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In this special Season 3 premiere of UX Leadership by Design, Fuzzy Math co-founders Mark Baldino and Ben Ihnchak sit down live with their team for a candid Q&A reflecting on nearly 18 years of building a UX consultancy. From stakeholder management and work-life balance to founding lessons and company culture, the two share honest insights on what it really takes to lead and grow a design firm. Whether you’re a UX leader, aspiring founder, or design professional, this episode is packed with real-world wisdom from two people who’ve lived it.

Key Takeaways

• Trust is the foundation of a lasting co-founder relationship
• Selling on relationships and outcomes matters more than selling on process
• Helping people grow in their careers is one of the most rewarding parts of running a firm
• Work-life balance looks different for everyone — knowing your priorities is what matters
• Transitioning from founder-led to a leadership team model is a game changer
• Stakeholder management is both the hardest and most rewarding part of consulting
• Culture doesn’t disappear when you go remote — it just requires more intention
• You don’t have to be passionate about every part of running a business to be great at it

Chapters

1. 00:00 — Welcome & Intro: A Special Live Season 3 Premiere
2. 01:00 — Introducing Ben Ihnchak: 18 Years of Fuzzy Math
3. 02:24 — What Would Surprise You About Your Co-Founder?
4. 05:10 — Advice We Wish We Had When Starting Out
5. 09:28 — Work-Life Balance as a Founder & Parent
6. 14:34 — Biggest Accomplishments & Milestones at Fuzzy Math
7. 19:15 — Misconceptions About UX & Stakeholder Challenges
8. 27:37 — How Fuzzy Math Started & What We’ve Learned
9. 42:24 — Audience Q&A & Closing Thoughts

Resources & Links

• Connect with Ben Ihnchak on LinkedIn

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy

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In this episode of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino talks with Ryan Glasgow, CEO and founder of Sprig, about the future of UX research in an AI-first world. Ryan shares how Sprig was built to replace legacy survey tools like Qualtrics and SurveyMonkey by enabling real-time, in-context feedback and powerful AI-driven analysis. The conversation dives deep into how modern research can scale with fewer resources, why AI should be seen as an intern—not a threat—and how researchers can thrive by shifting toward strategic influence within organizations. If you’re in product, design, or research leadership, this one’s for you.

Key Takeaways

• Legacy research tools are broken – They’re disconnected from user behavior and painfully slow—Sprig fixes that by embedding surveys in key workflows.
• AI isn’t here to replace you—it’s your intern – The most successful teams treat AI like an eager junior teammate that accelerates insights and frees up strategic thinking.
• UX research is evolving toward strategic impact – Tactical research is being democratized across teams; researchers who shift toward company-level strategy will thrive.
• Tool bloat is real—consolidation is the future – Many orgs are replacing 3–5 survey tools with Sprig to reduce costs and streamline workflows.
• You can’t scale great product experiences without scaling insights – Research embedded across the product journey is the only way to keep up.
• Designers and Product Managers are sharing research responsibilities – It’s now table stakes for cross-functional teams to gather, analyze, and act on feedback.
• Sprig uses Sprig – The team applies its own product to optimize A/B testing, feature development, and in-product recruiting—truly eating their own dog food.

Chapters

1. From Product to Founder: Why Build Sprig – 01:00
2. What Legacy Survey Tools Get Wrong – 04:00
3. Sprig’s End-to-End Research Workflow – 07:30
4. Using Sprig to Build Sprig (Meta UX) – 09:45
5. AI as Intern: Supercharging Strategic Work – 22:00
6. The New Research Stack: Strategic > Tactical – 29:00
7. The Future of UX Research Teams – 31:00

Resources & Links

• Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn
• Sprig AI-Native Survey App

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of UX Leadership by Design, Mark Baldino sits down with Sara Fortier, CEO and founder of Outwitly, a UX talent solutions firm that evolved from a UX consultancy into a staffing partner for UX, research, and service design teams.

Sara shares her journey from agency consulting to UX staffing, explaining how shifting market dynamics, including digital transformation, AI disruption, and the rise of the blended workforce, led to her firm’s transformation. She and Mark discuss the traits that make contract designers successful, how leaders can better manage mixed teams, and the growing pressure for design teams to align with business outcomes.

Sara also offers practical advice for designers at every level—on building trust, navigating uncertainty, and developing the soft skills and business fluency necessary for long-term career success.

Key Takeaways

• Pivoting with Purpose: Outwitly’s shift from UX consulting to staffing wasn’t just reactive—it was strategic. Sara shares how market demand, revenue signals, and hard-earned confidence drove the transition.
• Blended Teams Work—With the Right Talent: Contract designers can provide speed, flexibility, and specialization—but only when they bring seniority, stakeholder savvy, and initiative. Soft skills are non-negotiable.
• Leadership Is Getting Pulled in Every Direction: Today’s UX leaders are balancing emotional support for their teams, pressure from execs on AI, and increasing demands to prove business value—all while staying current themselves.
• Designers Must Embrace Business Fluency: Career longevity increasingly depends on understanding how design impacts revenue, costs, and KPIs. Designers need to connect their work to strategic business drivers.
• Trust Is Built Through the Basics: Responding to emails, sending updates, raising risks early—these are simple but critical practices that build stakeholder trust and create long-term credibility.
• Relationships = Resilience: Strong networks and internal relationship-building help designers navigate layoffs, transitions, and career pivots. Build trust across teams, not just within design.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Guest Welcome

01:30 – From Industrial Design to UX Leadership

05:15 – The Pivot to UX Staffing

09:45 – What’s Driving the Rise in Contract UX Talent?

12:40 – What Makes a Great Contractor?

15:40 – The Pressure on Design Leaders

21:30 – Career Longevity in UX: Advice for Designers

Resources & Links

• Connect with Sara on LinkedIn

• Connect with Mark on LinkedIn
• Fuzzy Math - B2B & Enterprise UX Design Consultancy