ChatGPT meets UX Research: unlocking new frontiers

Guest post by Radu Jitea, UX Researcher & Product Architect, Granite Digital

By now you have undoubtedly heard about the emergence of Generative AI, or GenAI for short, and the rise of ChatGPT, a leading chatbot developed by OpenAI. As our world rapidly advances technologically, the emergence of GenAI poses a double challenge: the risk of task automation that might redefine roles and the need to stay relevant by learning AI skills. While there is talk of legislating platforms such as Chat GPT, until then, it will continue to advance with the information fed into it. It is better to harness and embrace its abilities or risk getting left behind.

GenAI has the potential to democratise many fields. User Research for digital products is one of the most promising areas for its application. In particular, GenAI has emerged as a vital tool for user experience (UX) research. ChatGPT falls under natural language processing (NLP) and conversational AI technologies and is a prime example of GenAI. It can generate user flows, perform thematic analysis, summarise content, and brainstorm survey questions, making it a powerful asset for UX researchers. Chat GPT can, to a point become your research buddy. Although it may take some time to reach the “Plateau of Productivity” on the hype cycle, ChatGPT and GenAI’s potential applications are vast.

According to Gartner’s research VP for Technology Innovation, Brian Burke, the potential of ChatGPT and GenAI goes far beyond consumer-facing applications. Large organisations will likely generate 30% of their outbound marketing messages with GenAI by 2025, and over 30% of new drugs and materials will be systematically discovered using GenAI techniques. Additionally, Gartner predicts that by 2030, a major blockbuster film will be produced with AI generating 90% of its content. These predictions demonstrate that the potential of GenAI is vast, and we are only scratching the surface of what it can do. As more organisations embrace the possibilities of GenAI, we will likely see many new discoveries emerge in the coming years.

Using GenAI, such as ChatGPT, in UX research presents upsides and downsides. On the one hand, it has the potential to supercharge the speed and quality of work, informing and refining interview questions, creating engaging recruiting messages, summarising data, and simplifying data insights. On the other hand, the double challenge of GenAI advancing at astonishing speeds presents a risk which may blur the lines between currently well-defined roles and the need to stay relevant and practical by learning AI skills.

Unfortunately, it has also heightened the problem of low-quality UX outputs and services. With the potential to create fake research artefacts and mimic user behaviour, these tools may mislead designers into believing they have conducted reliable research when they have merely guessed their way through the process. This “design by autocomplete” approach is a trap designers should avoid.

The world of UX design has always faced the challenge of obtaining the respect it deserves. Part of this comes from the fact that it’s easy enough to call oneself a UX designer or UX generalist. This has led to confusion within businesses, often resulting in ignored or underappreciated UX input. While there are highly specialised roles in UX, many business can’t afford to have dedicated research resources for every project. This is where the UX generalist comes in, covering everything from research and analysis to design and testing. Unfortunately, this has also led to much inconsistency in the quality of UX deliverables and the impact on a business’s bottom line.

But here’s the thing: UX design is absolutely essential. It’s the key to making sure that people can actually use the things we build, whether a website, an app, or any other digital product. And while it’s true that not every project can have a dedicated UX researcher, it’s still crucial to have someone who understands the principles of good design and can apply them meaningfully. It’s time for businesses to take UX seriously and give these talented professionals the recognition and resources they deserve if they want to build a profitable business that relies on happy users to grow.

To ensure high-quality UX services, businesses should be cautious and recruit UX professionals from trusted sources. Seeking advice from people familiar with the UX landscape can also be helpful. Remember the age-old adage: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

In conclusion, the potential of GenAI, especially ChatGPT, to revolutionise UX research and other fields is immense. The development of GenAI tools represents a significant milestone in the evolution of technology, and we should embrace and harness their abilities. As Roy Amara’s Law suggests, we often overestimate the impact of new technologies in the short term and underestimate them in the long run. While there will undoubtedly be challenges in this uncharted territory, we must navigate them carefully and thoughtfully.

Despite the challenges, we should remain optimistic about the long-term impact of GenAI on our professional lives. We can harness its power with a strategic approach to create a better, more efficient, and more innovative world. Let’s not forget to keep a sense of humour about it, as laughter can release collective tensions when discussing AI. So, let’s end on a joke and hope that in the future, we can all look back and laugh about AI’s role in our lives: Why did the AI get jealous of the user researcher’s new glasses? Because it thought they were the latest empathy-enhancing technology!

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