Rethinking Empathy: What Works, What Doesn’t in UX 3847 90 minutes

Rethinking Empathy Masterclass: What Works, What Doesn’t in UX

“Empathy” has long been a staple of UX thinking. Design Thinking promoted it as a key tool. It’s portrayed as the gateway to understanding users and making better design decisions. But in recent years, it’s become a controversial topic — overused, misapplied, and rejected by many in the UX field.

In this masterclass, we’ll unpack the empathy backlash in UX. We’ll explore why it happened, what it reveals about our tools and assumptions, and how we can move toward a more grounded practice of care, accountability, and shared responsibility in design. Frank Spillers will take you through a tour of the science of empathy and show you how it works and how to use it better, based on his practical experiences and exploration of empathy over 25 years in the field.

Topics covered in this Rethinking Empathy Masterclass:

• What’s all the fuss about? The roots of empathy backlash in UX
• How empathy works: the brain-based mechanism and how it gets distorted
• What empathy can and can’t do for UX Design
• Identify practical approaches beyond Design Thinking empathy

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field.

Why Join?

The UX Inner Circle is a professional learning community with a program of monthly events for UX researchers and designers, managers, and directors practicing UX and Service Design. We are a small group of 50+ UX and Service Designers, Directors, and Researchers currently 100% working in UX. Attendees come from orgs like Harvard, Google, IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Capital One, US Bank, healthcare, government, and non-profits. So why join?

• Refine or expand your current skills-- push the boundaries of your learning.
• Get advice and guidance: Put a top-performing UX expert (Frank Spillers, CEO of award-winning UX firm Experience Dynamics and top instructor at Interaction Design Foundation) in your pocket. Stay connected with the latest on what Frank is thinking and prioritizing in UX and Service Design.
• Ask anything to other UXIC colleagues on a dedicated private Slack channel. Also, collaborate during monthly meet-ups (Masterclasses).
• Get a promotion at work or upgrade your skills, portfolio, or process knowledge. This is the #1 reason folks keep subscribing to the UX Inner Circle.

Get this event FREE:

• Join FREE, or Paid- access starting at $99 USD/ mo.
• Membership includes access to ALL monthly event recordings and more (going back 25 years of Frank's UX career). 200+ recordings.  Monthly live meet-ups (Masterclass topics) and workshops (every other month). Miniclasses (short webinars) and more...

Financial inclusiveness membership: USD$49 per month for Nonprofit-Student- or you live in the Global South/ Emerging Market (.org; .edu) Regular membership: USD$99 Individual per month 20% discount on Annual Price; switch anytime, cancel anytime.

30 min live with Sheryl Cababa Reading Circle- ...

    Real-Time Prototyping for Fun or ...

Workshop: Developing your Storytelling skills- Part 2 3821 1 hr 11 min See Part 1 and Part 3 here Download the Story skills workbook

Workshop: Developing your Storytelling skills- Part 2...

Storytelling is a core soft skill for UX Designers and UX Researchers. Why? Our brains are wired for story. Studies by psychologists like Melanie Green reveal that stories immerse us in a phenomenon called narrative transportation, where we become emotionally and cognitively involved in the content. Stories, the theory goes, can change people's attitudes and intentions by making them lose themselves in the story. So, influencing stakeholders means being good at taking them ‘there’ with your retelling of user research scenarios, pain points and dilemmas. Bottom line: Researchers like Zak (2012) found that inspiring stories make us react. Taking action, prioritizing carefully and pinpointing solutions based on a user’s actual story (not one cooked up for an Agile User Story) is key. In this Workshop, Frank Spillers will guide you through tried and tested story techniques. You will learn to build out your story repertoire and become more confident with story creation and delivery.

Topics covered in this Workshop...

Developing your Storytelling skills

• Storytelling frameworks.
• Building your “storytelling machine”- using building blocks so you can retell and shape stories ‘on demand'
• Case Study: How storytelling influenced a major UX decision at Microsoft.
• Balancing emotional and data-driven storytelling
• Using story across UX and Service design stages.
• Tailoring insights for different audiences (stakeholders, teams, users)
• Using Story as a Research tool- using ‘Story-mapping‘ to communicate your user journey.
• Improv for design innovation- going into Mentalizing to activate ‘hidden empathy’ for user scenarios.
• Using Story as a Design tool- using ‘Question-storming‘ to warm up teams to user needs discovery
• Quickfire challenge: Convert dry research data into a compelling story
• Presentation skills and techniques for smooth and impactful story delivery.
• Mini-pitch: presenting your microstory.

