How AI is Transforming the UX Industry

The rise of ChatGPT has caught the imagination of millions of people, for the first time we're seeing AI client applications being adopted on mass. The company itself has been evaluated at 29 billion dollars in just under 6 weeks of the release of the software.

The possibilities and ramifications for many across the world of digital design and development is vast, and naturally the first human responses to the evolution of technology is "how will this affect me?".

The rise of AI technology isn't new. Companies like Google, Meta, Amazon - have been investing in deep learning and algorithmic technology for a while, and ChatGPT's arrival will seemingly speed things up for the big guys. The notable story of a google engineer who left his role after stating that it's own chat service had become sentient reached global news desks:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/jun/12/google-engineer-ai-bot-sentient-blake-lemoine

Fierce commentary has commenced across the internet querying the role of ChatGPT and other such tools, certainly many siting that it will replace how humans search for content.

I asked ChatGPT itself if it could replace User Experience professionals, here's it's answer:

As an AI language model, ChatGPT can potentially assist User Experience professionals in tasks such as data analysis, user feedback analysis, and natural language generation. However, it is unlikely to completely replace the need for human professionals in the field, as their expertise in areas such as user research, design thinking, and empathy for the user cannot be replicated by machines. Rather, ChatGPT may be seen as a tool to support and enhance the work of User Experience professionals, rather than a substitute for them.

And, not surprisingly - I'd have to agree with it. It's never been more prevalent to be a user experience professional.

What I do see the rise of AI tools being, is a fast track to testing ideas and hypothesis with humans, extracting problem statements faster and improving products quicker than could be imagined.

Already in a previous role I've used ChatGPT to aid documentation for onboarding new product people to it's business and industry.

Furthermore if you're looking to enhance your research capabilities and gain advances on hypotheses - you can ask ChatGPT to respond to you as the person or persona that you're interested in.

I've tried this with a case study that I was focussed on in a previous role working with 101 Ways and Springer Nature. We were looking at submitting authors who would submit their research to a collection/special issue.

Here's what I did:

Me: Can you write your next responses as an author of scientific research?

ChatGPT: Certainly, I can write my next responses as an author of scientific research. Please provide me with the topic or question you would like me to address in this format.

Me: How do you value submitting your research to a collection or special issue - over submitting your paper directly to the journal?

ChatGPT: The decision to submit a research paper to a special issue or collection versus submitting it directly to a journal can have important implications for the visibility and impact of the research. In our research, we have found that submitting a paper to a special issue or collection can provide several benefits that may not be available through direct submission.

First, submitting a paper to a special issue or collection can help to ensure that the research is included within a specific and focused body of literature. By bringing together related papers on a common theme or topic, special issues can help to establish a coherent and robust research agenda, and can facilitate the exchange of ideas and insights among authors and readers.

Second, submitting a paper to a particular issue or collection can increase the visibility and impact of the research. Special problems are often curated by editors who are experts in the field and are promoted and distributed widely to relevant audiences. As a result, papers that are included in special issues may receive more attention and citations than papers that are published in standard issues.

Third, submitting a paper to a particular issue or collection can provide opportunities for collaboration and networking. By working with other authors with similar interests and expertise, researchers can build relationships and establish new research partnerships that can lead to further collaboration and impact.

Overall, while there may be some advantages to submitting a research paper directly to a journal, we believe that submitting to a special issue or collection can provide important benefits that can enhance the visibility, impact, and quality of the research. As such, we encourage researchers to carefully consider the options available to them and to choose the approach that best fits their goals and objectives.

This answer genuinely could have saved us not just hours, but months of work as an agency coming to the business with a need to skill up on the sector, but also inform the business requirements and strategy. Many of Springer Nature's internal staff members viewed Collections/Special Issues as low value, whereas some valued it much higher and potentially a significant revenue generator.

When testing a hypothesis with actual submitting authors, the responses from ChatGPT could have been validated with real humans. Having done the research myself, I can vouch that the response from ChatGPT is pretty good.

I'd argue strongly that AI technology will provide assurances, validation and refined hypotheses for user value and problem-statement solving.