Contextual research renaissance in AI era | Leisa Reichelt | #70

<p>Leisa, former Head of Research and Insights at Atlassian, reflects on how AI is changing the UX research industry. She discusses how vibe-coding helps shift from traditional project sequencing to faster, more iterative build-measure-learn cycles and how that impacts the role of UX research in organisations. Leisa expounds on her positive attitude towards AI, saying that the unique value of researchers will shift toward filling the "judgment gap" with deep, longitudinal human observation that machines simply cannot replicate.</p><p><br /></p><p>👉 <em>If you have any tips on fantastic speakers from across the globe, feedback, or any questions, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to </em><a href="mailto:geekspodcast@uxtweak.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>geekspodcast@uxtweak.com</em></a></p><p><br /></p><p><strong>🔎 Do you want to know more? Check out this episode at:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/bansi-mehta-legacy-systems/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.uxtweak.com/podcast/</a>leisa-reichelt-contextual-research-renaissance-in-ai-era</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>Episode highlights</strong></p><p>00:01:47 - About Leisa</p><p>00:04:24 - Working in the UK government</p><p>00:07:39 - Research at Atlassian</p><p>00:09:56 - AI is the next Internet</p><p>00:14:18 - Sequencing in research is fading</p><p>00:20:01 - Role of UX researchers in 2026</p><p>00:24:12 - Maintaining UX research quality with AI</p><p>00:31:20 - Final thoughts </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>About our guest </strong></p><p>Leisa Reichelt has spent two decades helping governments and organisations figure out what people actually need - and why that's so much harder than it sounds.</p><p><br /></p><p>As Head of Research and Insights at the UK's Government Digital Service, she helped reshape how we think about user research for public services. Most recently, she led research at Atlassian. These days, she's a walking mid-2020's cliché - offering coaching for impactful research, getting hands-on vibecoding niche app ideas, and studying and making podcasts.</p><p>Leisa has particular obsessions with why well-intentioned systems so reliably make life harder for the people they're meant to serve and what the advance of AI means for UX Research.</p><p><br /></p><p>👉 Did you know that UXtweak also offers a series of webinars packed with practical knowledge for UX professionals? Check out the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">episode with Stéphanie Walter</a>, where she talks about overcoming the challenges of enterprise UX: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/live/d9p4ShC_fMA?si=eYEl_S0UErpJiT4B</a> </p><p><br /></p><p><strong>About this podcast:</strong></p><p>Welcome to UX Research Geeks, where Tina Ličková, a researcher and strategist, talks with researchers from around the globe about topics that matter to them. </p><p><br /></p><p>🐝 Brought to you by UXtweak, an all-in-one UX research software. Start your research for free at: <a href="https://www.uxtweak.com/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.uxtweak.com/</a> 👈</p><p><br /></p><p><strong>🐝 Where to follow UXtweak:</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/uxtweak/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>LinkedIn</strong></a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uxtweak/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a> / <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@uxtweak" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube</strong></a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/uxtweak/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Facebook</strong></a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/UXtweak" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Twitter</strong></a><