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field.

Impactful Reporting for UX part 1/3 3810 1 hr 13 min See part 2 here

Impactful Reporting for UX

If stakeholders are not engaged, your reporting of User Research only gets you so far. Too many teams invest in research but fail to share findings in ways that spark action. Therefore, impactful reporting is critical. You need stakeholders to be moved to action. Like you support users with decision-making from e-commerce to healthcare, your internal audience needs their hearts and minds moved.

In Impactful Reporting for UX, UX veteran Frank Spillers will cover how to tailor your insights for different stakeholders, structure deliverables that land quickly, and use accessible formats that everyone can understand. He'll reveal secrets from decades and hundreds of user research reports, chock-full of lessons, his mistakes, and the results that led him to generate up to 300% revenue improvements on UX projects with his consultancy Experience Dynamics.

Moreover, in this workshop, you will learn when to tell deep context stories and when to keep your storytelling for UX stakeholders short and sweet.

 What we'll cover in this Impactful Reporting for UX workshop

• Types of reporting in UX research
• How to create reports that drive decisions: tips for memorable and actionable deliverable layouts
• Hands-on reporting activities (using real user research data)
• Tailoring your insights for different stakeholders
• Using AI in reporting- do's and don'ts for 2025
• Using storytelling strategically to impart contextual intelligence
• UX reporting checklist (one-pager)

About UX Inner Circle Workshops:

These workshops are live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions, with a more hands-on experience to learning the material presented. Online workshops are included as part of your UX Inner Circle membership. They allow a deep study of UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank Spiller's 25 years in the field.

Prototyping with AI 3804 67 minutes

Prototyping with AI

This masterclass shows you how to move beyond manual wireframing and build prototypes powered by AI-assisted mock-ups and flows. If you’re a UX designer, service designer, or product lead, you’ll learn how to go from idea to testable AI-enabled experience. Most importantly, we’ll explore the limits and opportunities for AI-assisted prototyping of sites/ apps and flows with AI tools. We will cover prompts, steering better output, and how to streamline an AI mock-up to a user test pipeline. By the end, you’ll understand the limits and opportunities of AI-powered wireframing, learn new patterns, and see what it takes to design future-ready products and services.

Topics we will cover in Prototyping with AI

• What’s changed: from mockups to AI-infused prototypes

• Exploring AI prototyping capability, fidelity, and testability

• The new AI prototype prompt stack: UI (screens specifics, layouts, styles) + Interaction Design prompts (behavior, rules and tasks) and + Flows (task sequences, content and context)

• Tips for nudging better ‘right first time’ mockups

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field. How to access this masterclass...

• Open Circle: FREE (Get it FREE>> Join Open Circle)
• Inner Circle: Included in your $99 a month Inner Circle membership (50% discount available) for all events plus Digital Library 250+ videos, mentoring, hands-on workshops and more...

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 5 3795 1 hr 51 min See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 5

This workshop builds on the Miniclass Rethinking User Research with AI (Free with Open Circle membership). In this workshop, "Doing UX Research alongside AI," we will conduct user research using AI throughout the UX Research (UXR) process. We'll test workflows and tools together in a hands-on format.

Why AI in User Research?

Incorporating AI in UX research can potentially drive research productivity. Experimenting with new tools and methodologies keeps UX researchers (and those wanting to or doing user research) at the forefront of the field, enabling you to explore new possibilities and stay competitive. Embracing AI-assisted tools is crucial for staying relevant.

Figure this out, or somebody else will for you (like your Product team).

This workshop aims to provide practical skills and an understanding of using AI tools to gather and interpret user data. This includes understanding user needs, preferences, and pain points with greater precision. These insights can inform design decisions, leading to more efficient data analysis and stakeholder decision support.

About the workshop

This workshop provides a playground to explore AI-augmented User Research. You learn how AI can enhance user research, from automating data collection to analyzing user behavior patterns. This integration can streamline the research process, making it more efficient and accurate.

