From Industrial Design to AI Research: Scaling User Insights with Juno | Michelle

In this episode of All Things Design, I sit down with Michelle, co-founder of Juno, an AI-powered research platform that transforms how companies conduct qualitative user interviews. We explore her journey from industrial design and global field research to building a digital clone of herself—designed to evaluate interviews at scale with unmatched accuracy.

Michelle shares her perspective on the costliest mistake companies make—listening to the loudest voice instead of the user’s voice—and explains how AI research is making customer understanding faster, cheaper, and more reliable than ever.

We dive into the myths of user research, why startups avoid it, how AI is democratizing insights, and why being proven wrong can be the most valuable outcome of all.

 

 Key Topics Covered:

Michelle’s journey from industrial design to AI-driven research

Why ignoring user research costs more than doing it

Building a digital clone: scaling subject-matter expertise with AI

How AI research reduces cost from $1200 to $20 per interview

The psychology of founders avoiding research (fear vs. budget)

How user insights directly connect to ROI and product success

Common mistakes in user research (and how to fix them)

Why AI + domain expertise beats traditional research teams

The future of research and its role in product development

 Resources:
— Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellejoygilmore/
— Connect with Joe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-woodham-torii-uxdesign/

 

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