AJ is a UX Researcher at Houseful who loves a good challenge especially when it comes to research. His UX research journey has taken him from trying to run a diary study about grocery shopping just as Covid lockdowns started across the world, through researching development tooling with no UI at all, to now, where he has the exciting opportunity to research the usability of hardware that doesn't exist yet. Still, it means there's never a dull day and as long as at the end of it there's good quality data that helps us be confident we're building an awesome product then he's happy.
Upcoming Talks
28 May 2026
This year in Berlin, we will be announcing the winners of The Unblockers, three awards built to recognise cross functional teams who can show a clear chain from evidence to decision to impact. This is not a popularity contest, and it is not about glossy decks or “best process” theatre. It is about practical case studies that other teams can learn from, grounded in what actually changed and what it moved.
Award categories
- Impact Award: Evidence that led to real outcomes (adoption, retention, conversion)
- Best Use of AI Award: AI that changed how you work or what you built
- The Unblocker Award: Removing barriers so cross functional teams move faster
Winners will be announced live in the final session.
29 May 2026
As we wrap up the event, we will summarise the key takeaways and insights from the sessions, ensuring you leave with a clear understanding of the actionable strategies discussed.
Past Talks
14 October 2025
Behind every product is a person navigating career twists, self-doubt, and the messy reality of making research matter. UX researchers AJ King and Darcie Gomer swap stories about their very different paths into tech, share the highs, lows, and unexpected lessons from studying humans and being human in tech. Expect to hear what it really feels like to build credibility, face self-doubt, and find purpose in the work. Honest, funny, and refreshingly human.
20 May 2025
Hiring today is broken. Candidates are getting filtered out by AI before a human even sees their application, and hiring managers are often relying on outdated methods that don’t assess the full potential of a candidate. This discussion will tackle hiring challenges from both sides of the table:
- How candidates can stand out despite AI screening and generic recruitment pipelines.
- Why skills, mindset, and cultural fit matter more than portfolios or take-home assignments, and how hiring managers can assess them effectively.
- How hiring managers can better brief recruiters to identify the right talent, even if they aren’t design or product experts.
- How teams are using AI and hiring tech effectively without missing top candidates or introducing bias.
- Real-world hiring strategies to improve hiring outcomes for both job seekers and hiring managers.
16 May 2024
As we are called upon to create more and more digital solutions where previously a user would engage with another person but now the response is automated, we run the risk of alienating our users and losing the reassurance of a 2-way interaction. In this talk, AJ will talk through his approach to the discovery phase when automating processes, to ensure the right balance is struck between efficiency of process and usability of our products. This practical guide will walk you through the common pitfalls simply automating your current process will create, as well as look at the obscure ways experience breaking friction points pop-up when creating this kind of product. Join us to learn how to enhance your product's user experience by making automation feel less robotic and more responsive to human needs