Yes, but knowing how and when to bring in AI is critical. In this workshop, we will get hands-on experience with tools. Frank Spillers will facilitate your discovery, helping you fold AI into your research process without losing core UX best practices.

We will discuss the ethical use of AI in user research, expose AI-assisted weaknesses, and identify how to manage AI to avoid mistakes. Overall, the workshop will equip you with a cutting-edge exploration into emerging AI-assisted UX research workflows. The goal is to make you more proficient in blending AI with UX research for better outcomes.

Topics we will cover:

• Current UX Research AI tools: pros and cons
• Playing with tools (hands-on effort)
• Shortcuts with AI: good and bad for UXR
• Governance model for AI-assisted User Research
• Managing stakeholders: "Democratizing User Research with AI"

6 hours total over 3 sessions Cost: $199 (non-member); $150 Open Circle member; Free for UXIC members

About UX Inner Circle Workshops:

These workshops are live events facilitated by Frank Spillers, a leading UX and Service Design consultant and trainer. Workshops involve group activities and discussions, with more hands-on experience in learning the material presented. Online workshops are included as part of your UX Inner Circle membership. They allow a deep study of UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank Spillers two decades in the field. Join the monthly subscription UX Inner Circle to get this free plus 250+ videos of past events.

Why Join?

The UX Inner Circle is a professional learning community with a program of monthly events for UX researchers and designers, managers, and directors practicing UX and Service Design. We are a small group of currently 50 UX and Service Designers, Directors, and Researchers currently 100% working in UX. Attendees come from orgs like Harvard, Google, IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Capital One, US Bank, healthcare, government, and non-profits. So why join?

• Refine or expand your current skills– push the boundaries of your learning.
• Get advice and guidance: Put a top-performing UX expert (Frank Spillers, CEO of award-winning UX firm Experience Dynamics and top instructor at Interaction Design Foundation) in your pocket. Stay connected with the latest on what Frank is thinking and prioritizing in UX and Service Design.
• Ask other UXIC colleagues anything on a dedicated private Slack channel. Also, collaborate during monthly meet-ups (Masterclasses).
• Get a promotion at work or upgrade your skills, portfolio, or process knowledge. This is the #1 reason folks keep subscribing to the UX Inner Circle.

Problem Framing for UX Workshop pt 2 3789 2 hours Part 2, see Part 1 here

Problem Framing for UX Workshop

Building on our recent Are you Solving the Right Problem? masterclass, this workshop dives into a workshop format you can use as part of your problem space discovery and problem definition step.

What is Problem Framing?

Problem framing is a structured process for identifying and defining the core issue that a project seeks to address. Instead of focusing on possible solutions, problem framing centers on uncovering what exactly needs solving. This involves examining assumptions, understanding user needs, and aligning team members on a shared problem definition. Why it matters: Right problem framing acts as a compass, guiding the design process and ensuring that every step aligns with both user needs and business objectives. It enables teams to focus their efforts, prioritize features, and avoid the common pitfall of solving symptoms rather than root causes.

Agenda: Problem Framing workshop

• Problem Framing (using Miro/Mural templates)
• Preparing your team: Context debrief
• Learning Assumption mapping
• Write problem statements and how to use them.
• Participate in the Problem Framingworkshop itself but also...
• Learn how to conduct the workshop with your team (process tips)

About UX Inner Circle Workshops:

These workshops are live events facilitated by Frank Spillers, a leading UX and Service Design consultant and trainer. Workshops involve group activities and discussions, with more hands-on experience in learning the material presented. Online workshops are included as part of your UX Inner Circle membership. They allow a deep study of UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank Spillers two decades in the field. Join the monthly subscription UX Inner Circle to get this free plus 250+ videos of past events.

Why Join?

The UX Inner Circle is a professional learning community with a program of monthly events for UX researchers and designers, managers, and directors practicing UX and Service Design. We are a small group of currently 50 UX and Service Designers, Directors, and Researchers currently 100% working in UX. Attendees come from orgs like Harvard, Google, IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Capital One, US Bank, healthcare, government, and non-profits. So why join?

