Spilt Soup: Sonos

In this episode we discuss fake people again, but this time we focus on AI moderators for research interviews. We ponder which types of studies fake moderators might be useful for, and most importantly whether the pros outweigh the significant cons. In Condensed Soup the hosts reveal their strategies for dealing with those annoying interactive voice response systems.

In the latest version of our Spilt Soup series exploring the human factors behind product failures, we examine the issues with Boeing’s 737 MAX airplanes. In the 2010s Boeing installed a feature meant to help pilots during mid-air stalls… but instead the feature allegedly contributed to confusion, crashes, and loss of life. How could this happen at a safety-driven company? And what UX lessons could be applied to products in other verticals, like medical or automotive?In Condensed Soup, we lighten the mood by sharing our tips for comfortable air travel.

Typography is an often overlooked part of UX design, but can have a big impact on usability, trust, and accessibility. Oliver Schöndorfer runs the PimpMyType website and YouTube channel and is a font fanatic. We discuss key elements which factor into font choice and custom typefaces, the failures of Apple's Liquid Glass, the future of Volvo's Centum typeface, how well AI design tools choose fonts, and his favourite font for email.

Three out of 3 podcast hosts agree: Waiting stinks! This week Chris, Lisa, and Derek discuss the “UX of Waiting” in transportation contexts like airports, taxi queues, train stations, and worst of all traffic jams. How can designers make active or passive waiting less anxiety-inducing for travelers? And in a fun Condensed Soup segment, the gang considers what they’d do if their phone dies while waiting to continue a journey.

Friend of the podcast Dr. Santosh Basapur returns for a third time! On this episode, Dr. Basapur shares his thoughts on AI's impact on health care service design, including possible improvements in patient care, and the new challenges AI could introduce.

As robotaxis flood public roads, many groups continue to voice safety concerns. One ongoing challenge relates to how driverless cars interact with fire engines, ambulances, and law enforcement. In this special episode, Derek and Chris put on their “researcher hats” to moderate an interview / participatory design session with Christopher Dodge (a firefighter, EMT, and former UX researcher!) on best practices for robotaxis and first responders.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in the US more than 7000 pedestrians are killed each year and more than 71000 injured. According to the World Health Organisation, pedestrians represent over 20% of all road traffic deaths. In this episode we talk pedestrian (and cyclist) safety with Dr. Austin Angulo from the Transportation Research and Visualization Laboratory at the University at Buffalo. We discuss Dr. Angulo's research on vehicle-pedestrian communication and testing pedestrian and cyclist safety in virtual reality.

Like any UX or human factors research project, “digital transformation” (the integration/evolution of new tech to parts of a business) requires a strategic, human-centered approach. In this episode, we explore approaches for digital transformation, and the importance of change management during the process. We also discuss how the AI bubble has affected the field.In Condensed Soup, we share stories of “change management gone wrong.”

In this installment of our Spilt Soup series, exploring the reasons behind product and service failures, we review the spectacular faceplant of Sonos. In 2024 Sonos pushed a "courageous" (not our word) app update that broke several core features, not to mention its users' trust. We analyze how Sonos lost $600 million in market cap overnight, and what product teams can learn from this failure.In Condensed Soup, we cleanse our palette by sharing stories of app updates done right.

Tesla recently announced its intention to sunset manufacturing of its Model S and Model X cars, in favor of... robots? On this episode Lisa, Chris, and Derek break down the "why's" behind this decision, and the effects it could have on Tesla's legacy. In our Condensed Soup segment, the team discusses what we're naming our first humanoid robot, and where we're storing them in our homes.