How Coca-Cola Measures Real-World UX: Turning Physical Experience into Business Impact

Coca‑Cola UX: Turning Emotional and Physical Experiences into Measurable Impact

As the leading platform for insights and innovation in user experience research, UX360 North America 2026 highlights the brightest minds shaping the future of design. In this edition of our speaker interview series, we’re excited to welcome Sarah Bentley, Director of User Experience at The Coca-Cola Company.

Sarah brings a unique perspective from her work on the Coca-Cola Freestyle dispenser, blending physical and digital UX design. In our conversation, she shares her journey from health-focused research to retail and consumer experiences, explores the evolving role of UX in business strategy, and offers practical guidance on storytelling, qualitative research, and advocating for user-centered design in complex organizations.

Watch Sarah Bentley discuss how UX research drives strategy, balances rigor with empathy, and shapes meaningful physical and digital experiences.

Quick AI Summary of the Interview:

In this UX360 interview, Sarah Bentley, Director of User Experience at The Coca-Cola Company, shares her unique journey across health, retail, and consumer technology. From her early work in inclusive design and maternal-child health to leading UX for Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers, Sarah explains how her experiences shaped her understanding of human behavior, research, and design. Her story illustrates the evolution of UX from interface-focused work to orchestrating holistic, end-to-end experiences across both physical and digital touchpoints.

Sarah emphasizes the growing strategic role of UX in organizations. She notes that UX research is no longer just about usability—it’s about embedding insights into business strategy and decision-making. Effective research, she explains, requires a balance of rigor and empathy, allowing researchers to interpret data, read between the lines, and translate findings into actionable recommendations that resonate across diverse teams—from designers to business leaders.

A central theme of the conversation is advocating for qualitative research. Sarah discusses her strategies for building trust with stakeholders who may rely heavily on quantitative metrics or AI-generated insights. She underscores the importance of storytelling and communication as essential tools for ensuring human-centered insights inform real-world business decisions without losing sight of the people they serve.

Finally, Sarah offers practical takeaways for UX professionals: partner closely with cross-functional teams, strengthen storytelling skills, and maintain empathy while navigating complex organizational dynamics. She also shares resources that inspire her practice, including the podcast Acquired and the book Surveys That Work by Caroline Jarrett, demonstrating how continuous learning supports better research outcomes.

This interview provides an in-depth look at how UX leaders can combine evidence, empathy, and strategy to design experiences that are both human-centered and organizationally impactful—especially in an era of AI-augmented design and growing complexity.

Conversations like this are exactly why UX360 North America exists.

As UX continues to evolve — fueled by AI, organizational change, and higher expectations for impact — the need for thoughtful, experience-driven discussions has never been greater.

UX360 NA 2026 brings together practitioners, leaders, and educators to explore not just what is changing in UX, but how we adapt without losing sight of the people we serve.

By bringing voices like Sarah Bentley’s, UX360 highlights the real UX challenges — from building organizational influence to translating research into business decisions — and provides practical guidance.

 Join us at UX360 North America 2026 | April 21–23 | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. This is your chance to gain hands-on insights from UX research peers, learn cutting-edge techniques and gather skills that will matter tomorrow.

Register today before conference seats sell out!