• Refine or expand your current skills– push the boundaries of your learning.
• Get advice and guidance: Put a top-performing UX expert (Frank Spillers, CEO of award-winning UX firm Experience Dynamics and top instructor at Interaction Design Foundation) in your pocket. Stay connected with the latest on what Frank is thinking and prioritizing in UX and Service Design.
• Ask other UXIC colleagues anything on a dedicated private Slack channel. Also, collaborate during monthly meet-ups (Masterclasses).
• Get a promotion at work or upgrade your skills, portfolio, or process knowledge. This is the #1 reason folks keep subscribing to the UX Inner Circle.

See Pricing- starting at $99/ mo. or Inclusive Pricing (education/ nonprofit or living in the Global South) 50% discount

Inclusive AI Masterclass- part 1 3782 69 minutes We’re trialing a new format - stay tuned for part 2 and instructions on how it works!

Inclusive AI Masterclass_Flipped

From recruitment tools to chatbots and city services, AI is shaping decisions that affect people’s lives. When built without care, these systems can exclude, harm, or misrepresent. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

If you’re building AI-powered products or services—this masterclass is for you.

AI can reflect bias, or it can challenge it. This masterclass is for teams building AI-powered products and services who want to do better. You’ll learn practical methods to design for inclusion from the start, avoid harm, and challenge biased systems. Through real-world examples, discussion, and guided activities, we’ll unpack what it means to build inclusive, human-centered AI (HCAI). This session is hands-on, collaborative, and focused on skills you can apply right away—across teams, tools, and workflows.

Topics We’ll Cover in this Inclusive AI Masterclass

• What Inclusive AI means: definitions, tensions, and opportunities
• Bias in AI: where it comes from and how it shows up
• Inclusive data practices (collection, labelling, and audit points)
• Ethical frameworks vs. lived experience insights
• Designing for edge cases and “extreme” users
• Inclusion prompts for model training and prompt engineering
• Techniques to co-design with underrepresented groups

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field. How to access this masterclass...

• Open Circle: FREE (Get it FREE>> Join Open Circle)
• Inner Circle: Included in your $99 a month Inner Circle membership (50% discount available) for all events plus Digital Library 250+ videos, mentoring, hands-on workshops and more...

Defending User Research 3766 120 minutes

Defending User Research Masterclass

User research doesn’t always get the respect it deserves. Sometimes it’s ignored. Sometimes it's questioned. Often, it's rushed, underfunded, or treated like a checkbox. And researchers—especially solo ones—spend as much time justifying the work as doing it.

Sound familiar?

This isn’t a call to complain. It’s a chance to reframe.

Because defending user research isn’t about fighting people—it’s about designing smarter ways to bring others along. To show how insight connects to value. To stop speaking research-to-research and start speaking human-to-human.

Why it matters:
Good research often dies in silence. It’s misunderstood, sidelined, or rushed. But when done well—and explained clearly—it reduces risk, accelerates decisions, and builds better products. This session helps you make that case, again and again, without reinventing the wheel.

In this Masterclass, Frank Spillers will cut to the tried and tested techniques he’s used over 25 years to sell the value (and the work if you’re an agency or consultant) to organisations.

Developing your User Research defence strategy

Getting buy-in from your stakeholders is vitally important (See Stakeholder Management masterclass series). This is why UX maturity follows User Research maturity. Product managers and others that don’t ‘get it’, end up relying on Inside-Out design.

In this Masterclass, Frank Spillers will share practical approaches to get buy-in, explain your work, and scale insight across your org. Whether you're a researcher, designer, or ResearchOps lead—this session helps you turn resistance into alignment.

You’ll learn how to pitch research in business terms, handle skeptics without burning out, and set up lightweight systems to make research stick. We cover real-world tactics with conversational scripts, stakeholder maps, quick-explain visuals and more.

Who it's for:
UX teams, solo researchers, designers who do research, and anyone struggling to make research visible, valued, and scalable in their organisation.

Topics we will cover in this masterclass:

• Selling research to leadership
• Explaining methods to non-researchers
• Converting skeptics with evidence
• Scaling with ResearchOps
• Building credibility through storytelling
• Pre-empting resistance with clarity and planning

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field.

Why Join?

The UX Inner Circle is a professional learning community with a program of monthly events for UX researchers and designers, managers, and directors practicing UX and Service Design. We are a small group of 50+ UX and Service Designers, Directors, and Researchers currently 100% working in UX. Attendees come from orgs like Harvard, Google, IBM, Accenture, Deloitte, Capital One, US Bank, healthcare, government, and non-profits. So why join?

