AI is here. Let’s figure out what it means for us.
A research-led community for anyone in tech who works with UX research, design and AI. We try it in real work, and share honestly what happened.
- No hype
- Community-led
- Practical
- No AI expertise needed
Who we are
Led by researchers. Open to everyone who works with UX.
UX Research: AI Forward is grounded in research. It was started by a UX researcher, and the way we work comes from research practice: test it, look at the evidence, and put real people at the centre.
But you don’t need to be a researcher to belong here. Our members are designers, product owners and product managers, engineers, content designers, data and insight people, and anyone in tech whose work touches UX research, design and AI.
Some of us are excited about AI, some are sceptical, and plenty are a bit of both. What we share is wanting to get it right for the people we build for.
Our members work in User research · Design · Product · Engineering · Content design · Data and insight · Transformation · Marketing · Legal and compliance, and anywhere else in tech that works with UX.
Why we exist
Most AI content is shouting. We’d rather be testing.
AI arrived in our work faster than our conversations about it. Most of what’s out there is hype or fear. What’s missing is people honestly sharing what happened when they tried it, so we built a place for that.
Less of
- Hype
- Fear
- Speculation
- Generic AI content
More of
- Real experiments
- Honest discussion
- Evidence
- Practical learning
- A professional community
Our manifesto
What we stand for.
A community led by researchers, for everyone who works with UX and research, getting ready for work with AI in it.
- 1
AI is a partner, not a competitor.
It’s already changing our work. The question is whether we shape that change or let it happen to us.
- 2
Researchers must skill up.
Not to chase the hype, but because our judgement matters more when answers are cheap.
- 3
Trust between research, design and product matters more than ever.
AI speeds everyone up. Trust is what stops speed turning into mistakes.
- 4
We help everyone ship with quality, faster.
Researchers can help non-researchers use AI to learn from customers quickly, and well.
- 5
Governance is how we go fast, safely.
Clear rules that meet business goals and keep customers safe. Guardrails, not red tape.
- 6
Customers come first, especially the most vulnerable.
Every shortcut is measured against who it could hurt.
- 7
Change is hard, and that’s OK.
Nobody likes change. We meet people where they are, with curiosity, not judgement.
- 8
Led by researchers. Open to everyone.
If you work with UX or research, you belong here.
How we work together
No hype. Community. Practical.
No hype
We share what actually happened, including what went wrong. “I don’t know yet” is a respectable answer here.
Show us what happened, not what might.
Community first
We learn faster together. Members share experiments, tools, roles and introductions, and give credit to each other.
Lurking is fine. Contributing is better.
Practical, always
Everything we make is something you can use at work on Monday: playbooks, checklists, prompts and templates.
Free to use, tested by real people.
Start exploring
Find what’s useful to you.
Experiments
“I tried this, and here’s what happened.” Real attempts, including the disasters.
Resources
Free playbooks, checklists, templates and prompts the community uses.
Ideas
The questions worth arguing about. Perspectives, not pronouncements.
Community
Join the conversation, share what you’ve tried and meet people working on the same questions.
New and free
The AI Squad Playbook
Move faster with AI, without anyone wondering who checked it. An interactive playbook for product squads.
Open the playbook- Who does what across 30 tasks
- Where AI helps, and who checks it
- Your squad’s AI agreement
- What to do when AI gets it wrong
Founded by Leah Ryz
Not anti-AI. Pro-people.
“The most useful thing anyone can share about AI is what actually happened when they tried it.”
Leah is a UX research leader who built a research practice and Centre of Excellence from scratch. She started UX Research: AI Forward to give that honest conversation a home. Join the LinkedIn Group
Join us
Figure it out with people who are figuring it out too.
The conversation lives in our LinkedIn Group. Come for the experiments, and stay for people who’ll tell you honestly what didn’t work.
Free to join. No AI expertise needed.