UX Evolved - Strategically fusing UX+AI

When You Stop Optimizing the Wrong Process | Whitney Tolley Returns | UX Evolved

Whitney Tolley was our first-ever returning guest on UX Evolved — and for good reason. When she joined us last time, she left us with a line that stuck: if designers keep seeing themselves as UI generators, they'll be replaced. A lot has happened since then. Figma MCP is real. Agentic workflows are real. And Whitney — Design Director at Cloudbeds — has been living inside all of it. In this conversation, we go beyond the hype to talk about what's actually changing on design teams right now: how power dynamics between designers and engineers are shifting, why synthetic user research is a legitimate pre-screening layer (not a replacement for real humans), and what the role of design looks like when the cost of building collapses. Her closing answer alone is worth the listen: she wasn't using AI wrong — she was using it to speed up a broken process instead of questioning whether that process needed to exist at all. In this episode: * 00:00 — Introduction * 01:22 — Has the definition of what designers own changed? * 02:57 — Figma MCP and escaping "polish and fix" mode * 04:38 — How AI is shifting power dynamics between design and engineering * 06:11 — A real example: AI agents closing backlog bugs in 15 minutes * 07:20 — What a designer's week actually looks like now * 08:20 — Designers as trust builders in an AI-slop world * 09:26 — AI collapses the build cycle — does prioritization change? * 10:00 — Designing with context, not just coverage * 12:09 — Is human judgment in research changing? * 12:33 — How Whitney uses synthetic AI users in lean research * 14:55 — AI-assisted heuristic evaluation: speed without replacing instinct * 17:23 — The growing overlap between UX and product management * 18:31 — Where does UX fit in agentic enterprise SaaS? * 19:11 — The UX maturity model as a survival framework * 20:52 — Does Figma have a future? * 25:06 — Are your products agent-friendly? The question every team should be asking * 26:10 — Who are we hiring in 2027? (Spoiler: unicorns) * 29:18 — Specialization isn't dead — it's a quality gate * 30:08 — "Fail fast" vs. "fail forward" * 31:34 — Closing question: what do you wish you'd known when we first recorded? * 32:16 — The biggest unlock: stop optimizing broken processes, rebuild them Connect with Whitney Tolley:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitneydoyle/Claire Vo's podcast (referenced in episode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5X4_mYoiM8Connect with UX Evolved:Substack: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uxevolvedUX Evolved is a podcast for UX professionals navigating the AI transformation of design. New episodes drop monthly.

When Product Managers Start Prototyping | Blanca Barragan on the PM/UX Dynamic in AI

"The biggest thing PMs get wrong about UX? That it's just about the UI. It's actually about psychology." Blanca Barragan — PM at Versapay, Forbes Technology Council member — knows that the best product decisions happen when there's healthy tension between disciplines. In this episode, we get into what actually happens when PMs and UX leads collaborate on AI products. What we cover:→ Why Blanca loves when designers tell her she's completely wrong→ The real PM/UX collaboration cadence (not the org chart version)→ Who owns the decision when AI can't deliver what the design promised→ What's happening when PMs start prototyping themselves→ The traditional UX skills AI teams are undervaluing→ Direct advice for UX leads worried about becoming irrelevant Guest: Blanca Barragan, Product Manager at Versapay & Forbes Technology Council Member Host: Eric Ellis, UX Leader with 20+ years navigating technology disruptions For UX professionals worried about their relevance in an AI-first world: Blanca's betting on the psychology, the human insight, and the creative tension you bring to the table. Not the UI you generate.

When Resilience Becomes Your Superpower | Jen Blatz on UX in 2026

Jen Blatz drops 26 bold predictions for UX in 2026 - and they're not comfortable ones. As a Principal UX Researcher at BECU and host of BlatzChatz, Jen brings a journalism background and "troublemaker" mindset to dissecting where our profession is really headed.We dig into the hard truths: Why resilience is now the ultimate skill. Whether personal branding is mandatory for survival. Why entry-level UX jobs are vanishing. And what happens when you force users to pronounce pharmaceutical names over the phone (spoiler: it's a disaster).If you're anxious about AI, job security, or whether you need to become a content creator to stay relevant in UX - this conversation is for you.0:00 - Introduction: The Troublemaker Who Questions Everything1:23 - The "Playing Dumb" Research Technique7:00 - The 26 Predictions for 2026: Origin Story12:30 - Prediction #9: Resilience as the Ultimate Skill23:10 - Prediction #14: Personal Branding and Your Résumé31:21 - The Reinvention Mindset: Who Thrives vs Who Gets Left Behind32:50 - Short-Term vs Long-Term: Figma Mastery and the "Doers Not Thinkers" Trend36:30 - The Ultimate Question: Redesigning One ThingRESOURCES📝 Jen's 26 Predictions for UX in 2026: https://blatzchatz.com/blog/f/what%E2%80%99s-next-in-ux-my-top-26-bold-predictions-for-2026🎙️ BlatzChatz Podcast:  @BlatzChatz  [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCskb_D6d_CDlATMAanIomIw] 💼 Connect with Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferblatz/ABOUT JEN BLATZJen Blatz is a Principal UX Researcher at BECU (Boeing Employees' Credit Union), co-founder of the UX Research and Strategy Group (one of the world's largest UX communities), and host of the BlatzChatz podcast and newsletter. With a journalism background and experience spanning VCA Animal Hospitals, Capital One, and Rocket Mortgage, Jen brings "real talk with a side-eye" to the UX profession. She's a self-described "troublemaker who questions things for a living" - and the UX community is better for it.ABOUT UX EVOLVEDUX Evolved explores how our profession adapts and thrives as AI reshapes design. Host Eric Ellis brings 20+ years of UX leadership experience across corporate, consulting, and startup environments. Through conversations with UX veterans who've navigated multiple technology disruptions, we cut through the AI hype to understand what really matters.

