The Impact of UX Research in the AI Space // Lauren Kaplan // #272

Lauren Kaplan is a sociologist and writer. She earned her PhD in Sociology at Goethe University Frankfurt and worked as a researcher at the University of Oxford and UC Berkeley. The Impact of UX Research in the AI Space

// MLOps Podcast #272 with Lauren Kaplan, Sr UX Researcher.

// Abstract

In this MLOps Community podcast episode, Demetrios and UX researcher Lauren Kaplan explore how UX research can transform AI and ML projects by aligning insights with business goals and enhancing user and developer experiences. Kaplan emphasizes the importance of stakeholder alignment, proactive communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in adapting company culture post-pandemic. They discuss UX’s growing relevance in AI, challenges like bias, and the use of AI in research, underscoring the strategic value of UX in driving innovation and user satisfaction in tech.

// Bio

Lauren is a sociologist and writer. She earned her PhD in Sociology at Goethe University Frankfurt and worked as a researcher at the University of Oxford and UC Berkeley. Passionate about homelessness and AI, Lauren joined UCSF and later Meta. Lauren recently led UX research at a global AI chip startup and is currently seeking new opportunities to further her work in UX research and AI. At Meta, Lauren led UX research for 1) Privacy-Preserving ML and 2) PyTorch.

Lauren has worked on NLP projects such as Word2Vec analysis of historical HIV/AIDS documents presented at TextXD, UC Berkeley, 2019. Lauren is passionate about understanding technology and advocating for the people who create and consume AI. Lauren has published over 30 peer-reviewed research articles in domains including psychology, medicine, sociology, and more.”

// MLOps Swag/Merchhttps:

mlops-community.myshopify.com/

// Related Links

Podcast on AI UX https://open.substack.com/pub/aistudios/p/how-to-do-user-research-for-ai-products?r=7hrv8&utm_medium=ios

2024 State of AI Infra at Scale Research Report

https://ai-infrastructure.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-State-of-AI-Infrastructure-at-Scale-2024.pdf

Privacy-Preserving ML UX Public Article

https://www.ttclabs.net/research/how-to-help-people-understand-privacy-enhancing-technologies

Homelessness research and more: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=24zqlwkAAAAJ&hl=en

Agents in Production: https://home.mlops.community/public/events/aiagentsinprod

Mk.gee Si (Bonus Track): https://open.spotify.com/track/1rukW2Wxnb3GGlY0uDWIWB?si=4d5b0987ad55444a

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Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpbrinkm/

Connect with Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenmichellekaplan?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Timestamps:

[00:00] Lauren's Introduction

[00:07] Join the AI Agents in Production Conference on November 13!

[01:26] Takeaways

[02:13] Please like, share, leave a review, and subscribe to our MLOps channels!

[02:26] UX research overview

[03:31] UX research methods

[06:22] Effective interview strategies

[10:33] Broader UX Understanding

[14:42] Data Synthesis and Prioritization

[20:28] Measuring Impact in ML

[27:32] Phased Project Rollout

[31:36] UXR in Startups vs Big Companies

[40:32] AI Research Project Scope

[48:03] Increasing UX Maturity

[51:15] Career Paths in UX Research

[55:51] UX Beyond Tech

[59:31] Engineering User Research Tools

[1:06:16] Wrap up