I really enjoyed James Lang’s Hopeful Futures talk at UX Brighton yesterday. I’ve been thinking a lot about this moment of change in our field, not as something to worry about, but as an opportunity to shape what comes next 💚 What I liked about his talk was how practical it felt. He didn’t just tell us to stay hopeful, he focused on the how. Reframe the narrative: move from defending research to designing its future role. If we over-identify with our job titles, we risk not growing with the change we’re seeing. Map the future: define what kind of researcher you want to be, and what kind of team you want to help build (James had 10 suggestions 👇) Audit current skills and identity areas you want to grow in. Go deep on a specific topic. Experiment: think beyond traditional researcher paths - test new tools and methods, explore how #AI can extend your reach, not replace your thinking. Build infrastructure: invest in repositories, rituals, and knowledge systems so insights actually travel. Scale research not just by running more studies, but by creating systems that help knowledge move. Shape change: don’t just deliver findings; make sure they shift decisions and outcomes. The opportunity is to evolve, to re-shape what research looks like, where it sits, and how it leads. It was a good reminder that this new ‘era’ - isn’t the end of research, or design. It’s an inflection point. The hopeful part is that we get to decide what comes next!Anette C. M. Petersen