Welcome to release v2026.04!
Wait, user research with real users? Ciao! 🏃💨
AI is rapidly changing the way we develop digital products. Automated analyses, generated personas, and data-driven decisions sound tempting and efficient, but there’s a risk: direct contact with real users can quickly get lost.
Qualitative user research is more important than ever, especially now. Only real people provide the context, emotions, and unexpected insights that AI can’t replace (crazy, we know, we know).
This issue looks at why real users still matter and how we work with them.
In this issue
- 📖 Centigrade Recommends: Just Enough Research by Erika Hall
- 🏆 Success story of the month: Systematic user research brings clarity to complex needs for the GenoBuy online shop
- 🧠 Article: Beyond BFSG compliance – UX research for greater digital accessibility
- 🔔 Upcoming online event: Agents On Rails – how do you get AI agents across tools to follow a plan?
Until the next release!
Your Centigrade team 💙
Centigrade Recommends
Just Enough Research – Erika Hall
User research is too expensive and time-consuming? Erika Hall thoroughly debunks that myth in her book. Her core message: good research is mostly about asking the right questions and critically examining the answers. Any team can learn to do that.
The book is a concise, practical introduction to design research and shows how to make better decisions with a manageable amount of effort.
Why we recommend it: especially in the age of AI, it reminds us that genuine insights don’t come from tools, but from thoughtful questions and a real understanding of users.
Success story of the month
User research brings clarity to the GenoBuy online shop
DG Nexolution moved its cooperative online shop, GenoBuy, to a new platform with many new features and components, most of them from the Shopware ecosystem. We helped uncover potential usability issues early through targeted user research and usability tests, laying the groundwork for a genuinely user-friendly platform.
Article
Beyond BFSG compliance – UX research for greater digital accessibility
The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) is making digital accessibility a growing priority for businesses. Meeting the legal requirements is an important first step, but it isn’t enough to uncover every barrier. That’s where UX research comes in: it helps identify problems that WCAG compliance alone can’t reveal.
Upcoming online event
Agents on Rails – how do you get AI agents across tools to follow a plan?
Alongside our training, we’ve got something new: free, practical knowledge on YouTube and in our podcast. We’re kicking things off with an exclusive launch event on May 20 🎉
How do I get AI to actually do what I want?
AI agents are powerful, but only when you know how to guide them. They navigate workflows on their own and deliver results, but to keep things running smoothly, they need the right direction. Otherwise, they’ll do what they want.
We’ll show you how, hands-on with LeanScope, MCP, Figma, and n8n. It’s directly applicable and has no theory overhead. Your questions will also feed into the first YouTube videos.
⚠️ Places are limited; registration opens with the May newsletter.
Save the date: May 20!