The first step when developing AI is to understand the user need; but just as critical, is knowing the context in which the data is being collected.
The critical component missing from AI technology
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Heather Rakauskas
Partner
Heather has been managing and executing user experience research for over 15 years. She brings extensive experience designing research projects using a variety of methods to address each project’s unique objectives. Heather has worked in virtually every industry including automotive, ecommerce, financial services, health, and technology. She leads the Bold Insight training program to ensure consistent and high quality insights delivered on all engagements. Heather has a MS in Psychology with an emphasis in Human Factors from Clemson University.
Bold facts
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Heather
Something unique about you summed up in one sentence
Clemson football trumps any social activity so please reference their football schedule before making any plans with me. Go Tigers!
Your favorite part of working at Bold Insight
Getting to work on some really cool projects, being able to shape our own employee experience, and getting to spend the day with some of my best friends.
In your spare time (or if you had spare time), you would absolutely do this:
Grab a good book and a blanket, cozy up in front of a fire, and spend the day reading. A girl can dream…
How long have you been in the UX field?
20+ years
Your favorite city in the world is...and why?
Clemson, SC on game day! The energy, spirit, and tailgating is just amazing!
You cannot start the day without doing this:
Pressing snooze at least 3 times! LOL One thing I can’t end my day without is kissing and hugging my daughter and husband. No matter what happens during the day, we end the day with hugs, kisses, and I love you’s.
Your ultimate celebrity dinner party guest list would include:
Amy Schumer for the laughs, James Corden (we’re definitely doing carpool karaoke – see next guest), Taylor Swift for the tunes, and the current Clemson Football team (we’re going to need a bigger table!).
Long-term personal or professional goal?
Long term goals? I’m just trying to get through today.
Read Heather's bold insights
Read our team’s latest bold insights
Three things to improve acceptance of AI
To truly deliver on the promise of AI, developers need to keep the end users in mind. By integrating three components of context, interaction, and trust, AI can be the runaway success that futurists predict it will be.
Recruiting methods and study logistics for human factors and user research
A stronger recruiting strategy that includes relationships with patient support groups and clinical treatment centers can provide better access to difficult-to-reach patient populations. Being intentional about how you plan the logistics of your human factors and user research can mitigate risks to validity introduced by biases.
Singularity and the potential impact on UX design principles
If we are approaching a rapid technology shift as some experts predict, core UX design principles will have to be redefined to adapt to radically different interaction models.