In this episode of the UX Institute Podcast, Mark Swain speaks with Dan Saffer, designer, educator and a sharp voice on where AI product design is heading and where it is still falling short.

This conversation looks at the reality of using AI day to day, beyond the hype. Dan explains why so many AI products still feel like hard work, why the prompt box has become a lazy default interface, and how too much cognitive load is still being pushed back onto users. Rather than making products easier, many tools are still asking people to figure out the system for themselves.

Dan also shares how AI has become part of his own workflow, from research and writing support to building small tools for himself. But the conversation keeps returning to the bigger design question: if the models are already powerful, why does the experience of using them still feel clunky, tiring and unfinished? 

Mark and Dan also explore what all of this means for designers, researchers and product managers. They unpack the rise of hybrid roles, the pressure on junior designers, the danger of letting AI do the thinking, and why understanding users, workflows and context may become even more valuable in the next few years. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why AI tools still create confusion for most users, even when the underlying models are impressive 
• What is broken about the prompt box as the default interface for AI products 
• Why chat and voice are useful for some tasks, but poor for detailed refinement work 
• How better AI products may combine invisible automation, graphical controls and conversational input 
• Why AI is increasing the intensity of work instead of simply making people more efficient 
• What design teams risk losing when they hand too much thinking over to AI 
• Why junior designers are facing new pressure as production tasks start to disappear 
• How hybrid roles across design, product and engineering are starting to emerge 
• Why the biggest opportunity in AI may now be better product design, not better models 
   
   

Dan Saffer

Dan Saffer is a designer, educator and thought leader focused on emerging product design patterns, AI interfaces and the future of design practice. His work explores how new technologies reshape workflows, expectations and the role of designers inside product teams. 

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UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2026.
www.uxinstitute.com

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UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2025.
www.uxinstitute.com

In this episode of the UX Institute Podcast, I speak with Barry O’Reilly — author of Lean Enterprise and Unlearn, and co-founder of venture studio NobodyStudios — Barry joins us to talk about why he’s not chasing unicorns, and why “boring” AI businesses might be the smartest bet in the next decade.

Barry shares his journey from accidentally falling into programming in Dublin, Ireland to working on products such as Citysearch in the first dot-com wave, ThoughtWorks during the rise of Agile and Continuous Delivery, and finally into building a venture studio aiming to create 100 AI companies in five years. We dig into why most VC funds aren’t returning capital, why enterprise AI sales are a trap for early-stage startups, and how smart founders are using AI to build lean teams that still ship meaningful products.

We also get into why current AI UX has a long journey to go, how design will become the key differentiator on top of LLMs, and what product and UX teams might actually look like in 3–5 years.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How Barry went from engineering student in Dublin to author, advisor, and venture studio founder
• Why Nobody Studios focuses on health, wellness, e-commerce, and EdTech for AI opportunities
• Why “boring” but proven business models are often better than hype-driven AI ideas
• How tools like Lovable and similar “one-person billion-dollar company” platforms are great for prototyping but dangerous for production
• The studio’s strategy of building companies cheaply and selling early, instead of chasing unicorns
• Red flags in AI startups: vanity metrics, no learning loops, brittle tech stacks, and vague “proprietary data”
• Why early-stage founders should avoid long enterprise sales cycles and niche down to a very specific use case
• How Barry uses his own AI stack (meeting copilots, scripts, automation) to dramatically increase personal and organisational productivity
• Why UX and product design on top of AI will likely be the biggest competitive advantage in the next 5–7 years
• How roles for designers and product managers may shift away from pushing pixels in Figma toward higher-level problem solving and LLM-powered workflows
  
  

Barry O’Reilly

Author of Lean Enterprise and Unlearn, entrepreneur, advisor, and co-founder at Nobody Studios, a venture studio on a mission to build 100 companies in 5 years.

• Barry’s books: Lean Enterprise

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In this episode, we sit down with Mendigas from the Lovable product team — a non-traditional designer, community builder, and AI super-user who went from recruiting in Dublin to quietly influencing how thousands of creators build products today.

We unpack what the next 3–5 years will actually feel like for designers, UX researchers, PMs, and product builders in an AI-native world. From the death of traditional workflows, to why “playing daily” with AI tools is the best investment in your career, to how companies are rethinking hiring, prototyping, validation, and creativity, this conversation goes well beyond surface-level commentary.

Whether you’re excited, anxious, skeptical, or overwhelmed by the flood of AI tools — this is the grounded, deeply practical, and surprisingly energising conversation the design community needs right now.