3 Predictions for UX in 2026 That Will Change How You Work

The ground is shifting under our profession faster than ever. In this episode, I'm sharing three data-backed predictions about what's happening to UX in 2026 - not someday, but THIS YEAR. ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction02:00 - Prediction 1: Visual Polish is Table Stakes, Business Impact is the Differentiator06:00 - Prediction 2: The Great UX Salary Split10:00 - Prediction 3: The 10x Designer Becomes Real14:00 - So What? The Path Forward 🔗 REFERENCED ARTICLES: * From Benchmarking to Orchestration: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/from-benchmarking-to-orchestration [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/from-benchmarking-to-orchestration] * The Great UX Realignment: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-great-ux-realignment-how-smart [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-great-ux-realignment-how-smart] * What AI Can't Research: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/what-ai-cant-research-a-conversation [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/what-ai-cant-research-a-conversation] * Did You Hallucinate? (UX Research): https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/did-you-hallucinate-what-a-ux-researcher [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/did-you-hallucinate-what-a-ux-researcher] * When the Double Diamond Meets Machine Speed: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/when-the-double-diamond-meets-machine [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/when-the-double-diamond-meets-machine] * The Junior Designer Advantage: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-junior-designer-advantage-why [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-junior-designer-advantage-why] * The Last Time Everything Changed: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-last-time-everything-changed [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-last-time-everything-changed] * The Death of "That's Not What We Do": https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-death-of-thats-not-what-we-do [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com/p/the-death-of-thats-not-what-we-do] 📊 SOURCES & CITATIONS: * Nielsen Norman Group: "The UX Reckoning: Prepare for 2025 and Beyond" - https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-reset-2025/ [https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-reset-2025/] * CareerFoundry: "The 20 Best UX Portfolio Examples" - https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/ux-portfolio-examples-inspiration/ [https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/ux-portfolio-examples-inspiration/] * UX Playbook: "How to Write UX Case Studies That Land You Job" - https://uxplaybook.org/articles/ux-case-study-minto-pyramid-structure-guide [https://uxplaybook.org/articles/ux-case-study-minto-pyramid-structure-guide] * Glassdoor UX Salary Report Q4 2025 * Gartner: AI-Augmented Design Teams Report (Q4 2025) * MIT Business Review: AI Implementation Success Rates (2025) 🎙️ PREVIOUS EPISODES REFERENCED: * Episode 1: Adam Howell - The Last Time Everything Changed * Dan Zola - What AI Can't Research * Miwako Zosel - The Junior Researcher Perspective * Whitney Tolley - When the Double Diamond Meets Machine Speed * Amit Popat - AI/ML in Hospitality Tech About UX Evolved:UX is evolving, not dying. Through conversations with industry veterans who've navigated multiple technology disruptions, we explore how UX professionals adapt and thrive as AI reshapes our profession. Subscribe for monthly episodes that go beyond the hype to understand what really matters. Connect: * Newsletter: https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com [https://ericwebdesigner.substack.com] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/uxevolved #UXDesign #AIDesign #ProductDesign #UXCareer #DesignStrategy #UXResearch #AITools #DesignLeadership #2026Predictions

Amit Popat: a beautiful AI product that nobody bought

Amit Popat built a beautiful AI product that nobody bought. Then he sat in a hotel watching managers use whiteboards to make pricing decisions in 2019. That's when everything changed.From Cambridge math to building EasyJet's personalization engine to leading AI/ML at Cloudbeds, Amit has learned the hard way that cool technology doesn't win—solving real problems does. We dive into his own Alexa fail, why 1970s Paris Metro machines beat modern UX, and why tinkering and curiosity aren't optional in an AI-accelerated world.If you're building AI products or wondering how UX translates to this new landscape, this conversation will ground you in what actually matters: proximity to real problems beats assumptions every time. (00:00) Introduction(01:49) Welcome and Amit's Background(02:47) From Pure Math to Product Thinking(03:53) Early iPhone Development and UX Education(04:47) The Paris Metro Lesson: 1970s UX vs Modern Touchscreens(06:22) Removing Friction: Timeless Design Principles(07:00) The Value of Tinkering and Curiosity(08:45) Embedding Yourself in the Problem Space(10:06) The Whiteboard Story: Revenue Management in 2019(13:23) Building AI That Solves Real Problems(18:14) From Engineering to Product Leadership(21:45) The AI Hype vs Reality Gap(26:32) When Technical Excellence Meets User Needs(31:18) Network Intelligence and Pattern Recognition(35:27) Mistakes and Lessons Learned(38:57) The Alexa Catastrophe: Beautiful Product Nobody Bought(41:37) Dampening the Geek: Ego and Humility in Product Design(42:42) Closing Question: Redesigning Apple's iPhone Holder