rethink.fm

In this episode, my special guest, Rho Lall, an AI Analytics Engineer, discusses his role in helping executives cut through noise and amplify leadership by bringing clarity to complex problems. He emphasizes the importance of data in AI, likening it to a left tackle protecting the quarterback. Rho highlights the value of AI-note-taking tools for capturing tribal knowledge. We also discuss the need for a clear AI strategy, starting with understanding current data maturity and monetization steps. Ro shared his experience with AI tools like Databricks and Looker, noting their evolving capabilities and the importance of iterative process improvements. If you enjoy these conversations with industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and help future-proof your career/teams: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources Rho Lall’s Substack Rho Lall LinkedIn Profile The Pedantic Layer by Joe Reis

Jessica Talisman, an information architect with over 25 years of experience, shares her insights on the critical role of structured semantics in the age of AI. She discusses the ontology pipeline, emphasizing the significance of taxonomies and hierarchies in creating reliable systems. Jessica also highlights the need for clear governance and communication to maintain taxonomy integrity. The conversation dives into balancing user-friendly language with backend stability, and contrasts big-data methods with symbolic knowledge approaches to enhance AI quality and reliability.

In this episode, I sit down with career coach Carmelina Piedra to talk about what really drives career growth and business success. We explore her coaching services that span job seeking, career development, and business support, and why networking delivers far better results (a whopping 70–80%) compared to just sending out applications (only about 10%). Carmelina shares how she tailors her coaching for individuals and groups, including job-seeking cohorts, and breaks down the mix of people she supports: job seekers, proactive career builders, and even businesses and fellow coaches. We also dive into why tracking metrics and outcomes matters so much for long-term growth. Plus, Carmelina introduces her new venture, designed to help coaches launch and scale their practices. If you enjoy these conversations with industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and help future-proof your career/teams: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources Individuals | Career Coaching Pro Businesses | Career Coaching Pro Coaches | Career Coaching Pro 1:1 personalized coaching The free job seeking cohort (pay only after you receive an offer, which is 3% of the annualized salary: https://www.careercoachingpro.com/cohort-group-options Forbes Blog Client recommendations on Carmelina’s LinkedIn Client reviews on Career Coaching Pro Website (pulled from LinkedIn): https://www.careercoachingpro.com/reviews Interviewsby.ai Watch this episode on YouTube

In this conversation, Pavel Samsonov, a Problem Designer, discusses the importance of problem scoping and definition in design, criticizing the linear approach of the Double Diamond model. He emphasizes the need for reflection and feedback loops in the design process, advocating for a more strategic and continuous learning-first approach. We also critique the misguided emphasis on Design Thinking and the democratization of research, arguing for a more integrated and collaborative approach to design within organizations. You may know Pavel Samsonov’s work through his writing. He publishes a newsletter called Product Picnic – go subscribe today! It’s important work. I’m very grateful to be able to amplify his strategic message as we recorded this episode together. If you enjoy these conversations with industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and help future-proof your career/teams: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources Product Picnic Newsletter Pavel Samsonov Ha Phan Rob Snyder Cathi Bosco Watch this episode on YouTube

“In essence, we’re bridging the chasm between scattered insights and meaningful outcomes.” Join me and my special guest, Dwayne King, Founder and CEO of Rutabaga, as we discuss a pervasive challenge, the fragmentation and misalignment within product teams. With over two decades in product development and experience transformation, Dwayne has mastered the intricacies of human-centered innovation, UX design, and research. Rutabaga serves as the pivotal System of Action, unifying teams around authentic customer needs and ensuring the accelerated delivery of products that truly resonate. I am an advocate of Knowledge Graphs in research discovery, so we’ll reflect on the state of the technology, including challenges and opportunities with AI. If you enjoy these conversations with industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and get involved: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources Rutabaga Dwayne King – LinkedIn Judd Antin – The UX Research Reckoning is Here Watch this episode on YouTube

My special guest is Nikki Anderson, who helps User Researchers go from overlooked to indispensable. You can work with Nikki to sharpen your strategy, communicate your impact, and influence decision-making. We’re pulling back the curtain today and recording our very first conversation together. Nikki Anderson, a User Researcher with 11+ years of experience, shares nine impact formulas for UX research. The 9 Practical UX Research Impact Formulas help teams unlock less familiar impact areas where we can measure the impact of our work. We also discuss challenges in AI research, including stakeholder buy-in and the importance of leveling tactical research to strategic. Action Items: Follow up on the Trust Value Management and Trust Coherence Algorithm resource mentioned. Use the document, which includes the 9 user research impact formulas and examples. Explore ways to start small when expanding research to new user segments, such as conducting usability tests with an elderly population. If you enjoy these conversations with industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and get involved: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources The 9 Practical UX Research Impact Formulas to Use Nikki’s Substack and community – The User Research Strategist Research advice that doesn’t sound like it was written by a chatbot with a LinkedIn addiction Actual strategies to influence product decisions (instead of shouting into the void) Tools, templates, and real-talk examples from someone who’s done the job, screwed it up, fixed it, and made it work A community that knows what it’s doing and isn’t just here to drop “it depends” into the chat Trustable.tv Interview with the team behind the Trust Coherence Algorithm Podcast available on YouTube