In This Episode

• Mendigas’ non-traditional path from Dublin recruitment to becoming a community builder at InVision, On Deck, Koho — and now Lovable.
• How he used AI coding tools to turn a Sunday idea into a Thursday paying customer.
• Why AI-native workflows will replace 70% of today’s design toolchain.
• The decline of Figma for many real workflows — and why it’s become a “graveyard of pain.”
• Why non-technical creators will be the next wave of builders.
• What AI is actually good at today (and what it’s terrible at).
• The new shape of product roles: designers who think like PMs and build like engineers.
• What designers should slowly adopt, how to learn, and how to avoid the anxiety spiral.
• Why play, not pressure, is the single most important learning approach.
• How mid-60s taxi drivers and teenage app builders are already entering the AI wave.
• What the next UI paradigm might look like — and why design remains the superpower.
• The hard questions: Are we building only for ourselves? What happens to jobs? Who pays whom in an automated world?
  
  

Who This Episode Is For

• UX researchers wanting to evolve beyond documentation.
  Product designers feeling the pressure of an AI future.
• PMs exploring faster, AI-driven validation and prototyping loops.
• Founders wanting to ship faster with fewer technical bottlenecks.
• Designers craving clarity, direction, and grounded advice — not hype.
  
  

Why This Episode Matters

AI is no longer theoretical. Designers are already being hired specifically because they know how to build with AI. Non-technical creators are shipping production apps in hours. And legacy workflows are evaporating faster than most teams realise.

This conversation reframes the fear, cuts through the hype, and gives you the playbook, mindset, and realism needed to thrive — not just survive — in the next era of product creation.

Mindaugas Petrutis

Mindaugas Petrutis on Linkedin

Helping more people build things - now go make something lovable → http://lovable.dev

Working in a small team of serial founders, physicists, and ioi gold medalists who all care about building a great product and shipping fast, towards letting anyone create and maintain software – using plain English.

Team previously built the world's most popular open source codegen project (50k github stars).

Enjoying the show?

If you learned something from this episode, please:

• Leave a 5★ review on Apple Pod

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On this special episode, your usual host Mark Swaine,  sits down as a guest on the Better Tech Leadership podcast to unpack some of the biggest shifts happening at the intersection of UX, product, and AI.

"Building software today isn’t hard — what’s hard is building the right thing, in the right way, at the right time." – Mark Swaine

Drawing from his years leading UX and product across SaaS, VC, and fintech, Mark offers a front-row view into the critical patterns he sees in early-stage startups — and how many of them are sleepwalking into avoidable mistakes.

This is a candid, insight-packed conversation for anyone working in product, UX, or early-stage tech.

· Learn why most startups have to "rebuild" after launch — and how better UX thinking upfront can save years of technical debt and budget waste.
 · Understand the real role of UX in venture capital — and how Mark uses his product lens to evaluate whether a startup has what it takes.
 · Discover why the future of design isn’t in pixels — it’s in prompts, strategy, and systems. Mark shares how AI is shifting the designer’s job from flow builder to strategic director.
 · Hear what founders get wrong about AI — especially the common trap of confusing automation for true generative value.
 · Get practical advice on building smarter roadmaps, aligning teams, and avoiding the trap of enterprise sales cycles that strangle growth.
 · Explore what Ireland’s startup ecosystem needs next — and the urgent opportunities we’re missing to stay globally competitive.

Whether you’re a UX leader, founder, or future product director, this episode will change how you think about the road from design to delivery — and the mindset needed to lead through uncertainty.

Connect with Mark Swaine:
 UX Institute: https://uxinstitute.com/
Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

This episode was originally recorded on the Better Tech Leadership podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/show/0M4r4dUW4tzN8L9FjNgvrK

 The UX Institute Podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com

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Unlock the secrets of transforming user research into powerful customer insights with Serena Chan from Dovetail. 

"There's no better feeling than after you've shared out a research report and then, months later, a stakeholder comes back and references it and says, 'Oh, remember that cool research you did? Wow, this is really relevant now." – Serena Chan

The San Francisco-based research advocate has witnessed and shaped the evolution of Dovetail from its early days as a diary studies tool to an AI-enhanced hub for understanding and actioning customer experiences. Serena shares her passion for synthesizing scattered data and involving key decision-makers to catalyze impactful organizational change. 

Stay ahead of the curve as we navigate the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence and user experience. Serena invites us to approach the future with both curiosity and humility, discussing how Dovetail's AI features simplify the journey from data collection to insight discovery. 

