Anne, an African-based UX researcher, talks about her transition from teaching into the tech scene, reflecting on how her focus on the well-being of individuals led her to UX research. She explores the silent harms of technology and how products are often designed to be addictive. She also offers UX researchers a valuable perspective on balancing business strategy with the responsibility of protecting users’ mental health.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/anne-njoroge-unspoken-dangers-of-technology

Episode highlights

00:01:09 - About Anne

00:05:57 - Being an African-centered designer

00:07:51 - Technology is never neutral

00:13:18 - Tech and education

00:15:43 - Silent harms of technology

00:19:19 - Arming the users with the right information

00:22:43 - Using technology to achieve goals

00:23:50 - Final thoughts

About our guest

Anne is a UX designer with a background in training, design, and business development in technology. She enjoys using research, storytelling, and thoughtful design to make complex systems easier to understand, especially in emerging and decentralized technologies where education and empathy really matter.

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX.

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

Danielle, a UX researcher at MasterCard, talks about the intersection of gender and user experience. She explains how users differ on 5 dimensions and how the differences in cognitive styles and problem-solving influence user interactions with products. Danielle also shares how she applies the GenderMag framework and inclusive research practices to improve the product experience for all user groups in FinTech.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/danielle-jernberg-improve-user-experience-for-everyone

Episode highlights

00:01:41 - About Danielle

00:03:19 - Danielle’s journey into FinTech as a UX researcher

00:05:15 - What is the GernderMag framework?

00:11:51 - Applying the GenderMag framework in FinTech

00:14:23 - GenderMag and gender biases

00:17:09 - How can applying GenderMag improve UX for everyone?

00:19:47 - Specifics of working in FinTech in Sweden

00:21:36 - Avoiding the wealth gap

About our guest

Danielle Jernberg is a Research Manager at Mastercard with nearly a decade of experience across digital product, UX, and user research. With a background in Psychology and Human–Computer Interaction, she has worked across fintech, finance, e-commerce, and consultancy, spanning leadership roles in digital product, technology commercialisation, and research.

Danielle specialises in turning complex qualitative and quantitative insights into clear strategic direction, partnering closely with product and design teams to champion evidence-based, human-centred decision-making at scale.

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

Glauco, the Research Lead at N26, reflects on his transition from an individual contributor to a UX research leader and the mindset shifts that come with scaling impact through others. He discusses why deep, insightful research is no longer enough on its own, and why today’s researchers must balance slow, foundational work with fast, highly actionable outputs. Glauco also explores how AI can support UX leadership and how context, strategy, and personal research philosophy help shape strong, modern research teams.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/glauco-cavalheiro-navigating-ux-leadership

Episode highlights

00:01:51 - About Glauco

00:03:12 - Glauco’s journey to UX leadership

00:06:06 - Challenges of becoming a good UX leader

00:10:14 - Leading a research team at N26

00:16:00 - Fast vs slow track in UX research

00:21:41 - AI and UX leadership

About our guest

Glauco Cavalheiro is a user research manager at N26, where he leads an amazing team uncovering insights that shape the future of digital banking. Trained in applied social sciences, he brings a deep curiosity about human behaviour and attitudes to the world of product strategy. With 11 years of experience transitioning from individual contributor to research leader, Glauco is passionate about the craft of research - and building impactful research practices in fast-paced environments.

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

👉 AI in UX research report: https://blog.uxtweak.com/ai-in-ux-research-revisited/

SL Rao (she/them) unpack why bias is unavoidable in research and why the idea of complete objectivity is largely a myth. Drawing on examples from education, public policy, and systems design, SL explain how bias shows up in who we recruit, how we interpret data, and how solutions often reinforce existing power structures. SL also explains how to help communities to conduct their own research through participatory approaches and power-sharing.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/sl-rao-bias-in-research

Episode highlights

00:01:40 - About SL

00:04:08 - Why is all research biased?

00:07:23 - Examples of how people bring bias into research

00:11:32 - Is some research better than none?

00:16:49 - Recruitment and empowering communities

00:22:59 - Giving away the power

00:29:46 - Final advice

About our guest

SL Rao (She/They) is a strategist who co-creates new futures in education, health and climate through design inspired system transformation. They bring a system-oriented, equity-centered approach to their work and to how they build, nurture, and grow teams and organizations. They are curious, and driven by the need to find solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

Jen, a UX researcher at BECU and creator of BlatzChatz, discusses why traditional user personas fail to serve teams. She explains how her frustration with personas drove her to create her own framework - Scenario Alignment Canvas (SAC). She also shares how this method facilitates productive discussions, surfaces assumptions, and helps prioritize research opportunities, ultimately leading to more user-centric and effective design solutions.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/jennifer-blatz-why-user-personas-fail

Episode highlights

00:01:14 - About Jen

00:02:27 - Jen’s journey to UX research

00:05:26 - Why user personas fail

00:09:26 - How many teams struggle to use personas

00:13:00 - Jen’s Scenario Alignment Canvas

00:18:18 - Running a Scenario Alignment Workshop

00:20:40 - Jen’s tips on running a UX workshop

00:25:16 - Final advice

About our guest

Jen Blatz is a Principal UX Researcher at BECU (Boeing Employee Credit Union), one of the largest credit unions in the United States. Jen's path to UX started in journalism and graphic design, progressed to UX design, and finally landed in UX research and strategy. She has worked in a number of fields, including finance, mortgage, cloud storage, security, and pet health.

Jen loves being active in the UX community and is the co-founder of the UX Research and Strategy group, one of the largest UX groups in the world. Jen is a seasoned conference speaker who has spoken at several UX International conferences. She spends her free time interviewing UX pros and creating videos for her YouTube channel called BlatzChatz.

🔎 Where to follow Jen

LinkedIn

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter

Amanda Di Dio, VP of Partnerships and Operations at Optimistic Design, discusses the challenge of balancing user needs with technological constraints in product development.

She shares her approach of treating users as active stakeholders, involving them in co-creation and continuous decision-making to shape product visions, prioritize features, and validate solutions.

👉 If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to geekspodcast@uxtweak.com

🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:

https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/amanda-di-dio-user-needs-and-technological-capabilities

Episode highlights

00:03:09 - User needs and technological capabilities

00:07:45 - Example of co-creation with users

00:15:00 - Conversations with users and stakeholders

00:19:06 - Conversations with technical teams

00:22:32 - Lessons from Amanda's practice

00:27:19 - Importance of continuous learning

About our guest, Amanda Di Dio

Amanda is an experienced delivery strategist and program lead known for her expertise in collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.

She has a proven track record in strategizing, planning, and executing research strategies, as well as designing and delivering digital experiences across multiple industries.

Amanda is currently the VP of Partnerships + Operations at Optimistic Design. Lately, Amanda's focus has been on the education sector, where she has developed key partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Khan Academy, MDRC, and USC Shoah Foundation.

Additionally, she supports edtech organizations in integrating equity-centered approaches into their product R&D processes, playing a crucial role in their growth, support, and capacity building.

🔎 Where to follow Amanda

LinkedIn

👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B

About this podcast:

Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.

🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: https://www.uxtweak.com/ 👈

🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:

LinkedIn / Instagram / YouTube / Facebook / Twitter