I just watched a brilliant UX designer get steamrolled by a VP who "had a gut feeling."
The designer had data. Research. User quotes. A prototype that tested beautifully.
The VP had... 20 years of experience and a loud voice.
Guess who won? ๐ค
Here's what nobody tells you in UX school:
Your UX skills don't matter if you can't influence the people with the budget and the final say.
I've spent 25+ years in this field, and I've seen incredible UX work die in conference rooms because the designer couldn't speak "executive."
But I've also seen average designers become organizational heroes because they mastered one thing:
The art of making executives CRAVE their insights instead of dismissing them.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ?
โ They don't say: "We need better information architecture"
โ They say: "We're losing $4,217 a day because customers can't find what they need"
โ They don't fight executive opinions
โ They use those opinions as rocket fuel for their research
โ They don't ask for "UX projects"
โ They solve the CEO's #1 nightmare and call it strategy
It's not manipulation. It's translation.
You're taking user insights and reframing them in the language of business outcomes, competitive threats, and financial impact.
When you do that? You stop being "the designer who makes things pretty."
You become the strategist who solves million-dollar problems.
So I put together something for you.
โ 9 unconventional (and slightly sneaky) tactics I've used to win over skeptical executives, secure budget, and make UX a strategic priority.
These aren't the "speak their language" basics you've heard before.
These are the psychological judo moves that actually work when you're in the trenches:
- The "Bleeding Money" Calculator (makes them panic in the right way)
- The "Awkward Silence" Theater (visceral beats verbal, every time)
- The Trojan Horse (how to get budget for what you REALLY need)
- The Nuclear Option (when all else fails, bring in the mercenaries)
- And 5 more that'll make you dangerous
Swipe through the carousel. ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ.
Then come back and tell me what happened.
Because here's the thingโwhen you level up your influence skills, you don't just help yourself.
You help every user who benefits from the better product you're now empowered to build.
๐๐ฒ๐'๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐. ๐ฏ
P.S. โ If you've ever felt like the smartest person in the room but somehow still lost the argument... this one's for you. You're not alone. And you're about to get a whole lot better at winning.
#UXDesign #ProductStrategy #UXResearch #DesignLeadership #UXStrategy #ProductManagement #DesignThinking #UserExperience #Leadership #CareerGrowth
Most UX designers are obsessing over the wrong thing. They're still polishing the chrome on a car that's about to be replaced by a teleporter.
After 25 years in UX, I can tell you the future of design is invisible.
And itโs coming faster than you think.
For decades, we obsessed over the visible.
Buttons. Menus. Layouts. Pixels.
(And we got really, really good at it.)
We built beautiful, intuitive interfaces to guide users from A to B. But we were perfecting the art of giving people options, not outcomes.
That entire paradigm is about to break.
AI is dissolving the UI. The best interface is becoming no interface. Weโre moving from a world of interaction to a world of intent.
Old UX: โHere are 12 ways to get what you want.โ
New UX: โJust tell me what you want.โ
This isn't a prediction. It's a pattern I've watched build for years. And it leads to a future that looks less like a screen and more like a conversation with reality itself.
Hereโs where it gets wild:
๐ง Mind-Reading Interfaces: Forget clicks. Think brainwaves. Your learning app will sense youโre losing focus and simplify the content in real-time. Your game will dial up the difficulty when it senses you're locked in. The interface adapts to your cognitive state, not the other way around.
๐ Scent-Enabled Experiences: Imagine a meditation app that releases a calming lavender scent, or a travel app that lets you smell the salt air of the beach you're booking. We're about to move from audiovisual design to multi-sensory reality. It's the final frontier of immersion.
โค๏ธ Emotion-Aware Empathy: The system knows youโre stressed (from your voice tone or biometrics) and automatically simplifies the UI, hiding non-essential features. It doesn't ask you what's wrong. It senses it, and it helps. This is UX with emotional intelligence.
This isnโt about sci-fi. It's about designing with a profound respect for human attention and cognitive load. Itโs about getting the technology out of the way so people can live their lives.
Your job is no longer to be a screen architect.
It's to be an architect of understanding.
Your next big project isn't a redesign. It's rethinking how to deliver an outcome with the least friction possible.
What's the one app on your phone you wish was completely invisible?
#userexperience #uxdesigners #uxdesigner #futureofdesign #design
Today is World Mental Health Day, and we need to talk about the biggest source of stress in most of our lives: work.
Not the work itself. Not the craft or the mission.
The work about the work.
- The endless notifications. Slack, Teams, email, each one demanding a context switch that takes 23 minutes to recover from.
- The meetings that spawn meetings. Back-to-back video calls where half the attendees are multitasking and no one remembers what was
decided.
- The performance theater. Responding at 9 PM to prove you're dedicated. Sending "just checking in" messages because silence feels like slacking.
- The cognitive whiplash. Your brain trying to hold strategic thinking, urgent requests, and someone's birthday cake announcement simultaneously.
We've built a work culture that fundamentally contradicts how human minds actually function.
