Design & Product
Writer
Just last month, I ran a LinkedIn poll to understand how product designers and UX researchers are using AI in their work.
To be honest, I wasn’t really surprised by the responses.
The majority—65%—said they’re using AI for brainstorming and writing, while others are using it to analyze research data (26%) or to create and edit images (10%). Rapid prototyping? Not a single vote.
That small but interesting data pool made me think: AI in user research is still a mystery to many. Sure, it’s tempting to stick to familiar methods, but what if you’re leaving some serious efficiency and creativity on the table?
I wanted to write this blog, not just to share what others are doing, but to help you figure out where AI can fit into your workflow. Whether you’re looking to save time, uncover insights, or simply spark some fresh ideas, there’s a lot AI can do to make your process smoother and more creative.
Before we dive into the practical stuff, let’s address the why. AI isn’t just a tool that everyone’s using—it’s a genuine problem-solver.
As UX researchers, you’re already juggling a lot—finding participants, research questions, participant analysis, and endless data sets. AI can give you more time to focus on the critical aspects of research while handling some of the repetitive or time-consuming tasks.
Still skeptical? Keep reading. By the end of this blog, you’ll be itching to try at least one of these examples.
AI is ready to roll up its sleeves and dive into your UX research process. From sparking fresh ideas to speeding up your data crunching, here’s where AI can jump in and make things run a bit smoother—without taking over your expertise.
You’re kicking off a new project and need to come up with interview or survey questions. This can feel daunting, especially if the topic is broad or unfamiliar. AI tools like ChatGPT or Jasper are great at helping you break through creativity blocks, fast. Give them a prompt like:
“Generate 10 interview questions to uncover pain points in online shopping checkout processes.”
Here’s what AI might spit out:
From here, you can tweak and tailor the questions to fit your audience. The key is to use AI as a springboard—not a replacement for your expertise.
Creating tasks for usability testing requires balancing clarity, relevance, and challenge. Writing-focused AI tools can help by generating scenario-based tasks that mimic real-world use cases.
Let’s say you’re testing a new hotel booking app. Ask AI for task ideas, and you might get:
These are solid starting points. You can refine them to better suit your study goals, but AI saves you from staring at a blank page.
Okay, no one in my poll said they use AI for prototyping, but let’s change that. Tools like Uizard or Sketch’s AI-powered plugins are game-changers, allowing you to go from a concept to a working prototype in minutes.
Let’s say you have a rough idea for a mobile app but no time to create a polished prototype. Just upload your wireframes or sketches to a tool like Uizard, and it will magically turn them into clickable prototypes. You can immediately start gathering feedback from stakeholders or users—no need to wait for the perfect design.
What’s great about this is that it speeds up the iteration process and lets you test ideas before investing too much time in finalizing designs. So, if prototyping feels like a bottleneck, AI can help you move faster without sacrificing quality.
AI-powered design tools like DALL·E, Canva Magic, or Adobe Firefly make it ridiculously easy to generate and edit visuals. Whether you need placeholder images, alternate layouts, or quick mockups, AI’s got your back.
Let’s say you’re running an A/B test on homepage designs. Use DALL·E to generate variations with different visual styles—say, minimalistic vs. vibrant—and test how users respond.
Or maybe you’re testing how users interpret icons. Canva Magic can help you quickly tweak icon shapes, colors, and styles to create multiple variations for testing.
If you’ve ever manually tagged survey responses or combed through hours of usability test recordings, you know how tedious analysis can be. AI tools like UXArmy’s sentiment analysis feature or Dovetail’s AI-assisted tagging make this process almost enjoyable.
You’ve just conducted a dozen user interviews. Instead of transcribing and analyzing them manually, upload the transcripts to a tool like UXArmy. The AI will:
This frees up your time to focus on interpreting the findings and making strategic decisions.
Accessibility can feel overwhelming, but AI tools like Axe or Lighthouse simplify the process. They scan your website or prototype and flag issues like low contrast ratios, missing alt text, or navigation barriers.
Run your prototype through Lighthouse (it’s built into Chrome DevTools) to get a quick report. You might discover:
With these insights, you can make targeted fixes that improve usability for everyone, not just users with disabilities.
AI doesn’t just help you gather insights—it also helps you act on them. For instance, Copilot for code can suggest accessibility-friendly components, while Figma plugins powered by AI can recommend design tweaks based on user feedback.
You’ve identified through testing that users struggle to find the search bar. Use an AI design tool to quickly prototype different placements or styles (e.g., larger, centered, or sticky) and test again.
Join countless professionals in simplifying your user research process and delivering results that matter
Getting started with AI in your UX research doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here are some practical tips to help you dive in with confidence and purpose:
Start with small steps, and as you get more comfortable, you’ll see just how much AI can enhance your UX research process.
If you’re not using AI in your UX research yet, don’t worry—you don’t need to overhaul your entire process overnight. As I mentioned above, pick one area where AI could save you time or make your life easier—whether it’s generating questions, analyzing feedback, or creating visuals—and experiment.
Always remember, AI isn’t here to replace the human touch. Your expertise, empathy, and creativity are irreplaceable. But as a tool, AI can help you work faster, dig deeper, and deliver even better results. And who doesn’t want that?
Over to you: How are you using AI in your UX work? If you’re not, where do you think it could make the biggest impact?
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