Practical UX: Methods, Research, and Design Thinking

About Practical UX: Methods, Research, and Design Thinking

Practical UX: Methods, Research & Design Thinking is a podcast for professionals and students who want to move past theory and use real-world user experience practices. Each episode covers tools, methods, and mindsets that shape strong design, including user research, design thinking, usability testing, prototyping, and product design strategy. Dr Parker talks with UX leaders, researchers, and designers who share practical insights you can use in your own work. Dr Parker is a Senior Lecturer in UX Design at Loughborough University (School of Design and Creative Arts)

Publisher

Dr Chris Parker

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Oct 2019

Latest episode

27 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

47 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Mar 2026

   Beyond UX: Finding the North Star That Transforms Businesses (with Peter Kotsonis)

   What if UX could do more than improve products — what if it could realign entire organisations?In this episode, Peter Kotsonis shares how uncovering a clear “North Star” can turn customer insight into strategic direction, connect teams across silos, and reveal opportunities most businesses miss.

2. 

   4 Dec 2025

   Closing the Loop: How Systems Thinking Transforms UX and Design Practice

   In this episode of Practical UX , we explore how systems thinking can help designers solve complex problems and create more sustainable, impactful solutions. Our guest is Sheryl Cababa (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sheryl-Cababa/e/B0BVBWMSRX/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1), author of Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Closing-Loop-Systems-Thinking-Designers/dp/1959029886/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11NOERZOPI7OC&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QMULL2S_pm3LruuDUTIx2gJWGC9ZROUaMRzLWwK8499L3sSh-Q6DYyi88tZv8EbS_rYl3t3-Y3SDH6TjaQN7INTlXdR_BXdHCBTcXOBIYNFwB-ZcdCg_VoMlg6-SrYpMz-VpVWSSEpp1RBRxXrILtsqzP-Y28vbvFGQ_o_19t0HVoyAEN8f_h2dH70INUaph8igVv-a2GVfEauEiwoI3pC7GLDgjmQHrEgPs7GGyI0E.evFVnt77ZjvB0PHFKM4ZmYZQRtHSe1Xj8XcTeZk8m44&dib_tag=se&keywords=closing+the+loop&qid=1764751700&sprefix=closing+the+loop%2Caps%2C430&sr=8-1) — a must-read guide for anyone who wants to connect design thinking with real-world systems. We discuss: How systems thinking can improve UX design, service design, and innovation. Why designers need to look beyond screens and touchpoints to understand the bigger picture. Practical ways to apply systems thinking in your design process, research, and team collaboration. How to design for long-term impact, sustainability, and organisational change. If you’re a UX designer, product designer, researcher, or design strategist, this episode will help you think more holistically and 'close the loop' between design and systems.

3. 

   22 Oct 2025

   UX Research Review: How the Next Generation of UX Designs for Trust, Emotion, and Connection

   Host: Dr Chris Parker Email: c.parker@lboro.ac.uk (mailto:c.parker@lboro.ac.uk) In this episode of Practical UX, we go beyond buttons and screens to explore what’s next for user experience: trustworthy AI, physiological synchrony in social VR, foldable device ergonomics, designing for the moments after a crash, and a bold provocation to design for human connection, not screen time. Why explainable AI changes user behaviour by improving trust calibration (and why “AI literacy” talks aren’t enough). How people’s heart rate and skin responses can sync in VR, offering a powerful new metric for co-experience. What a foldable phone’s hinge teaches us about emotional ergonomics and multi-state interface design. How post-crash UX should prioritise clarity, calm, and familiarity when fear overwhelms cognition. A provocative case for Relation Artefact Design (RAD): tools that help us look at people rather than screens. Explainable AI & Trust (mushroom task) — journal article Leichtmann, B., Humer, C., Hinterreiter, A., Streit, M., & Mara, M. (2023). Effects of Explainable Artificial Intelligence on Trust and Human Behavior in a High-Risk Decision Task. Computers in Human Behavior, 139, 107539. Link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222003594 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222003594) (ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563222003594?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Physiological synchrony in Social VR — preprint Kloft, A. M., Fabinc, J. M., Hirsch, L., Slezas, A., Hachmann, H., Cunneen, M., Brandt, S. S., Sams, M., & Welsch, R. (2025). It’s Always Better When We’re Together: Physiological Synchrony and Shared Experiences in Social VR. (Preprint). Link: https://sciety-labs.elifesciences.org/articles/by?article_doi=10.21203%2Frs.3.rs-7134151%2Fv1 (https://sciety-labs.elifesciences.org/articles/by?article_doi=10.21203%2Frs.3.rs-7134151%2Fv1) (Sciety (https://sciety-labs.elifesciences.org/articles/by?article_doi=10.21203%2Frs.3.rs-7134151%2Fv1&utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Foldable smartphones UX framework — journal article Liu, Y., Dong, L., & Rau, P.-L. P. (2025). Unfolding the User Experience: A Comprehensive UX Framework for Foldable Smartphones. International Journal of Industrial Engineering, 32(5), 1396–1412. Abstract page: https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/view/10935 (https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/view/10935) Direct PDF: https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/download/10935/1871/65113 (https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/download/10935/1871/65113) (Public Knowledge Project (https://journals.sfu.ca/ijietap/index.php/ijie/article/view/10935?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Post-Crash UX (multi-modal guidance) — conference paper Cho, Y., Kim, H., Ku, M., Yu, S., & Lee, J. (2025). Post-Crash UX: An Empirical Study on Multi-modal Interfaces for Immediate Driver Response. In AutomotiveUI Adjunct ’25 (ACM). Link: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3744335.3758486 (https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3744335.3758486) (ACM Digital Library (https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3744335.3758486?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) Provocation: Relation Artefact Design — journal article Clemmensen, T. (2025). Stop Doing User Experience Design, Start Doing Relation Artefact Design. Interacting with Computers (Oxford University Press). Link: https://academic.oup.com/iwc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/iwc/iwaf044/8283768 (https://academic.oup.com/iwc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/iwc/iwaf044/8283768) (OUP Academic (https://academic.oup.com/iwc/advance-article/doi/10.1093/iwc/iwaf044/8283768?searchresult=1&utm_source=chatgpt.com)) If this episode sparked ideas for your project, class, or lab, please follow/subscribe on your favourite podcast app and share with a colleague. The next great design conversation might start here. Do you have questions for the show, or want to suggest a paper? Email Dr Chris Parker at c.parker@lboro.ac.uk (mailto:c.parker@lboro.ac.uk).

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