Ebooks are now available on the Rosenverse

The Rosenverse has expanded! All 60+ Rosenfeld Media ebooks are available in the Rosenverse, exclusively to Gold subscribers, starting right now.

This new feature means you can go to the Books tab in the Rosenverse to peruse new and old favorites such as The User Experience Team of One (2nd edition), Research That Scales, The Staff Designer, and more!

We’re always striving to make the Rosenverse the best it can be, and we’re so excited about this new update!

Are you ready to start reading? Sign up for a Rosenverse Gold subscription today to get access to all of these books—and more!

Rosenverse Live: 7 Insights on Sharing Power in Co-Design with Samuel Martin

Co-design is more than a methodology. It is a commitment to fundamentally rethinking who holds power in the design process and what it actually looks like to share it. In a recent Rosenverse Live session, Samuel Martin, founder of SDMC and the Co-Design Institute, brought nearly two decades of community engagement experience to a conversation that went well beyond surface-level participation frameworks. Drawing on real projects and hard-won lessons, Samuel unpacked the gap between symbolic inclusion and genuine ownership, examining how institutional norms can quietly reinforce inequality even when lived experts are present at the table. From recognizing tokenism in its earliest stages to navigating moments when organizational priorities clash with community needs, the session gave practitioners, advocates, and system designers practical footing for the uncomfortable but necessary work of building processes where lived experts don’t just have a voice but actually drive change.

We pulled seven of the most pressing themes from the session and framed them as questions worth sitting with in your own work.

View the full session for free »

Q: How do you know if you’re tokenizing community members in your design process?

A: One of the clearest signs you’ve slipped into tokenism is when community feedback is collected but never actually used. Asking for input while having no real intention of incorporating it into the work is a hallmark of what’s called the “placate” phase of engagement. It looks like participation on the surface, but the community’s voice isn’t meaningfully shaping outcomes.

Q: Should you compensate lived experience experts for their time in co-design?

A: Compensation for lived experience experts isn’t optional — it’s a baseline expectation. Too often, organizations overvalue academic or professional credentials while undervaluing the expertise that comes from direct lived experience. Paying people fairly for their time and knowledge is one of the most concrete ways to signal that their participation is genuinely valued, not just symbolic.

Q: Will community members make unrealistic recommendations in the design process?

A: A common fear going into co-design is that community members will make demands that are impossible to act on. In practice, the opposite tends to be true. People with direct lived experience typically bring grounded, practical, and even surprisingly empathetic solutions — often toward the very systems that have caused them harm.

Q: What barriers should you remove to make co-design participation equitable?

A: Participation in co-design isn’t just about showing up to a meeting. For many community members, there are real logistical obstacles standing in the way. Supporting people through things like food insecurity, internet access, or childcare needs isn’t going above and beyond. It’s a necessary part of making sure people can show up as their full selves and contribute meaningfully to the process.

Q: Why aren’t surveys always the best tool for community engagement?

A: Surveys tend to be impersonal by nature. They create distance, they’re one-directional, and they don’t approximate real human interaction. Focus groups and direct one-on-one conversations tend to yield richer, more honest feedback because they give people the space to actually be heard rather than just responding to a predetermined set of questions.

Q: How do you engage a community you don’t already have relationships with?

A: When you’re new to a community, the most important first step is identifying who already has trust there. Rather than trying to reach people directly, working with established community partners to understand the landscape, share your goals, and distribute information through channels people already trust is far more effective than cold outreach. The relationship your partners have built is something you can’t manufacture quickly, and trying to shortcut it often does more harm than good.

Q: How do you make sure community feedback isn’t misrepresented when working through intermediaries?

A: The key is building a feedback loop. Whatever information is gathered from community members should always be taken back to that community for verification before it becomes a recommendation or a report. This applies not just to direct quotes but to interpretation. The people whose experiences are being represented should have the opportunity to confirm that what’s being said actually reflects what they meant.

About Samuel Martin

CEO of SDMC, Samuel has 15 years of community engagement experience, advocating with government, corporations, and non-profits to develop positive legislation and policies. He has worked on legislative agenda setting and advocacy with organizations including Casey Family Programs, Foster Club, CCAI, and FCAA. Samuel is an experienced lobbyist, trainer, and public speaker, featured for organizations like Treehouse, Community for Youth, and City Year. He is committed to empowering those impacted by policy to use their voices to advocate and lead. Samuel holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington – Seattle Campus and a Master’s in Public Administration from Seattle University.

