Show Notes
Leisa, former Head of Research and Insights at Atlassian, reflects on how AI is changing the UX research industry. She discusses how vibe-coding helps shift from traditional project sequencing to faster, more iterative build-measure-learn cycles and how that impacts the role of UX research in organisations. Leisa expounds on her positive attitude towards AI, saying that the unique value of researchers will shift toward filling the "judgment gap" with deep, longitudinal human observation that machines simply cannot replicate.
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Episode highlights 00:01:47 - About Leisa 00:04:24 - Working in the UK government 00:07:39 - Research at Atlassian 00:09:56 - AI is the next Internet 00:14:18 - Sequencing in research is fading 00:20:01 - Role of UX researchers in 2026 00:24:12 - Maintaining UX research quality with AI 00:31:20 - Final thoughts
About our guest Leisa Reichelt has spent two decades helping governments and organisations figure out what people actually need - and why that's so much harder than it sounds.
As Head of Research and Insights at the UK's Government Digital Service, she helped reshape how we think about user research for public services. Most recently, she led research at Atlassian. These days, she's a walking mid-2020's cliché - offering coaching for impactful research, getting hands-on vibecoding niche app ideas, and studying and making podcasts. Leisa has particular obsessions with why well-intentioned systems so reliably make life harder for the people they're meant to serve and what the advance of AI means for UX Research.
👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the episode with Stéphanie Walter, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B
About this podcast: Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them.
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