• Refine or expand your current skills-- push the boundaries of your learning.
• Get advice and guidance: Put a top-performing UX expert (Frank Spillers, CEO of award-winning UX firm Experience Dynamics and top instructor at Interaction Design Foundation) in your pocket. Stay connected with the latest on what Frank is thinking and prioritizing in UX and Service Design.
• Ask anything to other UXIC colleagues on a dedicated private Slack channel. Also, collaborate during monthly meet-ups (Masterclasses).
• Get a promotion at work or upgrade your skills, portfolio, or process knowledge. This is the #1 reason folks keep subscribing to the UX Inner Circle.

Get this event FREE:

• Join FREE, or Paid- access starting at $99 USD/ mo.
• Membership includes access to ALL monthly event recordings and more (going back 25 years of Frank's UX career). 200+ recordings.  Monthly live meet-ups (Masterclass topics) and workshops (every other month). Miniclasses (short webinars) and more...

Financial inclusiveness membership: USD$49 per month for Nonprofit-Student- or you live in the Global South/ Emerging Market (.org; .edu) Regular membership: USD$99 Individual per month 20% discount on Annual Price; switch anytime, cancel anytime.

More UX Impact with Inclusive Design 3758 1 hr 30 minutes

Why UX stakeholder management tactics?

Stakeholder engagement is crucial for successful UX and service design projects. It ensures alignment between the team’s efforts and the organization’s goals. Stakeholders bring insights about strategic priorities, operational constraints, and silo’ed knowledge that shapes the design process. Without their input, teams risk creating solutions that miss key business or stakeholder insights, leading to wasted efforts, more risks or missed opportunities. Engaged stakeholders also foster cross-functional collaboration. Service design often involves multiple departments, each with its own priorities and workflows. Active management of stakeholder relationships helps break down silos and ensures everyone has a shared understanding of the project’s objectives. This collaboration can uncover hidden pain points and identify opportunities for innovation that may not emerge otherwise.

Why this matters: Teams suck at stakeholder management. Narrowing in on tactics and skills can help get it right and avoid derailed UX or Service Design efforts. Experience shows that if stakeholders do not deeply understand UX and Service Design value, they can create cultural patterns that reverse UX gains. A classic example is having UX focus on Visual Design or using UX to support technical delivery, missing out on strategic UX management. Also see: UX requires effective Stakeholder Management

The ‘So What?’: Proactive stakeholder management mitigates risks. Early involvement builds trust and minimizes resistance to change. Stakeholders who feel heard and included are more likely to champion the project, helping overcome institutional inertia or skepticism. It also allows teams to identify and address potential roadblocks—such as budget constraints or technical limitations—before they escalate.

Engaging Stakeholders In UX Projects

In this Stakeholder Management tactics Masterclass Frank Spillers will share his latest field-tested learnings for how to appropriately manage and engage your stakeholders. The idea is to create better stakeholder collaboration. Engaged stakeholders feel a sense of ownership and commitment, leading to better outcomes and user advocacy. User advocacy is the ‘gold star’ skill of org UX maturity momentum. Better UX maturity means repeat success of UX efforts and outcomes.

Topics We Will Cover In This Stakeholder Management Tactics Masterclass:

• Getting started with a Team Sport UX canvas
• Identify Stakeholder sabotage and create a mitigation plan
• How to involve stakeholders early-on
• Ways of changing systems, processes, or culture
• Accelerating UX maturity: how stakeholders can rev UX results

About Monthly MasterClasses:

These monthly meet-ups are topic-driven live events with an informal presentation by Frank Spillers and group activities and discussions. Monthly MasterClasses are included as part of your membership. They allow a deep dive into important UX topics, with insights drawn from process best practices and case studies from Frank’s two decades in the field.

• Join FREE, or Paid- access starting at $99 USD/ mo.
• Membership includes access to ALL monthly event recordings and more (going back 25 years of Frank’s UX career). 200+ recordings.  Monthly live meet-ups (Masterclass topics) and workshops (every other month). Miniclasses (short webinars) and more…

Financial inclusiveness membership: USD$49 per month for Nonprofit-Student- or you live in the Global South/ Emerging Market (.org; .edu) Regular membership: USD$99 Individual per month 20% discount on Annual Price; switch anytime, cancel anytime.