James Villacci
“I'd still put a researcher between the agent's steps, as agents are fast at handoffs but slow at noticing when the question was wrong.”
At Sprig
James hosts Sprig's Experience Research community, the dinners, summits and virtual sessions where research leaders from companies like Dropbox, Microsoft and Workday compare notes on how AI fits into the craft. As Chief Insights Officer, he also leads Sprig's thinking on AI in survey research.
He started HelloFresh's UX research team as a team of one and grew it into a global practice.
As Director of Global UX Research at HelloFresh, he directed more than 300 studies across about 50 teams, producing over 2,000 product recommendations.
He led a company-wide insights repository spanning five insight departments, and grew research's role in product strategy by more than 300%.
He created and produced HelloFresh's company-wide insights shows, drawing more than 100 people.
Focus areas
- AI in survey research
- Multi-agent research workflows
- Research at scale
- Research ops
- Insights repositories
- Quantitative research
Education
Background
James has spent more than 10 years in research, design, statistics and human factors, and more than six years leading research teams. Over seven years at HelloFresh, he built its UX research function from a team of one into a global practice, then joined Sprig to bring the research craft into the future of AI.
His roots are in human factors, from graduate research at George Mason University to usability analysis of consumer products for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In every role, he pushes teams to challenge their confidence and make the right tradeoffs between business and customer needs.
Career
- 2026 to present
Sprig
Chief Insights Officer
- 2018 to 2026
HelloFresh
Senior UX Researcher to Director, Global UX Research
Join the conversation
Sprig hosts dinners, summits and virtual sessions for research and insights leaders in cities across North America.