by Embedding UX Research to Drive Adoption in AR, VR, Voice and Multimodal Experiences
As organizations experiment with AR, VR, voice, and other multimodal technologies, UX teams face a new challenge: traditional usability approaches no longer capture how people interact in immersive environments. Ahead of UX360 North America, Jordan Cooke, Head of Design, Digital Transformation at Pepsi, shares how embedding research throughout the design process helps teams understand user behavior in context, reduce adoption risk, and design experiences that extend beyond the screen.
UX360: First of all, thank you for joining us at UX360 in Atlanta! Without giving too much away, what is the key focus of your talk, and what message do you want delegates to take away?
Jordan: My session, “Beyond the Screen”, is about the implications when UX leaves the confines of screen-based experiences. AR, VR, voice, and multimodal systems don’t behave like apps. They live in space, in sound, in motion, and in context. When interaction becomes embodied, many of our traditional usability methods start to strain.
The message is simple: in emerging tech, research is not a nice-to-have, it’s table stakes. If you’re designing for immersion, trust, and cognitive load, small mistakes get amplified fast.
UX360: A while ago, you published a piece called “We Killed UX” — How would you describe the “state of UX” now, and where do you see UX heading over the next 1–2 years?
Jordan: In that article, I argued that AI didn’t kill UX; we weakened it ourselves by reducing it to predictable artifacts and rinse-and-repeat optimisation. When design becomes formulaic, it becomes automatable. AI didn’t eliminate the discipline; it exposed where we had become too comfortable operating at the surface.
Right now, UX is in a necessary reset. The work is moving upstream. It’s less about producing screens and more about shaping systems, defining value, and influencing strategy. Over the next one to two years, I see the discipline splitting in a healthy way: practitioners focused on output will feel pressure, while those who think in terms of behavior, business impact, and systems will become more central than ever.
When design becomes formulaic, it becomes automatable. AI didn’t eliminate the discipline; it exposed where we had become too comfortable operating at the surface.
It’s less about producing screens and more about shaping systems, defining value, and influencing strategy.
UX360: You’ve held a number of different roles related to UX, design, and digital transformation. How did you get started in UX, and how has your perception of the field changed since then?
Jordan: I came into UX through storytelling and business. That foundation shaped how I see the field; not just as interface design, but as a way to translate human insight into strategic action and understandable narratives.
Early in my career, UX felt very craft-driven. And I still very much value craft. But I also see it as an organizational lever. UX has the ability to influence product direction, technology investment, and even cultural mindset inside companies.
UX360: Your roles span both UX design and research. How do you see design and research interconnecting and working together successfully?
Jordan: Design and research are strongest when they operate as a single system. Research surfaces tension, unmet need, and behavioral nuance. Design interprets that signal and gives it form.
The mistake many teams make is treating research as validation at the end of a process. The most effective teams embed research throughout. When designers and researchers are aligned early and often, the work becomes both bolder and more grounded.
UX360: What’s one thing you wish more non-researchers understood about the role of UX research?
Jordan: Research is not there to confirm what we already believe. It’s there to challenge it.
Dashboards can tell you what happened. Research helps you understand why. It reveals the emotional, cognitive, and contextual drivers behind behavior. I believe this is where meaningful innovation lives. If organizations want breakthrough outcomes instead of incremental tweaks, they have to be willing to listen deeply before they build.
UX360: Last but not least, can you share some of your most coveted and inspiring resources?
Jordan: So much of my life revolves around design that when I step away to read or listen to a podcast, I’m usually drawn somewhere else: sports, history, business, psychology. I’m especially inspired by stories of people who went against the grain to achieve something meaningful. And I’m endlessly curious about the human condition: what drives people, what breaks them, what makes them resilient.
A few things that have stayed with me:
Books
- Shoe Dog by Phil Knight – A raw look at building Nike from nothing. It’s messy, uncertain, and deeply human.
- The Wright Brothers by David McCullough – There’s something about two outsiders quietly solving an impossible problem through iteration and obsession that I find fascinating.
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – A story about teamwork, belief, and overcoming long odds. It’s a reminder that greatness can come from anywhere.
Podcasts
- Acquired by Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal – They’ve mastered the art of long-form storytelling, and I love learning about companies that reshaped industries.
- How I Built This by Guy Raz – It’s interesting to hear founders detail their journeys candidly and in their own words.
- The Bill Simmons Podcast by Bill Simmons – This one cuts across sports, culture, psychology and momentum. It’s always an entertaining listen.
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 research, but how we adapt without losing sight of the people we serve.
By bringing voices like Jordan Cooke’s, UX360 highlights the real UX research 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 master skills together with Pepsi, Yahoo, Google, American Express, Coca Cola, Amazon, Meta, and more — all sharing best practices in UX research.
Register today, limited tickets available!
