#126 Synthetic Users in UX Research: Hype, Reality, and the Future of Design

Curious to hear your thoughts .Please share them here: Linkedin (linkedin.com/posts/patricia-reiners_synthetic-…)

In this episode of Future of UX, we dive into one of the most controversial topics in design right now: synthetic users.
These AI-generated “users” promise fast, cheap, scalable insights — but can they really replace talking to real people? I’ll walk you through:
• What synthetic users actually are and how they’re created
• The tools and platforms already being used in UX research
• A real-world example comparing synthetic vs. real user interviews
• Benefits like speed, inclusivity, and early idea testing
• The risks: shallow answers, bias, lack of emotional depth, and ethical concerns
• What the future holds for synthetic users and how designers should approach them
Whether you’re curious, skeptical, or somewhere in between, this episode will give you the full picture. Spoiler: empathy can’t be simulated.

Interesting resources:
🔗 Linkedin from Julian Della Mattia (linkedin.com/in/jdelmat/overlay/about-this-pro…)
🔗 Article about Synthetic User by NNNG
🔗 Paper abut Synthetic Users
🔗 Deep Dive into SyntheticUsers

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