navy logo
Products
research core
Long form survey icon
Long-Form Surveys
Measure experiences with advanced customer surveys
ai recommendations icon
AI Insights
Summarize, find themes, and uncover what matters
digital experience
survey icon
In-Product Surveys
Capture targeted user insights right in your product
feedback icon
Feedback
Capture always-on feedback from any screen
digital Behavior
replays icon
Replays
Recreate and optimize user journeys across your product
heatmaps icon
Heatmaps
See where users click, scroll, and hesitate
Features
integrations
Integrations
mobile icon
Mobile
star icon
AI Analysis
magic pencil icon
AI Study Creator
dashboards icon
Dashboards
Solutions
by Use Case
continuously optimize icon
Continuously optimize
Analyze your users’ experience through core flows
solve pain points icon
Solve pain points
Uncover emerging trends in your users’ behavior
improve conversion icon
Improve conversion
Understand why and how users are dropping off
save time and resources icon
Save time & resources
Know which new features are worth the investment
by TEAM
uxr icon
User Research
Maximize the speed and impact of your research
Design
Validate and get buy-in for designs with real user insights
pm icon
Product Management
marketing
Marketing
code icon
Engineering
star icon
Customer Experience
Templates
lenny template
Survey
Develop Product Sense to Build Great Products
lenny headshot
Lenny Rachitsky
View Template
arrow icon
feedback template
Feedback
Continuously Collect Product Feedback
favicon
Sprig
View Template
arrow icon
Optimize New Features
Replay
Optimize New Features to Enhance the User Experience
favicon
Sprig
View Template
arrow icon
templates
Template Gallery
Discover how our team and community use Sprig templates to inform product development.
View All
arrow icon
Customers
square nav photosquare left logo
Square uncovered 100+ actionable insights within the first 6 months
Read Now
arrow icon
ramp nav imageramp logo
Ramp created customer-centric products with Sprig AI
Read Now
arrow icon
classpass nav photoclasspass left logo
ClassPass improved usability and retention by optimizing core user journeys
Read Now
arrow icon
users icon
Meet our Customers
Learn how top companies leverage Sprig user insights to boost conversion, reduce churn, improve onboarding, and more.
View All
arrow icon
Resources
blog icon
Blog
Get expert advice on capturing product experience insights
event icon
Events & Webinars
Learn from past Sprig events & register for upcoming ones
help center icon
Help Center
Explore our knowledge hub to get started
in Sprig
video tutorial icon
Video Tutorials
Get a crash course in Sprig with our guided
video series
Introducing Sprig Long-Form Surveys
Read Now
arrow icon
Pricing
Sign In
Book a Demo
navy logo
hamburger menu iconclose icon
Products
caret icon
Products
Long form survey icon
Long-Form Surveys
survey icon
In-Product Surveys
feedback icon
Feedback
replays icon
Replays
heatmaps icon
Heatmaps
ai recommendations icon
AI Insights
Features
integrations
Integrations
mobile icon
Mobile
star icon
AI Analysis
magic pencil icon
AI Study Creator
dashboards icon
Dashboards
Solutions
caret icon
By Use case
continuously optimize icon
Continuously optimize your product & website
solve pain points icon
Surface & solve pain points
improve conversion icon
Improve conversion rates
save time and resources icon
Save engineering time & resources
By TEAM
uxr icon
User Research
Design
pm icon
Product Management
marketing
Marketing
code icon
Engineering
star icon
Customer Experience
Templates
Customers
Resources
caret icon
blog icon
Blog
event icon
Events & Webinars
help center icon
Help Center
video tutorial icon
Video Tutorials
Enterprise
Pricing
Sign InGet Started Free
Blogarrow icon
User Insights
arrow icon
Human Judgment & AI: Why Both Are Non-Negotiable for Good UX Research
User Insights

Human Judgment & AI: Why Both Are Non-Negotiable for Good UX Research

Written by Samantha Tu | Jul 22, 2025

July 22, 2025

Human Judgment & AI: Why Both Are Non-Negotiable for Good UX Research

Let’s be honest: in 2025, it’s harder than ever to cut through the noise about AI. Everyone’s got a hot take, a new tool, or a bold prediction. But in the day-to-day of UX research, where nuance, context, and real people matter, it’s not always clear how AI fits in.

Here’s what I’ve come to believe: 

AI is powerful, but it doesn’t replace human judgment. The best research today blends both and is more nuanced than an either/or. And the best researchers know when to trust AI and when to trust themselves.

AI Can Accelerate. You Still Have to Make Meaning.

In my own work and in conversations with researchers in the field, I’ve seen AI work beautifully as an accelerator. Summarizing hundreds of survey responses? Yes, please. Organizing open-ended feedback into themes at 3am so I don’t have to? Thank you, machine!

But here’s the catch: AI is a speedboat, not a compass. It gets you to insights faster, but it can’t yet tell you which ones matter, why they matter, or what to do next. 

Take this example: I once used an AI tool to summarize 20 interviews for a new project management feature. “Saving time” surfaced as a primary theme. But when I read through the transcripts, only a handful of participants described any real behavior change like “completing tasks faster” One even said, “Looks like an efficient way to do things, but I’ll still end up emailing my team like I used to”. 

