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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Lindsey DeWitt Prat
PhD
Director
Lindsey brings extensive research experience in industry and academia, including formal training in ethnographic field methods, to help clients achieve their objectives. Lindsey excels in a range of UXR methodologies, research and workshop design, collaboration with cross-functional partners, and coordinating with / communicating insights to global partners. Now based in Paris, she has lived and worked in the US, Japan, Belgium, Germany, and France. Lindsey holds a PhD in Asian Languages & Cultures from UCLA.
Bold facts
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Lindsey
Something unique about you summed up in one sentence:
Global dot connector, mountain lover, and mama of 2 spirited little girls.
Your favorite city in the world is...and why?
LA and Kyoto for similar reasons: cities that contain worlds of culture and are surrounded by beautiful nature.
In your spare time (or if you had spare time), you would absolutely do this:
Retrace ancient pilgrimage routes all over the world!
Share an interesting fact or a special skill:
I’ve been known to recite a clever Japanese poem from about a thousand years ago that’s a perfect pangram (uses each “letter” of the alphabet once, although several aren’t used anymore) and tells beautifully about the transience of life. It’s called the “Iroha Uta.”
Your ultimate celebrity dinner party guest list would include...
Simone de Beauvoir, Frida Kahlo, Hatshepsut (15th c BC female pharaoh), Mugai Nyodai (Japan's first female Zen master, 12th c), and a very skilled interpreter who would actually be the guest of honor!
Favorite quote:
“Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes.)” Walt Whitman
Best piece of advice you’ve been given:
“No mud, no lotus.” A Buddhist kind of saying meaning that no beautiful flowers can exist without some nitty gritty under-the-surface stuff going on.
What superpower would you most want?
Time travel, hands down!
Read Lindsey's bold insights
- Bold Insight to present with Panasonic Well on LLM interactions at EPIC2025 in Helsinki
- Bold Insight to instruct EPIC tutorial on AI research tools
- Bold Insight examines GenAI and ethnographic research during virtual EPIC session
- Bold Insight moderates AI for Developing Countries Forum panel
- Mind the AI gap: The UX researcher's role in navigating the AI divide
- Bold Insight to speak on global panel about inclusive, ethical AI governance
- Bold Insight to present on AI translation at UXinsight Festival
- Bold Insight to present at AI for Developing Countries Forum 2025 Geneva Summit
- Bold Insight to present AI ethnographic framework at London research event
- Bold Insight to present on AI research in African contexts at EPIC2024
- Bold Insight to host webinar for UX professionals using AI-enabled tools in their research
- Context, accents, and privacy: Overcoming hurdles of AI translation tools in global UX research
- Bold Insight to present findings from global study on AI tools at UX Masterclass
- The role and challenges of speech technology in global UX research
- Not sure how to use AI tools in your UX research? Consider making it your sparring partner
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.