Creative Confidence Podcast How to Use AI For More Human-Centered Research: Hannah Rosenfeld
8 snips
Apr 29, 2026 Hannah Rosenfeld, executive design researcher at IDEO who teaches human-centered research with AI, explains how AI can expand researchers’ roles. She outlines a framework using AI for widening the aperture, surfacing patterns, acting as a thought partner, and prototyping ideas. Short, practical takes on using speed and scale to see more and ask bigger questions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
AI Elevates Research Skills Not Replaces Them
- AI doesn't reduce the importance of researcher skills; it raises their value by shifting human work upstream to framing and sensemaking.
- Hannah argues speed and scale let researchers ask bigger questions and take in more context rather than just do tasks faster.
Use Speed And Scale As Strategic Dials
- Frame AI's role by its two affordances: speed and scale, and use their intersection strategically.
- Speed can be dialed between acceleration and deliberation; scale can be used to expand or interrogate a problem space.
Widen Your Aperture With AI Early
- Use AI to widen your aperture early: compile desk research, translate documents, and clean disparate datasets to discover richer problem frames.
- Let strategic convergence, not time limits, decide where to constrain after expansive exploration.