Meet the speakers for Designing with AI 2026

If you’re thinking about what AI tools to use and how to use them responsibly, Designing with AI 2026 is the place to work through those questions. Taking place virtually June 9-10, our speaker lineup brings together practitioners who are actually doing this work, not just theorizing about it.

Together, we will explore:

• Case studies from UX practitioners on how they validated AI tools before putting them to work in their practice.
• Sessions exploring entirely new design steps that AI makes possible, ones that expand the craft rather than replace it.
• First-hand accounts from teams navigating the shifting ownership of tasks like coding, prototyping, and wireframing as role boundaries continue to blur.
• Honest reflections on AI failures, and the lessons that came out of them.

Our speakers include Beth Chappell (Articulate), Anil Dash (antitech), Claire Dhoosche (Criteo), Paul Ford (Aboard), Shambhavi Gupta (Incedoinc), Joy KendiMwiti (Dalberg Design), Allan Lowson (Arity), Snehal Pendharkar (JPMorgan Chase & Co), Kritika Sony (PromptPath AI), and Vaidehi Supatkar (Philips).

Meet the speakers »
Get your ticket »

Podcast: Rethinking Design Careers in a Broken System with Jen van der Meer

Podcast Overview

Jen van der Meer’s career path is anything but linear—spanning comparative religion, working on Wall Street, internet startups, and design education. In this thoughtful and timely conversation, Jen shares how her liberal arts background shaped her global perspective, eventually leading her to leadership roles at Frog Design, startups, and now Parsons School of Design, where she co-directs the MFA in Transdisciplinary Design.

Jen challenges designers to go beyond the narrow scope of their titles or craft. Instead of trying to “convince” other industries of design’s value, she argues that designers must step outside their professional comfort zones, learn new languages—especially finance—and see themselves as co-conspirators in systemic change.

With today’s precarious job market and the erosion of traditional design roles, Jen offers a compelling vision for designers to build collective practices, join interdisciplinary communities, and find purpose in transforming complex systems like health, energy, and finance. Her advice to students and early-career professionals? Focus on a system that needs fixing and start connecting with others who care.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

• Why a degree in comparative religion gave Jen an edge in global finance
• How working on Wall Street pushed her toward systems-level design work
• Why design can’t change the world without engaging with business
• The importance of shifting from a role-based professional identity to a personal design practice
• How to build a resilient career by focusing on systems, not job titles
• Why transdisciplinary design programs may offer a model for the future of education

Quick Reference Guide:

0:15 – Meet Jen van der Meer 

3:17 – Escaping finance for design

7:35 – Why designers should learn finance

11:44 – The challenges of blurred roles and learning the language of your sector and practice

14:33 – Jen’s job advice for students

19:57 – 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse

22:18 – Transdisciplinary design trends 

29:11 – Possibilities within Jen’s Parsons program

32:33 – The realities of higher education today and scaling the transdisciplinary model of education

36:12 – Jen’s gift for listeners

Resources and Links from the Episode:

Parsons Studio https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/faculty/jen-van-der-meer/ 

Jen van der Meer’s website https://jenvandermeer.org 

Rosenverse https://rosenverse.rosenfeldmedia.com/ 

Quotes:

“Comparative religion is a fantastic entry point to navigating the world.”

“That’s what I’ve been working on for the last 10 years. How can I see finance as design territory?”

“We’re not here to convert people. We’re here to work together with other people to transform the systems that we’re in.” 

“I think design pedagogy, studio practice, surveys, all of it is the answer to university education.”

Tickets now available for Designing with AI 2026!

We are thrilled to announce tickets are now on sale for Designing with AI 2026, a premier conference exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and design. This year’s event will take place June 9-10, 2026, bringing together designers, researchers, and innovators to redefine the role of AI in shaping the future of user experience (UX).

What to Expect at Designing with AI 2026

The conference will feature a dynamic lineup of keynotes, panels, and case studies aimed at equipping attendees with insights into how AI is transforming UX processes—and how we can keep those processes human. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a curious newcomer, this event promises to provide actionable knowledge and inspiration.

