem using Lean4, and another in Statistics, where he developed a Python package for discrete copula modeling to analyze complex ordinal response data.

At LinkedIn, he built and productionized the company’s first PyTorch-Rust model serving engine, reducing GPU costs by ~$1M and powering key recommendation systems. His work stands at the intersection of applied computational mathematics, scalable infrastructure, and human-centered AI—balancing latency, reliability, and ethics.

Dhyey is also passionate about EdTech innovation, open-source collaboration, and building systems that are as interpretable as they are efficient—always guided by a belief that great user experiences start with rigorous design and deep empathy.

You can find more about Dhyey at linkedin.com/in/dhyey-mavani

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If you, or someone you know, would like to be a guest on the podcast send an email to podcast@userexperience.org.

Ryan Junejo is co-founder and CEO of Crashlabs.ai.

We talked about how his team stress-tests AI agents before they go rogue in the real world, the origin story behind Crash Labs, and why AI safety isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the seatbelt we all need. Ryan shared the surprisingly tricky challenges of testing AI, what it means for user experience, and why his lab might just be the insurance policy the future needs.

Parts

00:00 Introduction to Ryan Junejo and Crash Labs AI

03:09 The Origin Story of Crash Labs AI

05:56 Testing AI Agents: The Crash Test Lab Concept

09:10 Jailbreaking AI: Patterns and Techniques

12:05 AI Safety and Alignment Challenges

15:03 Integrating Crash Labs AI into Your Projects

17:50 Future of AI Testing and User Experience

Keywords

AI testing, Crash Labs AI, Ryan Junejo, AI safety, AI agents, user experience, machine learning, startup, technology, innovation

Leia is shaping a new frontier of AI & spiritual neuroscience—where emotional memory, gentle biosignals, & multimodal models meet the subconscious.
Her stealth-stage company explores how imagination stores truth, how technology can hold the nervous system, and how healing can be quietly designed into engineering itself.
Ranked in the top 0.004% globally, she studies CS & Economics at UC Berkeley—blending technical elegance with poetic intuition to craft systems that don’t just respond, but remember you.
She believes the future belongs to those who protect the part of them that still dreams.

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In this episode, we explored how AI is being used in mental health and therapy, from supporting emotional healing to helping users reconnect with their inner child. We discussed the role of crying, nostalgia, and introspection in healing, as well as the challenges of designing emotionally intelligent AI. Consciousness, free will, and the future of AI-driven therapy also came up, blending philosophy, UX, and innovative mental health solutions.

Parts

00:00 Understanding the Inner Child

06:29 Healing Through Emotion and Crying

08:52 The Role of AI in Mental Health

11:14 Navigating Trauma and User Experience

13:53 The Intersection of Spirituality and Technology

16:27 The Importance of Emotional Expression

18:54 AI as a Tool for Introspection

21:15 Building Trust in AI Therapy

23:40 The Future of Mental Health Solutions

On May 9th, I gave a talk at the UXPA Conference in Boston with Stew Smith about how AI can support accessibility rather than deepen existing gaps.

We explored the current state of assistive tech, the ethical challenges of designing with AI, and why involving users in the process isn’t optional... it’s essential.

Key Takeaways

1. Designing for permanent disabilities benefits everyone.

2. Regulations like the EU AI Act aim to improve accessibility standards.

3. Ethical AI design requires user involvement and transparency.

Parts

00:00 Introduction to Accessibility and AI

01:36 Understanding Digital Accessibility

03:54 The Spectrum of Disability

06:21 AI Overview and Its Historical Context

09:02 Current State of AI and Accessibility

11:41 Regulations and Guidelines for Accessibility

14:18 Ethical Principles in AI Design

16:27 Challenges and Opportunities in AI for Accessibility

18:56 Future of Assistive Technology

21:26 Community Engagement and Outreach

24:11 Conclusion and Q&A

As AI models from Google and OpenAI start winning math competitions, the pressure on creative professionals is real. How do you stay relevant when the ground beneath your industry is shifting?

In this special UXPA Boston talk, I explore how AI is reshaping the design landscape and what you can do about it.

Joined by David Williamson, the session covers:

• 📈 The evolution of AI: from ELIZA to GPT-4 and beyond

• ⚠️ What companies like Shopify are demanding from designers now

• 🧰 The best AI tools to enhance UX research and workflows

• 🧠 Why soft skills still matter—and how to build future-proof ones

• ✍️ How to stand out on job boards using AI-enhanced applications

Plus: a live Q&A on accessibility, ethics, tooling, and how to navigate corporate limitations around AI.

Kyle Soucy is the Founding Principal of UsableInterface.com.

In the second part of our conversation, I asked Kyle about the role of AI in UX research, especially when it comes to creating journey maps and personas. She shared key takeaways from her recent talk at the UXPA conference, where she emphasized that AI should be seen as a tool to enhance—not replace—human insight. We also explored projective techniques, which Kyle uses to surface deeper user needs and emotions during research. She explained why these methods are so powerful and gave examples of how they can lead to richer insights. Finally, Kyle opened up about her current journey writing a book on projective techniques, and why she’s focused on making the content practical and actionable for UX professionals.

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For more about UX, check out UserExperience.org!