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.

51 min Also see this 12 minute after class Wire...

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 4 3721 1 hr 30 min See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 4

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.

Stakeholder management tactics- Part 3 3719 60 minutes See Part 1 here… See Part 2 here…

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.

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.

Stakeholder management tactics- Part 2 3713 1 hr 14 min See Part 1 here... and Part 3 here

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.

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.

47 min. Agenda: Service design operates across ...

Part 1: 67 min Real-Time Prototyping for Fun or...

56 minutes Workbook part 1   Workshop...

Part 1: 68 min Real-Time Prototyping for Fun or...

Final chapters and book wrap-up (January 2025)

Futurecasting- make better design decisions 3635 MARCH 18th 9:00AM PST; 12:00PM EST; 5:00PM GMT; 6:00PM CET; 10:30PM IST 60 minutes

Futurecasting in Service Design

Futurecasting is a technique that envisions potential future scenarios to inform design decisions. It combines trends, emerging technologies, cultural shifts, and user needs to anticipate how services might operate in years to come. Designers use storytelling, scenario building, and speculative prototypes to create a vision of possible futures, guiding innovation and decision-making today.

Also see The Future is Scary- here’s how to deal with it...

Why Futurecasting?

Futurecasting helps organizations prepare for long-term challenges and opportunities. By exploring scenarios, businesses can pivot away from reactive decision-making toward a proactive design strategy. It aligns services with evolving user expectations and external factors like technological advancements or social changes. This can be particularly powerful for keeping stakeholders engaged.

How futurecasting helps you make better design decisions

Considering multiple potential futures reduces uncertainty. Futurecasting identifies risks and tests assumptions before committing resources. This foresight lowers the chance of creating services that become quickly obsolete. Futurecasting adds the missing piece to human-centered design prototyping and testing which are stuck in current or 'next release’ UX strategy at most. In this Masterclass, Frank Spillers will show you how to use this critical Service Design tool to improve your design decision-making.

Agenda for Futurecasting- make better design decisions:

1. The Futurecasting process- breaking down the technique
2. Applying Futurecasting to design decision challenges
3. Using Backcasting to make implementation concrete and achievable
4. How to build futurecasting into your Service Design, UX or strategic planning process

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 25 years in the field.

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 2 3627 53 mins See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Doing UX Research alongside AI workshop- part 2

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.