You will not want to miss this conversation, trust me. Rachel Maron and Sabino Marquez discussed their work on operationalizing trust and the importance of trust in business. Rachel, co-founder and CEO of Trust Value Management, emphasized the need for trust to be measurable and scalable. Sabino, Chief Innovation Officer of Trustable, introduced the Trust Coherence Algorithm, which he invented, which models trustworthiness as a predictive financial asset. They highlighted the emotional supply chain, the impact of trust on UX, and the importance of trust in customer relationships. We also discussed the role of trust in attracting top talent, reducing churn, and the long-term benefits of maintaining trust. Action Items: Explore the Trustable.tv website and schedule a call with Rachel Maron. Integrate Trust Personas into go-to-market planning for the CRO, CMO, and CPO. GitHub Reinterpret the “security backlog” as “trust work” that needs to be prioritized. If you enjoy these conversations with Industry leaders and Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more, and get involved: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources Trustable.tv The Slow Leak: How Trust Erodes in Digital Environments Plenty.ag Buffer.com Schedule a conversation with Rachel and Sabino What Makes an Experience Seem Innovative? – Jared Spool Podcast available on YouTube

In this episode, I’m joined by Joshua Marowitz, Staff Product Designer at OneSignal, to unpack key takeaways from Figma’s Config 2025. We dive into quality and craft in human-centric design, and how AI is shaking up the design world, sparking excitement and unease across teams. We also explore today’s biggest challenges in design and product development, and highlight standout moments from the conference, including John Lepore’s vision for designing optimistic futures and Keegan McNamara’s bold take on the “maximalist theory of minimalism.” It’s a rich conversation full of insight and inspiration, don’t miss it. If you enjoy these conversations with Super ICs, support the podcast by becoming a sponsor, learn more and get involved: Contact Cathi Bosco Related interesting reads or resources The maximalist theory of minimalism with Keegan McNamara Designing positive futures with John LePore Joshua Marowitz: LinkedIn Config 2025: Crafting quality that endures with Karri Saarinen OneSignal Podcast available on YouTube

WPCampus is launching a major research initiative, “The State of WordPress in Higher Education,” in partnership with Human Made. Join the conversation to explore the current landscape of WordPress in higher ed, uncover key challenges and opportunities, and gain insights into how web teams are shaping the digital future of academia. Project timeline and deliverables May 2, 2025: Launch the survey May 23, 2025: Close the survey July 10, 2025:Presentation webinar on key findings from the survey You will receive an invite upon completion of the survey July 14, 2025: Publication of findings report Rachel Cherry founded WPCampus in 2015 and has spent most of her career in higher education. The survey aims to gather insights on how people use WordPress in higher education today, and we hope listeners will take the time to fill it out to help the community. Related interesting reads or resources Complete the survey: https://wpcampus.typeform.com/wpinhighered Learn more: WPCampus Research Human Made Agency Slack Group: wordcampus.slack.com Podcast available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5LwyymPwNcg

The UX/AI Coop is a response to the rapid introduction of AI into the world of User Experience. It is similar to the UXPA or IXDA, but with the major difference being an invitation for developers, data scientists, and product managers to create a larger community. It’s a true cooperative in that we need everyone to contribute to form an open-source marketplace. The UX/AI Cooperative being launched by Kevin Schumacher, Jonathan Kempf, and a few others who share the same vision and understand the same world need. “Over the last couple of years there’s been a universal shift happening in the world of design, and most UX practitioners were too busy building prototypes and design systems in Figma to realize it was bleeding into our world.  There’s a lot of work to do to build a non-profit organization, but we already have many people interested in helping build our initial infrastructure.” – Co-founder, Kevin Schumacher AI is just raw power and potential right now, but that potentials too tempting and too enabling, because it lacks any real control or rules. From our community comes the only practitioners of a craft that focuses entirely on how technology affects human beings, and keeps their humanity sacrosanct.  Being sensitive to human empathy couldn’t possibly be more important than it is at this moment. It’s a moment of reckoning for us. – UX/UI Cooperative NOTE: As the podcast grows, I’m also looking for sponsors who believe in thoughtful design, emerging tech, and meaningful conversations. If that sounds like you or your brand, let’s talk! Related interesting reads or resources Slack Groups: aiforux.slack.com Communites: Some discord servers for creatives, but we are seeing a lack of cohesive community discussion around Design and AI. Midjourney Discord Server: https://discord.com/invite/midjourney This server is a hub for exploring AI-generated visual arts, with members discussing techniques and tools for image creation.  Kaiber Discord Community: https://discord.com/invite/kaiber This community supports users in creating unique images from textual descriptions, offering guidance and inspiration.  OpenArt AI: https://openart.ai/create This platform is focused on AI-native social expression and entertainment, offering a new paradigm for art creation, according to their Discord server.  Recraft Discord AI Bot: https://discord.com/invite/recraft This bot allows users to generate AI art in Discord by using descriptive text prompts to create original images, vector art, illustrations, and 3D graphics.  Book(s): uxGPT: Mastering AI Assistants for User Experience Designers and Product Managers – Patrick Neeman Generative AI for Everyone: A Practical Guidebook – Preston McCauley People: Patrick Neeman  Scott Dickie is an early tool creator using GPT like a madman Kshitij Agrawal – founder of AIverse Preston McCauley – Director of AI & Emerging Technologies, Professor at SMU Website UX/AI Coop link:  https://uxaicoop.com UX for AI: https://www.uxforai.com/ (Recommend) AIverse: https://aiverse.design/ (largest library of AI-UX interactions, run by Kshitij Agrawal) AI research in real time: https://epoch.ai/ Kevin’s tools: Gemini Suite using Vertex for imagery Hailou https://hailuoai.video/create Magic Patterns https://www.magicpatterns.com/ (love it – exports to Figma) UXPIlot – https://uxpilot.ai/ (More Figma goodness) Subframe – https://www.subframe.com/ (big fan) Ontology https://github.com/ozekik/awesome-ontology A curated list of ontology things. Your contribution is welcome! Available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTqZm2t3hok