View the speakers »

Key Themes

• The new AI-augmented design process: How AI is reshaping the traditional design process—introducing new steps, skills, and strategies for both leaders and individual contributors.
• Managing AI-augmented product design work: How to structure and support teams, update infrastructure, and pitch and justify your work in an evolving, AI-augmented design environment.

Why You Should Attend

AI is more than a tool. It is transforming the world of design. At Designing with AI 2026, you will gain:

• Insight into AI’s potential to reshape design
• Practical strategies to integrate AI into your workflow
• New perspectives on ethical considerations in AI use
• Opportunities to connect with leaders shaping the future of design

Register by April 21 to take advantage of early bird pricing. More announcements coming soon!

View the program »

A Recap of Advancing Research 2026

The Advancing Research 2026 conference, curated by industry veteran Jemma Ahmed, took place virtually on March 10-12, 2026. This event marked a pivotal moment for the UX research community, bringing together diverse voices and perspectives to explore how the discipline is evolving.

If you’d like to explore more from the conference, you can:

• Explore the full program
• Learn more about our speakers
• Buy the recordings (available through June 9)

Key highlights from the conference

Several themes emerged, reflecting how UX research is evolving in response to new technologies, growing complexity, and increasing expectations for impact.

1. Research is becoming an influence discipline

Research is more than just generating insights. It’s about ensuring those insights drive decisions.

Dana Chisnell framed sensemaking as a “superpower,” while a panel with Tala Tayebi, Kelly Goto, and Jared Spool explored how researchers can stay influential even in increasingly noisy, data-saturated environments.

Dr. Feyikemi Akinwolemiwa offered another perspective on influence, focusing on how curiosity and experimentation can make insights more engaging and actionable. Her work shows how research can move beyond reporting findings to actively shaping how teams think, collaborate, and innovate.

These sessions show how influence plays out in practice, from how insights are shared to how they shape decisions.

2. Rethinking Research in the Age of AI

AI is opening new possibilities for research while raising questions about depth, quality, and human judgement.

3. Strategies for navigating the evolving research tools landscape

A new third day of the program focused on tools and infrastructure, with sessions open to both paid attendees and free viewers. Together, they highlighted how quickly the research tools landscape is changing and how teams are adapting.

A session on testing and experimentation, led by Erin Weigel and Petra Rajkov, showed how these tools are becoming central to ongoing product decisions, not just validation.

Caroline Jarrett, Aleksandra Korczynska, and Justyna Parmee explored how survey tools are evolving to better support UX research, especially when paired with qualitative methods.

Maria Rosala and Shivanja M. focused on the future of research repositories, while Kate Towsey, Basel Fakhoury, Oren Friedman, and Graham Gardener examined how recruitment tools are improving both speed and research quality.

With so many tools available, our third-day sessions helped clarify how teams can evaluate and choose what’s right for them.

Looking Ahead

As we move into 2026, the insights from Advancing Research 2026 will undoubtedly shape the future of the discipline. The conference set a high standard for collaboration, innovation, and thought leadership, leaving participants inspired to push boundaries in their work.

Missed out? Don’t worry—recordings and resources are available for purchase and viewing through June 9, 2026. Following that, all #AR2026 materials will be available in the Rosenverse exclusively to Gold members. Stay tuned for updates on future editions of Advancing Research!

Empower Users with Christopher Noessel’s Newest Release, Designing Assistant Technology: AI That Makes People Smarter

Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of how we work, create, and make decisions. But when it’s designed poorly, it doesn’t empower people, it erodes their skills. Instead of making users more capable, it can leave them overly dependent on systems they don’t fully understand.

Better understand your business’s challenges and how AI can help

In Designing Assistant Technology, Christopher Noessel provides a practical and timely framework for designing AI that truly supports people. Rather than replacing human judgment, this book shows how to build assistant technologies that enhance it, helping users stay skilled, confident, and in control.

In Noessel’s recent interview on The Rosenfeld Review podcast, he offers a compelling case for why designers are crucial in shaping responsible AI, and how a well-designed assistant can help without dumbing us down. He stresses that “dependence and over-reliance is a major risk with any assistant, but AI makes it more significant and troubling.”

Who should read Designing Assistant Technology?

This book is for the people building and guiding AI systems, including product leaders, designers, researchers, and anyone carefully considering how AI should fit into their work. It’s also for readers who want a more grounded perspective on AI’s impact, beyond hype or fear.

