Jun 9, 2026 · 49 min · 13 segments
This week we're revisiting one of Awkward Silences' most memorable episodes. Much of the conversation around AI in UX involves how it will shape and change researchers' work. This episodes's guest…
Jess HolbrookGuestErin MayHost
Ben WiedmaierHost
I mean, before I get started too, I always feel like this is one of the values of our discipline is that so many people come from so many different backgrounds, and I've yet to meet, you know, a UX researcher, even somebody in UX who had a straight line, uh, through, and I, and I just kind of-- I always love to, uh, reinforce that that's one of our strengths.
So I went to school for psychology and social psychology, um, and I thought I was gonna be an academic and, and all that.
Um, and then the- between year one and two in grad school for me, I was-- I, I needed to get a job because I, you know, had rent and things like that.
Um, and as an intern, you know, I'd go in each day, and they'd kinda tell me what my job was, and it would vary from day to day.
And one day I go in, and they say, "Hey, we want you to, uh, redesign the ads page for our website, uh, and we want you to use Dreamweaver."
And depending on the demographics of your audience, some people are nodding and laughing about Dreamweaver, and other people are like, "What is Dreamweaver?" D-you know, you can search it.
And so I started to just redesign the page, and I essentially started, like, commenting out code, and I, I had no idea how any of this worked, and, and I was like, oh, if I get rid of that code, this thing that was in the center of the screen moved to the left of the screen.
Basically, what should I do?" And he said, "Oh, you should do user research." And, you know, I was like: "Oh, what's that?" And he connected me with, uh, an HCI professor at the school.
This is another thing I've, I've always tried to invest in mentorship of people because, uh, she cared about me when she didn't need to.
I mean, before I get started too, I always feel like this is one of the values of our discipline is that so many people come from so many different backgrounds, and I've yet to meet, you know, a UX researcher, even somebody in UX who had a straight line, uh, through, and I, and I just kind of-- I always love to, uh, reinforce that that's one of our strengths.
So I went to school for psychology and social psychology, um, and I thought I was gonna be an academic and, and all that.
Um, and then the- between year one and two in grad school for me, I was-- I, I needed to get a job because I, you know, had rent and things like that.
Um, and as an intern, you know, I'd go in each day, and they'd kinda tell me what my job was, and it would vary from day to day.
And one day I go in, and they say, "Hey, we want you to, uh, redesign the ads page for our website, uh, and we want you to use Dreamweaver."
And depending on the demographics of your audience, some people are nodding and laughing about Dreamweaver, and other people are like, "What is Dreamweaver?" D-you know, you can search it.
And so I started to just redesign the page, and I essentially started, like, commenting out code, and I, I had no idea how any of this worked, and, and I was like, oh, if I get rid of that code, this thing that was in the center of the screen moved to the left of the screen.
Basically, what should I do?" And he said, "Oh, you should do user research." And, you know, I was like: "Oh, what's that?" And he connected me with, uh, an HCI professor at the school.
This is another thing I've, I've always tried to invest in mentorship of people because, uh, she cared about me when she didn't need to.
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