· Discover how Dovetail's transition from a diary studies tool to an AI-enhanced platform is revolutionizing the way UX designers approach qualitative analysis and extract thematic insights from user interviews.

· Learn from Serena's expertise on how to involve various team members, including non-researchers, in the UX research process to foster a customer-centric culture within organizations.

· Hear how AI is being used to simplify the journey from data collection to insight generation, ensuring that customer experiences are thoroughly understood and enhanced.

· The tangible impact of user research on driving organizational change, with practical examples like creating highlight reels that bring customer voices directly to decision-makers.

· Understanding the importance of humility and curiosity in the face of constant technological and customer need changes, and how to turn these insights into actionable opportunities.

· Learn How tools like Dovetail can help UX designers create empathy and buy-in from stakeholders by providing a vivid picture of customer pain points and needs through direct feedback.

· Strategies for communicating and embedding UX research insights within your organization, ensuring that the UX voice is integral to product direction and decision-making.

Serena provides fascinating insights into how technology is shaping the way we gather and interpret user feedback, ensuring that user experiences are not only understood but significantly enhanced. By the end of our conversation, you'll walk away with a fresh perspective on the synergy between advanced tools, a shared commitment to customer understanding, and the transformative potential of AI in the UX landscape.

Connect with Serena Chan:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/serenaschan

Check Out Dovetail:
https://dovetail.com/

Connect with Mark and the UX Institute:
UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/

Mark Swaine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

This podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com

Support the show

UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2025.
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The Evolution of Design in the Age of AI with Akshay Kore

In the latest episode of our podcast, we delve into the evolving landscape of design where artificial intelligence (AI) intersects with UX. Our distinguished guest, Akshay Kore, who has previously worked for Microsoft and is now Design Lead at Suki AI, shares his wisdom and insights drawn from his recent book, "Designing Human-Centric AI Experiences: Applied UX Design for Artificial Intelligence." 

Kore's narrative underscores the crucial balance between leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies and maintaining a steadfast commitment to human-centric design principles. The episode promises to enlighten designers, product managers, and founders alike, providing them with strategies to avoid tech-first pitfalls and instead, utilize AI to enrich digital interactions meaningfully.

As generative AI reshapes the designer's toolkit, we examine the profound shift towards guiding these intelligent tools with precision and creativity. The commoditization of design systems is on the horizon, and with it comes a new role for designers—as directors who infuse AI with empathy and craft meaningful experiences. This episode peers into the future, spotlighting how empathy and deep user testing skills will continue to play a crucial role in an industry at the cusp of transformation.

"AI will be inevitable and important, and because it is going to be inevitable, it needs to be designed well, it needs to be built for people, and it also needs to be ethical and trustworthy for us to be able to use it well." – Akshay Kore

Key Learnings from the Episode:

·       Discover how designers can align AI with human-centric design principles to create impactful user experiences.

·       Learn why the commoditization of design systems is transforming designers into directors of AI rather than mere creators.

·       Understand the significance of trust and reliability in AI systems, particularly in high-stakes user scenarios.

·       Explore the potential of AI-driven workflows and how they may redefine the roles of designers and product managers.

·       Uncover the skills designers need to hone to direct AI effectively, including prompt engineering and clear articulation.

·       Reflect on the importance of empathy in design and how it will shape the future of UX in the age of AI.

·       Gain insights into the ethical considerations and practical implications of integrating AI into the design process.

Buy Akshay Kore’s Book on Amazon:
Designing Human-Centric AI Experiences: Applied UX Design for Artificial Intelligence

Connect with Akshay Kore:
https://akor.in/
https://twitter.com/akshaykore
https://www.linkedin.com/in/akshaykkore

Connect with Mark and the UX Institute:
UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/

Mark Swaine on Twitter:

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• AI's role in enhancing UX and product design workflows and user engagement. 
• Refining data sets for better AI pattern recognition. 
• Generative AI's use in dashboards and onboarding screens.
• The need for designers to trust and use AI effectively in their work.
• AI's role in task simplification and creating intuitive, personalized experiences. 
• The importance of UX researchers staying updated on AI advancements for efficient workflows. 

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UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2025.
www.uxinstitute.com

The Enigma of UX: Mark Swaine's Insight into Tech Transformation
 
In this special episode, the tables are turned, and your host becomes the guest. Mark was recently featured on Dublin Tech Talks with Gavin Fox.