You’ll find practical guidance on how to approach AI design with intention: how to decide when AI should step in, how to keep users in control, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that lead to overreliance or poor outcomes. Along the way, Noessel offers patterns and frameworks you can apply immediately, whether you’re building something new or refining an existing product.

What readers are saying about Designing Assistant Technology

Josh Clark, Big Medium principal and co-author of Sentient Design, says, “An urgent wake-up call to design assistants that amplify judgement instead of replacing it—an unapologetic blend of pragmatism, optimism, politics, and conscience.”

Sheryl Cababa, Founder, Optimistic Design and Author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, says, “Noessel’s book is a beacon of light: a practical primer with clear frameworks and enlightening examples to guide you in designing AI experiences.”

Meet the author: Christopher Noessel

Christopher Noessel has shaped interaction design for 30+ years, designing products and services across diverse domains. Back in the dot-com days, he directed information design at marchFIRST, establishing their interaction design Center of Excellence. Christopher’s publications include Make It So: Interaction Design Lessons from Science Fiction (2012, with Nathan Shedroff); the 4th Edition of About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design (2014); Pair Design (2016, with Gretchen Anderson); and Designing Agentive Technology: AI That Works for People (2017).

Program announced for Advancing Research 2026!

Let’s advance the state of UX research…together.

In a constantly evolving world, it can be hard to keep up. But this March 10-11 at Advancing Research 2026, we’ll tackle it all.We’ll explore two themes at #AR2026:

• Advancing the Work (if not the Role): Discover how UX researchers are pivoting from research doer to enabler while ensuring that the research itself stays true to our shared principles of quality, ethics, and trustworthiness.
• Advancing Research Tools and Methods: Learn how people tackling UX research are achieving what was once unimaginable using state-of-the-art tools, approaches, and expertise.

And get this: The conference program has been announced!

View the full program

The Game Development Strategy Guide: Read the first chapter

We Need to Talk…About Conflict in the Workplace

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. Whether it’s a disagreement over project priorities, misunderstandings between colleagues, or personality clashes, tension often simmers beneath the surface of even the most harmonious teams. Yet, despite its ubiquity, many of us are unprepared for difficult conversations at work. We avoid speaking up, hope issues resolve themselves, or worse, let resentment fester until it becomes unavoidable.

But what if there’s a better way to address conflict? What if, instead of seeing disagreements as threats, we reframed them as opportunities for growth, understanding, and better collaboration?

The Cost of Avoiding Workplace Conflict

It’s easy to convince ourselves that workplace conflict is best ignored. After all, who wants to rock the boat? But the cost of avoidance can be high:

• Decreased morale: Unresolved issues can create a toxic environment where employees feel undervalued or misunderstood.
• Lost productivity: Teams bogged down by miscommunication spend more time navigating interpersonal landmines than working toward shared goals.
• High turnover: Talented employees are likely to look elsewhere if they feel trapped in a dysfunctional culture.

Why We Find It So Hard to Talk

Joshua Graves, in his compelling book We Need to Talk, suggests that our reluctance to engage with conflict stems from deeper fears—of being misunderstood, rejected, or losing control. We cling to the illusion that silence equals peace, but in reality, it often means lost opportunities to build trust and clarity.

Facing Difficult Conversations with Courage

Drawing on real-life stories and a spirit of compassion, Graves provides practical guidance for navigating tough conversations at work:

• Listen with empathy: Instead of preparing your rebuttal, try to genuinely understand the other person’s perspective.
• Speak honestly and directly: Clear, respectful language helps prevent misunderstandings.
• Seek common ground: Often, conflicts arise from differing (yet equally valid) viewpoints. Find the shared goals beneath the surface.

Turning Conflict into Catalyst

Embracing workplace conflict as an avenue for growth doesn’t mean seeking it out or relishing drama. Instead, it’s about shifting our mindset. Every difficult conversation is an opportunity for transformation—of individuals, teams, and workplaces.

If you want to become more confident in facing tough conversations and fostering a healthier workplace, check out Joshua Graves’s We Need to Talk: A Survival Guide for Tough Conversations. His wisdom and practical strategies will not only help you navigate conflict at work but also transform the way you communicate in every aspect of life.