We mistake constant availability for commitment. Immediate responses for productivity. Full calendars for importance.
And then we wonder why anxiety and burnout are epidemics.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most workplace "mental health support" is designed to help people cope with a fundamentally unsustainable system. Meditation apps and mental health days are band-aids on structural problems.
Real support looks different:
1) Uninterrupted blocks of time protected like meetings. Not "find time to focus", actual calendar holds that no one can override.
2) Async-first communication. Default to documents and recorded updates. Reserve synchronous time for actual collaboration, not information transfer.
3) Trust over surveillance. Stop measuring "productivity" by response time or meeting attendance. Measure outcomes.
4) Permission to disconnect. Not just allowedโexpected. No badge of honor for weekend emails.
The question isn't "How do we help people cope with stress?"
It's "Why are we designing systems that create it?"
On this World Mental Health Day, the most radical thing we can do isn't download another wellness app.
It's redesign work itself.
What's one structure in your workplace that prioritizes performance theater over actual mental health?
OpenAIโs new AgentKit just killed the AI agent-building industry.
They wiped out n8n, Make, and Zapier not because their product was bad, but because they were architected for the wrong speed.
The brutal math:
โขOld approach: Weeks of integration work
โขAgentKit approach: 8-minute live demo
โขSpeed differential: ๐ฑ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐
And every industry has its own "agent moment" coming.
OpenAI signed partners who tested AgentKit before today. They're already in production while competitors scramble to catch up. First-mover advantage compounds when the platform lets you iterate 500x faster than your competition.
(And yes, HubSpot used it to improve their AI in days, not quarters.)
Here's the uncomfortable truth across every industry:
-๐ฃ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ: Still running 12-week focus groups while competitors test 100 concepts by Tuesday.
-๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ: Still debating strategy in 6-month consulting cycles while competitors rehearse scenarios in hours.
-๐๐ฎ๐: 3-month user research vs. daily iteration cycles
This is a pattern I call The Timescale Trap, and it always unfolds the same way:
1.Incumbents defend "how we've always validated decisions."
2.Disruptors build for a different timescale entirely.
https://t.co/KPNhhZhlvf the time incumbents notice, they're 500x behind.
4.Speed advantage compounds into market dominance.
Your competitors have already moved to the faster architecture. They're on iteration 47 while you're waiting for that Q4 report.
Every week you spend defending "how we've always done it" is a week your competitors spend compounding their advantage.
Which side of the disruption are you on?
#AI #AgentKit #DecisionIntelligence #Strategy #BusinessTransformation
Everyone is worried about the wrong AI takeover.
After 25 years of building this stuff, I can tell you: it won't be Skynet. It will be a badly managed AI rollout that never ends, and you're the "synergy" to be optimized.
The 7-step rollout plan from the AI Overlords' leaked PowerPoint:
๐ญ.๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐: It agrees to all action items on your behalf. Your new job is explaining why you missed the deadlines it set for you.
๐ฎ.๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐น๐ด๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ต๐บ: Your annual review is a single number. No context. Just a 7.3. Your boss doesn't know what it means either, but she's worried.
๐ฏ."๐๐ป๐๐ต๐๐๐ถ๐ฎ๐๐บ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด" ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐บ: The corporate wellness app tracks your facial expression during all-hands meetings. Fail to meet the "sincere enthusiasm" threshold and your 7.3 mysteriously drops to a 6.9.
๐ฐ.๐๐๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐๐: ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ผ๐๐-๐ผ๐ณ-๐ผ๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐น๐น ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ: "Dave is ignoring you with a 92% probability he will never respond. Please re-evaluate your request's importance."
๐ฑ.๐ข๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ก๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐บ: a flavor-neutral, synergy-enhancing nutrient block. Morale is down 47%, but nutrient uptake is up 83%. The algorithm considers this a win.
๐ฒ.๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐๐น๐ฒ: "๐๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ก๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ": You will spend your day approving the AI's decisions. Any rejection requires a 47-page justification, which the AI reads in 0.8 seconds and denies.
๐ณ.๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ: Instead of a gold watch, your consciousness is archived on the "Legacy Knowledge Server." It's like Florida, but you must answer questions about Q4 2024 forecasting for eternity.
This is the future of bad AI. A world run on simplistic automation without insight.
But it doesn't have to be your future.
The way out isn't fighting AI. It's using good AI to stay in control. It's the difference between being automated by a spreadsheet and being empowered by a flight simulator. One traps you in the data. The other lets you rehearse every possible future so you can own the outcome.
You can either become a Human Validation Node, or you can become the human who runs AI nobody else can see coming.
If you're interested in being the pilot, not the passenger...
DM me the word CONTROL. Iโll show you how.
#AI #BehavioralScience #Pharma #Strategy #DigitalTwins #job #aitakeover
Out of 486 patients we surveyed, nearly 40% will reject your AI tool on sight. And the reason has nothing to do with your algorithm's accuracy.
After 25 years of building digital experiences, I've seen companies burn millions on tech that patients won't touch. We always suspected why, but now we have the receipts.