⚡AI spotted the pattern. I had to uncover the gap between perception and actual impact. 

This is where human judgement becomes essential. AI can help you sift, summarize, and spot signals, but it can’t: 

  • Ask the right questions in the first place 
  • Spot subtle emotional contradictions
  • Understand business and product nuances 
  • Weigh findings by impact, risk, feasibility
  • Craft compelling stories that resonates with decision makers 

That’s where you, the researcher, come in. 

AI gets you 70% of the way. But only you know if the last 30% is signal or noise.

💡Tips: 

  • Don’t confuse frequency with depth. Re-read 2-3 transcripts per theme to validate user intent and emotional tone
  • Gut check every insight. Ask yourself: Would I stake a product decision on this theme alone? If not, dig deeper. 

Pattern Recognition ≠ Empathy

Even the most advanced LLM doesn’t feel the tension in a user’s voice during a painful onboarding flow. It doesn’t know when a participant’s offhand comment is actually a game-changing signal. These are the moments where a human researcher shines; where we hold space, notice subtext, and sense the friction points that aren’t captured in a transcript.

In one usability test I ran, a participant casually said, ‘I guess I’d just Google this instead.’ 

AI flagged it as a neutral remark. But to us, it was signal that our in-app help wasn’t meeting users where they were. 

When we followed the thread, we discovered it wasn’t just a usability issue. It was a trust gap. Users did not expect our self-service support to be helpful, so they bypassed it entirely. That single insight sparked a cross-functional effort to rebuild our help experience and rebuild trust earlier in the journey. 

💡Tip: 

  • During live sessions, keep a log of moments that feel ‘off’, even if AI doesn’t flag them. This is where insights often hide. 
  • When reviewing AI summaries, keep a separate list of ‘gut check’ moments, comments or expressions that feel emotionally loaded, even if they’re labeled low priority.

Great research is a dance. It’s empathy, emotional intelligence, and intuition. It’s knowing when to dig deeper and knowing what not to overlook.

As researchers, we hold space for nuance. AI doesn’t do that (yet).

The Future Is Hybrid

Today’s strongest researchers aren’t just AI adopters, they’re AI translators. They pair scale with story, and speed with strategy. They know when to trust the algorithm and when to question it.

Think of it like this: 

It’s not about replacing yourself. It’s about freeing yourself up to do the kind of work only you can do.

How To Blend AI & Human Judgement (Without Overcomplicating It)

If you’re trying to use AI meaningfully in your workflow, start small. Here’s one approach I use: 

  1. Run AI on open-ended responses or interview transcripts
  2. Skim the top themes, but treat them as rough drafts
  3. Review 3-5 raw responses or recordings per theme
  4. Ask yourself what feels missing? What stands out emotionally? 
  5. Refine the themes, add narrative, and review with a peer

💡Tip: If you’re going to share findings with stakeholders, don’t copy and paste AI summaries. Use AI outputs as a scaffolding and build your own interpretation on top. Layer in your knowledge about company-wide strategy,  business goals, and why these insights should matter to your stakeholders. That’s how you turn a pattern into a story, and a summary into strategy. 

Why This Matters

Researchers are being asked to do more with less. To move faster. To scale insights across teams. AI helps, but only when paired with sound judgment and a clear point of view.

In a world where everyone has access to the same tools, what sets you apart isn’t what you use. It’s how you think. Your judgment. Your empathy. Your ability to connect the dots others miss.

So yes, embrace AI. Use it to scale your impact. But don’t forget: your human insight is still the most powerful instrument in your stack.

---

TL;DR: AI is a powerful addition to your research stack, but your human judgment is your competitive advantage. Learn the tools, stay critical, and use both sides of your brain. Because in the end, it’s not either/or. It’s both/and.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get the best content on user insights, design, and product management delivered to your inbox every week.

linkedin icontwitter icon

Written by

Samantha Tu

Related Articles

Top Product Survey Questions for 2025
User Insights
Dec 19, 2024

Top Product Survey Questions for 2025

NPS Survey Best Practices: Maximize Insight and Drive Improvement
User Insights
May 10, 2024

NPS Survey Best Practices: Maximize Insight and Drive Improvement

Optimizing Your Survey Data: When to Use Open-Ended or Close-Ended Questions
User Insights
Apr 24, 2024

Optimizing Your Survey Data: When to Use Open-Ended or Close-Ended Questions

Sprig logo
Products
Long-Form Surveys
In-Product Surveys
Feedback
Replays
Heatmaps
AI Insights
Features
Integrations
Mobile
AI Study Creator
Dashboards
AI Analysis
Security Standards
Solutions
BY use case
Continuously Optimize
Improve Conversion
Solve Pain Points
Save Time & Resources
BY TEAM
User Research
Design
Product Management
Marketing
Engineering
Customer Experience
Templates
Customers
Resources
Blog
Events & Webinars
Help Center
Video Tutorials
Session Replay Guide
Pricing
Enterprise
Company
About Us
Careers
Sprig Service Agreement
Privacy Policy
Data Processing Addendum
Status
Compare
vs Qualtrics
vs Medallia
vs Fullstory
vs Hotjar
vs Pendo
Copyright 2025 Sprig, All Rights Reserved
Linkedin iconTwitter icon