UX

#33 User Research: It’s Not Just About Users, It’s About Power

“I looked and looked and looked, but I did not see God.” The quote is often attributed to Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin after his journey into space. Whether he actually said it is uncertain, but the Soviet propaganda machine used it anyway to make a point. User research exists to bring

#32 Big Ideas, Lasting Impact: Creating the Perfect Conference Experience for 2025

The room was buzzing with energy. I was in Amsterdam, attending my first-ever conference, completely wide-eyed, surrounded by pioneers—Hiroshi Ishii, Amy Bruckman, Christopher Alexander. Big ideas from big stages. That experience shaped my vision of what conferences should be. But is this really the best format? I love people.

#31 Preparing Tomorrow’s Designers:  Reflections from the Malmö University IXD Advisory Board

What does it take to succeed as an interaction/UX designer in the coming years? My answer might sound boring. Even though the industry is evolving faster than ever and development practices have come a long way, the fundamentals of great design work are pretty much the same today as

#30 Need to Cut Costs? Hire a Designer!

“UX? Service Design? No, thanks, we’re not focused on innovation or growth right now. Our priority is cutting costs. Anything that isn’t absolutely essential needs to be kept to a minimum.” This mindset might seem logical, but it’s actually costing companies more than they realize. Many businesses

#29 Have You Ever Regretted Selling inUse?

I’m in Lisbon. My wife is attending a conference, and I’m here as her +1. Knowing I’d have plenty of time on my own, I reached out to Bruno Figueiredo before arriving to see if he was up for a coffee. We had never met before, but

#28 No More Surveys, Please

A couple of weeks ago, I met up with the CEO of a local bank. We talked about the future of banking, the benefits and challenges of being a local entity, and, of course, the importance of customer experience. At one point, I turned my screen to show how we

#27 Design Is Your Best Growth Strategy

"Johan… you know I’m not a designer, but after ten years in communication and product development, I’ve seen how much better things go when skilled designers are involved from the start. Yesterday, a new client dismissed my points, and I struggled to find the right words to

#26 The CX Edge: How Boards Can Support Growth and Profitability

I’ve been talking to a lot of boards and leaders lately. Everybody agrees: customer-centricity is essential for long-term growth and profitability. It sounds straightforward—prioritize the customer, align leadership, and empower teams. But even though everyone agrees, it rarely gets done. The gap isn’t in understanding the importance—

#25 From Boardrooms to Buttons: Where Strategy Meets Reality

Did you know acquiring a new customer is five times more expensive than retaining an existing one? Or that customer-centric companies can grow their revenues 4% to 8% faster than their competitors? Or that companies that focus on enhancing the customer experience see, on average, a 15-20% increase in sales

#24 Best of 2024: What You Liked, and My Own Favorites

Just so that you know. This is not a regular issue of Reflections. This is a reflection on Reflections. It’s a look back at the first seven months and 23 articles since the first newsletter on June 4th. When I started this newsletter, I just knew I wanted to

#23 Seven Predictions for 2025

What will the new year hold for tech, business, and UX? Predicting the future is always risky—there's no quicker way to look foolish—but who can resist the challenge? Here's my take on what 2025 might bring. 1. Incremental Progress 2025 isn't likely

#21 Skip the Research, We Already Know Our Users

Imagine spending months developing a new feature, only to find out it doesn’t resonate with your customers—despite feeling confident that you "knew" what they wanted. Sound familiar? This scenario plays out more often than we think. Decision-makers sometimes ask me: “What’s the point of research

#19 Your Ears, Not Your Eyes: Augmented Reality is Already Here

Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, Magic Leap 2, Meta Orion… Each of these products has likely cost billions of dollars in development and marketing without commercial success. But what if augmented reality (AR) is already here—just not in the way we think? We bought a pair of Google Glasses when

#18 Tunnel Vision: Remote Research vs Empathy

A few weeks ago, I got to catch up with Steve Portigal, author of Interviewing Users and track leader at Ambition Empower. We talked about what’s changed over the years, including the rise of remote research—often at the expense of traditional field studies. Many years ago, after completing

#15 I Hate People… But I Love Money

“Hey. Look. I hate people, but I love money. And the only way you’re going to make money is by making sure this works really really well for people.” A few months after we started inUse, Ingrid and I met with a CEO for a potential client. This was

#12 Convenience or Manipulation: Play Next and Autoplay

It's 11 p.m. I really ought to go to sleep. Play next? 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Ok… Just one more. Have you ever binge-watched shows too late because of the "Play Next" feature? I know I have. Convenient? Definitely. Manipulative? Without a doubt. Problematic?

#10 Want to Impress? Trust the Process

I’ve spent years meeting with CEOs, VPs, and upper management—both as a board member and advisor. These rooms can feel intimidating, filled with decision-makers who expect results. My role is often to help make the product or service perform better. Still, despite decades of experience, I sometimes find

#8 The Key to Closing Performance Gaps: Quantitative Indicators and Qualitative Insights

When optimizing business performance, numbers often steal the show. And here’s the thing. They should. But to really understand what’s happening, you have to dig deeper. The most important insights aren’t captured in spreadsheets. Last week, my Ambition colleagues and I organized after-work events in Gothenburg and

#7 When I’m with you, I want to be WITH you

I spend most of my days in meetings. Often physical ones. The majority of these meetings are incredibly meaningful and interesting. In these meetings, especially if they’re one-on-one, I want to be 100% present. I do not want to worry about what time it is or about finishing in

#6 From Classroom to Career: How to Land Your First UX Job

Students often ask me how to land their first UX job. My answer? Start as early as possible—ideally, the very moment you begin considering a career in this field. If you’re just beginning your journey in Interaction Design, Service Design, UX Design, or a related field—congratulations! You’

#5 Sliding Doors and Student Career Counselors

Next week, 406,000 hopeful applicants will find out if they’ve been accepted to any of the Swedish universities or university colleges. Among them is my youngest son, Simon. We’re hoping he’ll get into the international business program he’s aiming for, but if he doesn’t,