Mark takes us on a thrilling journey from his early days in web design to consulting on interactive experiences for some of the biggest brands in the world. You'll be privy to an insider look at the shift from native apps to SaaS products and why being customer-obsessed is so crucial. Mark’s international experiences and his work with startups on their SaaS platforms reveal the profound impact of UX and design on successful experiences and scalability.

Ever wondered how startups outmaneuver traditional businesses, or why banks are struggling to innovate? In our stimulating discussion on Legacy vs. Startup, Mark and Gavin dissect the capabilities of each, shedding light on the restrictions and opportunities on both sides of the spectrum. We delve into the challenges faced by banks due to bureaucracy and legacy systems and reveal the advantages of agile startups. 

One key takeaway from this talk is the importance of understanding user behavior and workflow for crafting the best experience. Tune in and become part of the conversation, as we uncover the transformative potential of UX for businesses big and small.

"UX is one of the key differentiators now and I've seen this with some startups over the years where they are losing deals, sometimes big, to some clients who are not agreeing to go forward in adopting the platform because they get direct feedback that your usability and your user experience is s*** compared to the competitors." - Mark Swain, Founder of UXI
 

Key learnings and topics in this episode:

• The evolution of UX and product design
• Legacy Vs Startup UX: Why Legacy businesses like banks often face difficulties in innovating. 
• Why UX strategies and trends should focus on customer-driven research to drive experiences.
• The role of UX research in product development
• Future trends in UX involve the incorporation of AI in design creation and screen production
  
  

 Check out Dublin Tech Talks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1QGnZyXEwM&t=1021s

Connect with Mark and the UX Institute:
UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/

Mark Swaine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

This podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com

Support the show

UXI (UX Institute) Original Podcast 2025.
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Eric Jordan, the founder of 2Advanced Studios, takes listeners on a very special journey through the early days of Flash website design and how it influenced his approach to designing world-renowned immersive web experiences that created hysteria during the early-mid 2000s. Eric reflects on the rise of 2Advanced and the impact of the projects the studio produced had on designers worldwide. 

Eric discusses the state of creativity today in developing immersive interactive experiences coupled with UX design, noting a lack of magic and rawness sometimes in experiences due to overly boxed-in processes and design templatization.

“I wanted websites to feel like an experience. I didn't want it to feel like a corporate website. That's not interesting to me. I want it to be emotional. I want it to be like a film we can kind of talk about. When I built the 2Advanced websites, I was kind of in this elevated state of consciousness at the time, just in terms of the music I was listening to and what I was going through spiritually.”

However, he expresses excitement about new tools and technologies that are emerging to break this trend and shares his passion for collaborating on projects that are trying to change the world in big ways. 

This podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in the history and future of website and UX design.

Key learnings and topics in this episode:

• Learn about the rise of 2Advanced Studios in the 2000s, the impact of studio projects, and the depth of creativity and design
• Remember Flash? Learn how Eric used Flash, animation, and music to create truly immersive user experiences.
• How and when Flash changed Eric Jordan’s life
• Learn about Eric’s unique journey. From his early designs to his futuristic motion graphics consultancy.
• Eric’s approach to UX design, and how he has pushed the envelope to create groundbreaking experiences.
• How Eric suffered and overcame work burnout after multiple award-winning projects.
• Eric’s advice on creating experiences that are not only functional, but also emotionally compelling, and how to push the boundaries of UX design to create something truly original.
• What Eric Jordan is up to now, his involvement in SpaceX, and the future of UX.

View Erics  Work:
Eric Jordan Website: www.ericjordan.com
View 2Advanced Studios Website References:
Expansions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWkNkQoQY_8
Prophecy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM_JNqFCvyo&t=56s
Attractor: https://youtu.be/9AnIknxdeS8?t=83
FWA: https://thefwa.com/profiles/2advanced-studios
Neverrain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLZhaYo5da4

Links:

UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/
Mark Swaine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

Sign up to the UX Institutes newsletter, UXI will be sharing best-in-class UX research practices as well as in-depth interview content

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OpinionX: Unlocking the Power of Prioritizing with Daniel Kyne

The co-founder and CEO of OpinionX, Daniel Kyne, talks about his research tool that helps product and design teams quickly stack rank customer priorities, making it easier for teams to make data-driven decisions and chase new opportunities. 

Learn how to use qual-quant workflows, customer problem stack ranking, and pairwise comparison surveys to get the most out of OpinionX and how it can change the way teams approach decisions and the language they use to talk about them. 

