02 Observations & Short-form Thinking

Thoughts

Published writing, strategic observations, and field notes on AI-native behavior, digital identity, virtual economies, and the cultural futures forming right now.

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Framework · UX Research · AI Evaluation · June 2026

A UX Researcher's Field Guide to AI Evals — Proposing a HEART-AI Framework

A mapping of quantitative and qualitative measurements for AI products — proposing a HEART-for-AI framework for teams measuring systems that learn from the people using them.

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"Built on the bones of Google's HEART — borrowed, with affection and mild guilt ❤️."

By Manisha Dewal · June 2026
Perspective
UX Research · AI & Product Development · May 2026

How AI Is Reshaping Product Development — And the Role of Research

AI products don't just get informed by people — they learn from them. When the development process changes, every role around it changes. Research doesn't get smaller. It becomes more integral than before.

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By Manisha Dewal · May 2026
RITE — prioritizing research by Risk & Reversibility, Impact, Timeliness, and Evidence Gap.
Learnings
UX Research · AI · July 2026

What B2B2C Marketplace Research Taught Me About Researching AI

AI isn't a variable — it's a constituency. Why marketplace researchers are better prepared for this moment than the newness makes us feel.

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By Manisha Dewal · July 2026
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Process · UX Research · Operating System · June 2026

How I Approach Research

A decision-first operating system — DECIDE — that moves the center of gravity from conducting research to improving decisions through evidence. Six stages, from framing the decision to embedding what the org learns.

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"What decision are we trying to improve, what uncertainty is standing in the way, and what evidence would meaningfully change our course?"

By Manisha Dewal · June 2026
SCORE — the executive decision framework: So what, Consequence, Observations, Response options, Evidence & exceptions.
Playbook
Conversational Design · Mar 2018 · 5 min

UX Best Practices for Conversational UI

Without a personality, a chatbot is just an online form with higher usability issues. What two months building a chatbot taught me about trust.

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Medium · Mar 2018
The CALM protocol for when data conflicts: Context Shift, Audience Difference, Legitimate Ambivalence, Method Effect.
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Reflection · Organizational Culture · Optym Blog · Nov 2019

How Empathy Changed the Product Conversations in My Team

16 shadowing sessions across 8 locations changed the questions we asked — and who got to answer them. Not a guide to UX methods, but a story about shifting a team's decision-making culture.

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"A simple attempt to have meaningful design conversations led to a change in mind-set — and affected the product's decision-making culture."

Optym Blog · Nov 2019
Speculative Design · Social Systems · 2018

A Time-Bank Derivative

People are digitally connected all the time, yet most still feel lonely. What if we designed for social responsibility the way we design for financial returns?

Get in touch

Let's think something through together.

dewal.manisha@gmail.com +1 (352) 631-4856 LinkedIn New York, New York