#180 - What to Fix in '26 with Maria Rosala of NN/g & John Whalen of Brilliant Experience

Episode notes

Ben is joined by Maria Rosala from Nielsen Norman Group and John Whalen from Brilliant Experience to wrap up 2025 and make some predictions for 2026. Maria and John share practical insights on everything from AI moderation tools to synthetic users, offering a balanced view of where these technologies excel and where human researchers remain irreplaceable. Maria and John also dig into the democratization of research across product teams, the importance of governance and strategy when implementing AI tools, and how researchers can position themselves as orchestrators of both human and artificial intelligence. Highlights 08:22 AI tools creating pressure for faster delivery 17:18 Governance and oversight for AI implementation 24:55 Composite and synthetic users explained 41:56 Hiring advice for new researchers 44:27 Demonstrating AI proficiency in job applications 49:25 Research industry predictions for 2026 Resources Research Wrapped 2025 The State of User Research Ultimate UX Jobs Board

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