🗞The Future of UX: Why Generalists Will Thrive in 2025

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😌 Humans of User Research with Jen Blatz

Hi Jen, tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Jen Blatz and I am a Principal UX Researcher at BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), one of the largest credit unions in the United States. My path to UX started in journalism and graphic design, where I started my career designing print newspapers and magazines. Then my career journey progressed into UX design, which was a natural transition from my design background. Then finally, I landed in UX research, where I focus my energies today. 

I have worked in a number of fields, like I mentioned, starting out in journalism, then moving into marketing design for a law firm. Now in UX, I have worked in a number of fields including finance, mortgage, cloud storage, security and pet health. 

I love being active in the UX community, and I am the co-founder of the UX Research and Strategy group, one of the largest UX groups in the world. I am honored to be a conference speaker who has spoken at several UX international conferences. When I have some free time, which is rare, I spend it interviewing UX pros and creating videos for my YouTube channel called BlatzChatz.

What originally got you interested in UX Research?
My passion for UX research, and also my transition away from being a designer, probably stems from one of my first UX jobs. I was a UX team of one at a company that owns a bunch of animal hospitals across the USA, called VCA. When I was designing the interface for the medical record software the hospitals used, I realized I didn’t really understand how a doctor or technician used the software. 

• What was the hospital environment like? 
• How are people typing in medical notes and holding a pet still on a table? 
• What challenges do the medical professionals face in recording visits with their patients?

These burning questions drove me to go into the hospitals and really understand how the users of the software I was building, balanced technology and hands-on pet care. I learned so much by conducting this ethnographic research and seeing the real hospital working environment. Plus I got to hang out with cats and dogs, which was really cool. 

I found that over time, I was more excited about learning about the problems rather than designing the solutions. This affinity toward exploring the user’s world and behaviors, rather than pushing the pixels, was the crossroads where I decided that UX research was actually the journey I wanted to follow.

If you could interview anyone, living or deceased, for your research, who would it be?
I know this sounds cliche, But I would interview Steve Jobs. In fact, I did sort of conduct a “mock interview” with Steve back in 2024. What’s funny about that is, Steve was obviously not alive in 2024. I just took a previous interview of his and “asked” my own questions that laddered back to funny responses he might have given. Here’s one of those interviews if you are interested. https://youtu.be/HDQ537PUUiE

Really though, I would love to pick his brain on the state of the word today. I would ask him questions like: 

• How do you feel about where Apple is in business and technology these days? 
• What is missing from people’s lives?
• How would you fill that gap? 
• How do you feel about AI taking over the world? 
• What is your biggest regret?
• What is on the other side of that “rainbow bridge” after people leave this world? 

Oh, I would have so many questions for him. It would be a really fascinating interview, if he would answer in his typical, “I don’t sugar coat shit” kind of way. I bet would have a LOT to say about the state of the world today.

Where can people find you?
I am spending my time on my YouTube Channel called BlatzChatz where I am interviewing some of the most interesting folks in UX and sharing some of my own crazy perspectives. I also like to share content and hopefully, some value on Linkedin. When I am not engaging audiences online, I am digging through my wine fridge selecting the perfect wine to go with dinner, or just to unwind after a week of work. 

Thank you, Jen!

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📚 Articles of the Week.

From 0 to 1: scaling customer research to validate and build faster — my journey with generative AI in a scale-up🌟
How can Generative AI accelerate UX research in fast-paced, scaling environments? Use AI-driven research strategists to streamline planning, tailor methodologies to business needs, and generate structured, data-driven insights without slowing execution. Tiffany Soto Saenz 02/05

Does UX research lose heart when incorporating AI?
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🎥 Video of the Week.

Where to use AI in the UX research process
How can UX researchers use AI effectively while avoiding its pitfalls? Identify trustworthy AI tools, understand their limitations, use them selectively in research workflows, and develop skills to integrate AI without compromising research quality. YouTube 01/29

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🔉 Audio of the Week.

Getting strategic about research (feat. Kate Towsey, author of research that scales)
How can UX teams prove the value of research amid budget cuts and layoffs? Leverage ResearchOps to streamline workflows, maximize impact with fewer resources, and build strategic processes that demonstrate research efficiency and business value. Spotify Apple 01/24

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🗓 UserCalendar: Upcoming Events.

Life after tech: a UXR guild book club discussion (Free)
February 13 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EST
Explore career transitions beyond tech with Debbie Levitt, author of Life After Tech, in a discussion on navigating new opportunities and planning for the future. Learn more