How to Tell If Your Brand Shows Up in AI Answers
One ChatGPT query isn't enough to know. The method I use: repeat each query 10 times, report a Wilson interval, and measure on a regular cadence.
SEOAI
Articles by Paulina Contreras
AI and UX Research: how I'm integrating AI into my work (and the resources that have helped me)
Resources, critical voices, and open questions from practice, not from hype. Months of reading, attending talks, downloading guides, and testing tools on real projects.
UX ResearchAITools
How to Learn User Research for Free in 2026
Free courses, books, podcasts, communities and tools to learn user research in 2026, with what I actually recommend to someone coming in from another discipline.
Learn UX Research
I gave an AI a qualitative analysis that had taken me two months. Here's what happened (and what I'm still processing)
I ran a qualitative study of 21 interviews, which took me two months to analyze by hand, through a Gemini GEM. The codes matched. The situated interpretation did not. What I learned.
UX ResearchUX MethodologyReflectionsAI
How to Tell if Your Website Is Working: 5 Signs Your Users Notice (Even When You Don't)
Learn to evaluate your website without being a UX expert. 5 practical signs your visitors notice, plus two free tools to review your page today.
ToolsLearn UX Research
From Social Sciences to UX Research: Ask Me Anything
Free Q&A session for psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists and social sciences professionals who want to transition into UX Research.
Learn UX Research
Complete Guide to Thematic Analysis: 7 Phases to Master Qualitative Analysis
Learn to conduct thematic analysis step by step: from data preparation to theme generation. A practical guide for researchers starting with qualitative analysis in UX Research.
UX MethodologyUX Research
Heuristic Evaluation: How to Conduct UX Audits When Working Solo
Practical guide for independent consultants: how to adapt heuristic evaluation to the reality of working solo, combining Nielsen with Cugelman's AIM framework and data triangulation.
UX MethodologyUX Research
User Journey Map: How to Create One Step by Step | Complete Guide
Learn to create a User Journey Map with the Adaptive Path method. Includes e-commerce example, 2 real case studies, and 4 common mistakes to avoid.
UX ResearchUX Methodology
When research says 'this doesn't work': how to communicate uncomfortable truths in UX
Delivering uncomfortable truths is an essential part of the UX Researcher role. How to communicate negative findings to stakeholders, offer solutions, and maintain credibility.
UX Research
UX Stakeholder Interviews: Practical Guide
Learn how to interview stakeholders in UX research. Includes key questions, and how to avoid common mistakes. Practical guide from Chile.
UX ResearchUX Research Stages
Design for How People Think: The 6 Minds of User Experience
Review and Practical Application of John Whalen's book, diving into the 6 cognitive processes: Vision, Wayfinding, Memory, Language, Decision, and Emotion.
Psychology and UXUX Books
Dear Santa: A UX Researcher's Wish List🎅
An open letter to Santa from a UX Researcher in Chile: access to users, exploratory freedom, real impact, and time to think. The real pains of UX Research in Latin America.
Reflections
How to Choose the Right UX Research Method: A Step-by-Step Guide for UX Researchers
Choosing the right UX research methodology can be overwhelming with so many options available. This guide shows you the 6 key criteria that UX Research literature recommends for making this decision.
UX ResearchUX Methodology
UX Writing and Language Psychology: What I Learned from "Words That Work"
Simple language builds more trust than complex language. Discover how to apply cognitive psychology principles to UX Writing and your product's microcopy.
UX ResearchLearn UX
How to Design UX Surveys That Actually Work | Complete Guide with Examples
59% of UX pros use surveys, but most design them wrong. Learn the Survey Octopus method, avoid common biases, and see 2 real-world examples with decision thresholds.
UX MethodologyPsychology and UX
Reflections from the 7th Experiences Summit 2025: measuring and designing experiences
We explore how experience research is evolving: from new measurement frameworks like ICE Index, to immersive innovations and the integration of analytics with qualitative research.
Reflections
How and Why I Built the UX Methodology Selector (v1)
35 methodologies and a question-guided flow to choose the right UX research method based on stage, data, experience, and context.
Psychology and UXUX Research
Clarifying the UX Ecosystem: Roles, Definitions, and Stories
In digital product and service design, there are many overlapping terms (UX, UI, Research, Product Design, UX Writing). Here I seek to differentiate them with examples to understand 'who does what' and how to collaborate better.
Learn UX
The Heart of Your UX Research: Practical Guide to Formulating Powerful Questions
Effective research begins with a clear, well-formulated question. Learn to build UX research questions step by step.
Learn UX ResearchUX Research Stages
Persuasion and Behavioral Psychology in UX: From Cialdini to Responsible Design
Persuasion in UX must be guided by ethical principles. We explore Cialdini's principles, their power in design, and how to complement them with models that prioritize autonomy and well-being.
Psychology and UX
10 Challenges to Awaken Your Entrepreneurial Brain, Daniel Priestley
This time instead of doing a book review, I share the challenge proposed by Daniel Priestley in Entrepreneur Revolution. I never considered myself an entrepreneur, but life has been leading me down that path.
Entrepreneurship
Book Review: Talking to Strangers
A deep reflection on how we misinterpret strangers and the consequences of our biases when judging others.
UX Books
Practical UX Research Workshop 2.0
Improved second version of the practical workshop where you'll learn to respond to research briefs and choose appropriate methodologies.
Learn UX Research
Practical UX Research Workshop
A practical challenge to learn how to respond to research briefs and choose appropriate methodologies in real contexts.
Learn UX Research
How to Promote User Persona Adoption
Practical strategies to get your entire product team to adopt and use User Personas in their daily work.
User Persona
Ideas I Used to Have About UX Research… That I Don't Anymore
Preconceived ideas and expectations about UX Research work that changed with experience.
Learn UX
Book Review: Rethinking Users
Youngblood and Chesluk propose thinking about the user ecosystem, not just individuals. The book includes 15 archetypes based on relationships between people and objects, with practical cards for teamwork.
User PersonaUX Books
Present Stage in UX Research: Communicate Results (4/4)
Create impactful UX Research reports. Resources for the Present stage: storytelling, deliverables, and stakeholder templates. Communicate value!
UX Research Stages
Looking Back at Over Six Years Since Publication
Reflection on academic qualitative research and how those learnings apply to the world of UX Research.
Reflections
Analyze Stage in UX Research: From Data to Insights (3/4)
Turn data into actionable insights. Resources for the Analyze stage of UX Research: synthesis, affinity, and patterns. Empower your findings now!
UX Research Stages
How Long Can We Keep Learning?
Reflections on lifelong learning and its impact on UX Research. Exploring myths about age and learning capabilities.
Learn UX
Explore Stage in UX Research: Methods and Resources (2/4)
Interviews or surveys? Learn to choose the right method for the Explore stage of UX Research. Methods guide, note-taking tips, and practical resources.
UX Research Stages
How to Learn UX Research (for Free)?
Free resources that helped me understand UX Research and apply it to work. A curated list of quality resources for your professional development.
Learn UX
Discover Stage in UX Research: Guide and Resources (1/4)
Master the Discover stage in UX Research. Find Kick-off templates, research plans, and avoid common mistakes. Start your project successfully!
UX Research Stages
How I Built User Personas
This is the story about the process carried out to develop User Personas for a retail company, as well as the books, articles, and step-by-step guide to define them.
User Persona