Take the time to listen to this podcast and find out why OpinionX is the go-to tool for UX researchers!

“at the end of the day, what I find resonates most and has the most change in how teams work is that unless you're solving a really high priority problem, people aren't going to care.” – Daniel Kyne

Key learnings and topics in this episode:

·       Daniel explains how OpinionX helps product teams to quantify qualitative data, allowing them to make quick and easy decisions that everyone can agree on. 

·       Learn how OpinionX can be used in a qual-quant workflow to help teams make decisions about features, functions, and pricing tiers.

·       Discover how OpinionX uses a pairwise comparison survey format to help teams quickly stack rank problems and pain points from highest to lowest priority.

·       Mark and Daniel discuss the concept of customer problem stack ranking and how OpinionX helps teams translate their work into a language everyone can understand. 

·       Find out how OpinionX is working towards building an engine that can be used as an alternative data source for product and web analytics tools.

·       Listen to the podcast now to learn more about the power and potential of the OpinionX tool for UX research.

Links:

OpnionX: https://www.opinionx.co/

Daniel Kyne on Twitter: https://twitter.com/daniel_kyne

UX institute: https://uxinstitute.com/

Mark Swaine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

This podcast is produced in partnership with Podlad.com

#UserResearch, #ProductCreation, #OpinionX, #ProductDiscovery, #Quant, #ProductManagement, #UXInstitute, #UXDesign, #OpinionX, #UXResearch, #ProductDesign

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‘’Doing remarkable things can only be done at a place where you can be who you are, and have that freedom where you fit into that team and where all of the stuff you do is appreciated. ‘’ – Eelko Lommers.

Welcome to the UX Institute podcast, hosted by UXI founder Mark Swaine. This show is focused on the transformational journeys and learnings from inspirational UX and product leaders from all corners of the globe. In today’s episode, we hear from Eelko Lommers, group UX leader of giant Swedish multinational conglomerate IKEA. Some arising topics throughout include:

- An introduction to Eelko Lommers and his diverse background. 

- Why content creation matters.

- An insight into IKEA’s UX team structure and practices. 

- IKEA’s practice of support-driven growth.

- Climate protection: embracing sustainability and supporting renewable energy.

- Competitive analysis: understanding your competitors. 

- Learning from business insights and delivering value.

- Ikea’s culture and recruitment process.

‘’A lot of brands are about the customer journey, right? It’s the journey, journey mapping, all of these different touch points, and all of that, in a sense, it’s great. But it’s not about the journey because journeys are only how you move, but it’s the experience you actually remember, not the journey. And from that perspective, IKEA is rapidly maturing towards that.’’ – Eelko Lommers.

Resources:
https://www.ikea.com

Get connected socially with Eelko Lommers:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eelkolommers/
https://twitter.com/beamuze?lang=en

Get connected socially with host Mark Swaine:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markswaine
https://uxinstitute.com/
https://twitter.com/UX_UI_Guy

UXI is a new user experience and design learning platform, offering user experience, product and design, mentoring, and courses and workshops for individuals, start-ups and company product teams. For more information, visit https://www.uxinstitute.com

This podcast is proudly produced in partnership with podlad.com 

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UXI speak to Michael Fitzgerald, co-founder of Interplay. Mark and Michael discuss the historic workflow pain that both designers and developers have faced working together building product, the inefficiencies and poor communication.  The conversation opens up the realities of the lack of understanding / misinterpretation by developers as to how product screens should function and behave. And where Interplay sits to solve this workflow by having both devs and designers work from an org wide code generated design system, leaning ever so closer to the full stack design workflow delivery. Coded VS static prototyping is also discussed along with current tooling trends. Enjoy!

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Mark Swaine founder of the UX Institute talks with Megan Kierstead, a seasoned senior UX Researcher about the realities of carrying out UX Research and how hard it can be. Megan and mark discuss how the lack of realistic and common effective ways of demonstrating insights, there impact and effect on product proposition and business lack greatly in day to day UX practice.

SHOW NOTES:

1. UX Research can be really hard and hold major responsibility for a ux practitioner to the success of a business or product.

2. Nobody prepares UX newbies for the realities and growing responsibilities of UX practitioners. 

3. Online UX courses and bootcamps are typically very poor globally and do not educate the realties or soft skills required to be successful.

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Mark Swaine CEO of the UX Institute is interviewed by Morgan Cummins of Talent Hub in this special one on one chat about the importance of the customers end to end journey and how experience design shapes each perception, interaction and post product experience.

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