Adventures in DevOps Are we building the right thing?
Dec 4, 2025
Elise Stanley Breval, VP and Head of UX at Unleash, brings 30 years of experience in user-centered design to the conversation. She challenges the misconception that UX is merely about aesthetics, discussing the critical friction between engineering and customer needs. Elise shares a memorable story of overcoming misguided branding decisions with practical user research. They also debate the role of engineers in user interactions and highlight the importance of fostering a culture that values feedback and collaboration in product development.
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Ask Why Before Designing
- UX strategy is about understanding the real problem before designing the interface.
- Elise warns that without asking 'why' you risk shipping the wrong solution.
Include Engineers In User Calls
- Bring engineers into user calls so they can absorb feedback and context.
- Do not force developers to facilitate calls if it makes them uncomfortable; have them join and listen.
Roll Out Gradually And Measure
- Roll out functionality granularly and measure feedback inside the product.
- Use both quantitative metrics and qualitative surveys to validate features with real users.
