Even in 2024, there are still companies that believe they don’t need user research to develop new digital products because “we know our customers and know best what they need”. Most user researchers have probably come across this or similar statements and have pulled their hair out over them. Such assertions often lead to lengthy discussions and it takes a great deal of persuasion to convince sceptics of the necessity and positive impact of user research. Couldn’t it be easier? Instead of going round in circles with the usual arguments, it’s time to playfully familiarise the critics with the problem of the lack of user research. Studies show that learning through play is not only effective for children [1][2]. This is precisely why we developed the interactive user research game “You Don’t Know Your User”. By skilfully applying various user research methods, such as interviews or observations, participants learn in an entertaining way how user research can contribute to a deeper understanding of users’ real needs.

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For product managers and CX/UX designers, understanding their target group is essential in order to develop products and services that really resonate.

Personas, fictional characters that represent real users, are indispensable tools here. They make it possible to give the rather abstract target group a face, recognise their likes and dislikes and tailor everything from product development to marketing and communication to the specific needs of the users.

However, creating personas can be a challenge. It is often time-consuming and resource-intensive, as data must first be collected and clustered, target group-specific characteristics identified and then translated into vivid persona descriptions.

This is where LeanScope AI,, a new AI-supported tool, promises to change the game. read more…

Unlike Amazon Echo and Meta, ChatGPT is highly disruptive. But why is that? ChatGPT was the fastest to reach 100 million users and has no dependencies on other technologies. ChatGPT has also offered surprisingly little “ethical slippery slope” so far. But the main reason, according to Sam Altman himself, seems to be ChatGPT’s fantastic UX. Good news for all UX professionals.

„If I had to choose a point in time when AI became truly disruptive, I would choose the release of ChatGPT. However, it wasn’t the underlying AI models that made the difference, but the user-friendliness of the application!“ – Sam Altman, CEO OpenAI, Lex Fridman Podcast

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In today’s world, sustainability is more present than ever, while at the same time we are using more and more technology in our everyday lives. In the best case scenario, we combine these things. Unfortunately, most UX designers lack the theoretical knowledge to do this, which is where our media project comes in. We have developed an assistant realised with artificial intelligence. As a web application, this helps users to consider sustainability directly in LeanScope AI and to comply with the associated laws and guidelines. With Leanscope AI, CX and UX professionals can easily generate proto-personas, enrich them with UX research data and then even chat and brainstorm ideas with these personas. This makes it possible to gain a deeper understanding of the target group. The tool was developed in close cooperation with Centigrade. read more…

A picture is worth a thousand words. But what words are needed to describe a picture?

We used to push pixels and spend hours on tutorials to learn many complex design tools. At some point during our studies, we decided on a specific topic and specialized in order to find a job on the market later on. I, for example, decided on visual design in the big UX design bubble. But since Midjourney and co. have moved into my everyday life, I can suddenly imitate almost any design and art style with words, without ever having invested an hour in the manual technique or even having opened a single conventional design tool. That’s impressive at first, but then also terrifying.

If, as a designer, I can suddenly access any style without having to learn it, the question arises as to which skillset we need to strengthen in the future in order to avoid becoming replaceable. A year ago, I wouldn’t have thought I’d be saying this. But as things stand, I would say that we urgently need to work on our vocabulary. read more…

„What do successful User Experience professionals have in common? Empathy. “ – Kathryn Whitenton, Nielsen Norman Group [1]

Empathy is one of the most common buzzwords in the UX industry, it is assumed to be an important skill and – according to an employee of the Nielsen Norman Group – apparently even distinguishes good from bad UX professionals. But what does it actually mean to be empathetic and what impact could an AI-based tool have on it? read more…

With the announcement of Apple Vision Pro, Apple says it has taken the world of mixed reality (MR), i.e. augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), to a whole new level. Software providers, developers and designers now have the exciting opportunity to develop spatial applications that seamlessly connect the physical and digital worlds.

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What is Positive (User) Experience?

Positive UX sounds good! Everyone wants to achieve a positive experience in the context of using products, right? But what exactly does the term mean and how did it come about? Isn’t it already included in User Experience and why is “Positive X” so important? read more…

Great, now we have to worry about that too? Do we have to spend a lot of money and change everything, and then our digital product looks uglier than before? And all this effort just for a small group of people with disabilities? Besides, our users haven’t complained yet, so our accessibility can’t be that bad. read more…

The general discourse on sustainability is often about resources, energy and waste avoidance. What does sustainability mean for digital products? Digitally, there is no waste, and resources are rather indirect. But the IT sector is responsible for 4% of global CO2 emissions, the same amount as global air travel causes. Where do these emissions come from? read more…

Cover generated by Midjourney. Prompt: Visual designers working with AI to develop creative software solutions.

This blog already offers a diverse collection around the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) from the various disciplines that work all under one roof at Centigrade. Of course, visual and ux design cannot be missing from this. In this blog post, I look at the current state and shed light on whether and how we visual designers at Centigrade are already harnessing the potential of AI. I ask myself and others how we envision a future symbiosis between our discipline and this technology. In this context, we will also talk about the current number 1 design and prototyping platform: Figma and how the platform plans to integrate AI into the design process in the future. What also concerns us: the democratisation of design and how this will also turn amateurs into “designers” with the help of AI. read more…

Hi 🙂 I’m Ulrike, I’m studying media informatics in my master’s degree, and I’ve been a working student at Centigrade since my internship in the engineer department here last summer. Since artificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topics, at least since the release of ChatGPT, some people are afraid that AIs like Midjourney (AI that generates images according to instructions) or GitHub Copilot (AI that assists in programming) might take their jobs. So we decided to take a look at it from the perspective of a junior developer. Should I be worried about my professional future, too?

Thus I have been experimenting with GitHub Copilot for the past few weeks and I’d like to share my experiences with you in this blog post. read more…