Overwhelm is a common feeling when it comes to harnessing GenAI in your research and design practice. Is your application ethical? What are the potential implications down the road? And how do you make a GenAI product that people resonate with and actually want to use?

This roundup covers your bases and then some. Start out with foundational approaches, then move on to tactical tips and real-world use cases that show thoughtful GenAI in action. The best time to start is now. 

Foundational (and philosophical) approaches

Before you start applying GenAI to your practices and products, it’s important to take a step back and evaluate the potential implications—the good, the bad, and the in between. These resources will get you thinking.

1. ‍GPT Needs UXR
   User research can help us understand and utilize GenAI both effectively and ethically. But GenAI can also provide opportunities for UXR at a pivotal time. A message from Dscout’s CEO, Michael Winnick. 
2. ‍Overcoming UXR's "Wet Blanket" Reputation in the Age of GenAI
   User researchers are often unfairly pinned as being sticks in the mud. How can we evolve our roles in the fast-moving world of AI developments?‍
3. GenAI Adds Tension to UXR—But Can Also Bring Opportunity
   The researchers we spoke to who have experience in the field of AI sense the enormous potential and pitfalls ahead. Read some of their most astute insights.
4. ‍Building Critical Thinking Skills for AI-Driven Research [Video]
   Ilana Krause, User Experience Researcher at Microsoft, shares how to harness AI effectively while staying true to user insights.

Tactical tips for GenAI in research

Let’s get down to the nuts and bolts. What steps can you take to make GenAI work best for you and your team? From measuring success to training a GenAI assistant, you’ll find it here. 

1. ‍How to Approach Studies on GenAI [Guide]
   User research must play a critical role in the development of GenAI—but what that role looks like is anything but straightforward. Here's where to start.‍
2. 15 Tips for Navigating GenAI as a UXR [Guide]
   Ready or not, GenAI is here. We’ve conducted research with UXRs in the field so that you can feel prepared.‍
3. Measuring Success When GenAI Products Have Ambiguous Use Cases
   Products with unlimited and unpredictable use cases make it hard to measure success against standard metrics. This guide will help.‍
4. How to Train GenAI to Work as Your Personal Research Assistant
   GenAI pulls from limited resources—and only knows as much as you tell it. These tips will help you improve its effectiveness for research purposes.

Product building use cases

One of the best ways to learn is seeing firsthand how others have accomplished similar tasks. These use cases give real-world examples of how prominent companies like Headspace and Duolingo harnessed GenAI in their favor. 

1. ‍How Headspace Created a Safe Reflection Experience Using GenAI
   Priyanka Marawar discusses how Headspace navigated the challenge ethically to build a GenAI experience that centers on member safety and wellbeing.‍
2. Real-World GenAI Applications You Can Use in Your Research Today
   From designing test studies to strategic foresight and storyboarding, the possibilities of GenAI in your research practice are endless.‍
3. AI Fundamentals: How to Build LLM-Enabled Products
   When you have untold amounts of data to sift through and synthesize, GenAI can be a massive help—but a quality analysis product won’t happen overnight.‍
4. How Duolingo UXRs Support AI Product Development [Video]
   Meredith McDermott (Staff User Researcher at Duolingo) shares real examples of how the company incorporates AI into their product.

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