Episode 25

Fake Moderators

Published on: 22nd September, 2026

In this episode we discuss fake people again, but this time we focus on AI moderators for research interviews. We ponder which types of studies fake moderators might be useful for, and most importantly whether the pros outweigh the significant cons. In Condensed Soup the hosts reveal their strategies for dealing with those annoying interactive voice response systems.

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About the Podcast

UX Soup
Bite-sized human-centered design insights
Join Chris Schreiner, Derek Viita, and Lisa Schreiner from User Driven Strategies as they discuss the latest developments impacting the user experience, whether in the car, at home, or on the go. Examine the state of the UX and human factors professions, listen to interviews from leading practitioners in industry and academia, and hear the team discuss the latest products and services from a human-centered design perspective.

About your hosts

Chris Schreiner

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Chris has 25 years of experience in automotive HF and UX, working for automotive OEMs, suppliers, academic research institutions, and consultancies, providing objective and actionable guidance impacting design.

Chris has over 20 years of experience in UX and human factors research, and has successfully led projects globally for clients in the automotive and wireless industries.

Derek Viita

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Derek is a human factors expert who helps tech companies, research orgs, and consultancies build safe and useful things. His passion is automotive UX, with 2 decades of specialized expertise. Beyond cars, his work has spanned mobile devices, physical workstations, virtual telecom platforms, mobile payment, and more.

Derek has produced live research, workshops, and conference presentations on 3 continents, and is a named author on over a dozen peer-reviewed papers and technical reports.