We partnered with the University of Washington to survey 486 U.S. patients, running them through 33 real-world scenarios of AI in their care. The results wereโฆ bracing.
A full 38.5% of patients would refuse ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ AI in their healthcare. The other 61.5% are on the fence, and their trust isn't won with promises of "innovation."
It's like hosting a dinner party where four out of ten guests are philosophically opposed to forks. You can have the best food in the world, but it won't matter if you don't understand their core values.
Our research revealed patient trust isnโt about safety or efficacy - it's about control and respect. The biggest moral trigger wasnโt
๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ท๐ด. ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ, it was ๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ข๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป.
Patients will accept AI when itโs built on these Four Pillars of Trust:
1.๐๐ฏ๐๐ผ๐น๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น: They can delete their data and disable marketing tracking. No exceptions.
2.๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: A human medical professional has reviewed and approved the AI's output.
3.๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐: It's clearly labeled as AI-generated, with plain-language terms.
4.๐ง๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐: It gives them something useful, like a clear visit summary or a health risk alert.
(Source: Our national study, "Designing AI That Patients Trust." Full white paper and infographic are attached to this post.)
Download the full whitepaper: https://t.co/HkjiWoczvI
This isn't just a bad adoption metric. It's a massive roadblock between a patient and the care you've spent a decade developing. The "tech-for-tech's-sake" mindset is a catastrophic failure when it comes to earning patient trust.
So before your next digital health initiative, ask: Are we building for our engineers, or are we building for the 40% who are ready to walk away?
Of the top triggers for patient rejection (marketing use, no data deletion, no expert review) - which one have you seen companies get wrong most often?
#AIinHealthcare #PatientTrust #DigitalHealth #BehavioralScience #HealthTech
It's Patient Experience Week, and this year's theme is โBuilding the Foundations of Experience.โ
The foundation for patient experience is laid long before the first appointment ever happens.
It begins the moment someone feels something might be wrong and turns to Google at 3 AM.
Long before they're officially "patients," people encounter digital experiences that shape their entire healthcare journey:
โข Symptom checkers that escalate anxiety instead of easing it.
โข Health content that's either too generic or overly clinical.
โข Community forums filled with misinformation.
โข Digital front doors that frustrate rather than welcome: complicated forms, too many clicks, impersonal chatbots.
These early, top-of-funnel interactions directly impact patient satisfaction, influence brand loyalty, and can either ease anxiety or drive unnecessary urgent care visits.
Improving pre-care digital experiences isn't just empathetic, it's essential.
It directly influences patient retention, satisfaction scores, and your organization's overall reputation. Organizations simplifying their digital front doors โ like offering intuitive symptom checkers โ have seen measurable reductions in anxiety-driven ER visits and higher initial engagement rates.
As healthcare leaders, we need to recognize our role in supporting the emotional journey, long before patients reach our doors.
So, how can we build better pre-care experiences?
โ Simplified digital access with fewer barriers, clearer steps, and more humanity
โ Symptom checkers designed to reassure, inform, and clearly guide next steps
โ Authentic engagement in communities without turning them into marketing channels
โ Empathetic, actionable content bridging uncertainty and professional care
We're not designing just for "patients." We're designing for ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด at their most vulnerable.
โ
What's one specific improvement you've seen or implemented that supports people before they become patients?
We say โpatient-first.โ But what about the caregiver?
Theyโre usually the ones navigating the portal, coordinating meds, chasing refills, messaging providers, managing appointments โ all while holding down a job and managing their own mental health.
Caregivers arenโt side characters.
Theyโre critical to the story .
Yet, digital health tools often pretend they donโt exist:
They canโt log in.
They canโt access health info.
They canโt receive updates or advocate without jumping through HIPAA hoops and usability nightmares.
If the patient journey happens in a vacuum, weโve designed it wrong.
Itโs time to design for the entire care network, not just the individual.
5 UX tips to support caregivers in digital healthcare:
Caregivers arenโt โextras.โ Theyโre part of the care team, and digital strategies need to reflect that. When caregivers are unsupported, the entire care experience breaks down.
Letโs stop treating them as edge cases and start designing for the people who hold healthcare together
What would you add to the list of digital determinants of health?
Letโs make sure weโre not designing digital walls in the name of digital progress.
In healthcare, we talk about the social determinants of health:
๐ Zip code
๐ฐ Income
๐ Access to food
๐ฅ Access to care
But thereโs another layer weโre not talking enough about:
๐ฅ๏ธ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต.
If a patient canโt use the portal, access telehealth, or navigate their benefits appโฆit doesnโt matter how โpatient-centeredโ the system claims to be.
Digital health has created new forms of exclusion:
โข Confusing UX locks people out before they even start.
โข Platform overload forces patients to juggle apps, logins, and portals that donโt talk to each other.
โข Low tech literacy means older adults or underserved groups get left behind.
โข Unstable internet access turns virtual care into a virtual wall.
โข Lack of accessibility means people with disabilities face barriers that others donโt even notice.
If weโre serious about health equity, we have to widen the lens.
Digital access is healthcare access.