Shattering the UX Executive Glass Ceiling

📰 3 THINGS TO CHECK OUT

The UX Executive Glass Ceiling

• Former Amazon and PayPal design leader Gabriel Golcher points out that UX has hit an executive glass ceiling. While the discipline delivers measurable business value, only 14% of companies have a UX executive, leaving most design organizations reporting into Product, Engineering, or Marketing.
• Drawing on six years of doctoral research, Golcher suggests that too often, UX teams don't measure business impact, communicate in business terms, or invest in the influence and relationship-building that elevate other functions. UX is still perceived as tactical, not strategic. Another discipline that was traditionally only seen as tactical? Marketing.
• "If Marketing broke the executive glass ceiling, so can we."

What Is Product Sense, Anyway?

• Tech writer Alexandra Ciufudean explores why "product sense" has become one of the fastest-growing buzzwords. Google searches for the term have increased 450% over the past few years, driven by AI and the search for skills that are difficult to automate.
• Ciufudean makes the case that product sense isn't intuition or gut feel, but a learnable combination of user empathy, systems thinking, pattern recognition, and validation. What builds product sense is observing users, hypothesizing what they need, building something, and then closing the loop on whether you were right and why.
• "At each stage of the product development lifecycle there is an opportunity to increase product sense, and acquiring it takes time and is never complete."

What 6,000+ Design Job Posts Reveal About the Profession

• Product designer and researcher Michal Maňák recently analyzed 6,261 UX and product design job listings across Europe. His findings: Figma's market share has grown, while over two-thirds of listings also mandate AI tools — suggesting employers see both Figma and AI as necessary skills (and dispelling the myth that AI is replacing Figma).
• His research also found that product designers are expected to build expertise in design systems, research, and prototyping early, then shift toward leadership and data-driven decision making later in their careers. For UX designers, design systems become increasingly important at senior levels.
• While the report focuses on the European job market, the data mirrors the same trends we're seeing elsewhere: AI is becoming table stakes, Figma remains the dominant design platform, and employers are putting more value on designers who combine fundamental skills with systems thinking and strategic influence.

💜 PORTFOLIO SPOTLIGHT

With 20+ years of experience in tech, UX Academy graduate Baldur Kristjánsson approaches UX like a strategist as much as a designer. His work showcases research-heavy products where success depends on simplifying intricate systems without sacrificing trust. His project LandMatch reimagines a workflow for consultants who evaluate land. On another project, he combined competitive analysis with research from 179 survey respondents and parent interviews to redesign a fragmented school communication app. His portfolio is a strong reminder that good UX is about solving complex problems through thoughtful research, systems thinking, and product strategy.

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Create with the heart; build with the mind. — Criss Jami, author and musician

🧪 FROM THE LAB

Last Chance to Join Vibe Coding Camp

There's still time to join our next Vibe Coding Camp cohort, launching Tuesday, August 11. If you're enrolling, be sure to sign up before Monday's optional tool setup session, so you're ready to hit the ground running when the camp begins.

UX Academy Foundations Starts Monday

Thinking about starting your UX/product design career? UX Academy Foundations kicks off Monday, August 10. Build essential visual design  skills, work with Figma and AI tools, and be ready to take the next step into UX Academy in the fall.

Learn About Team Trainings + Discounted Credits

Most people know Designlab through our courses for individual designers — but companies can also use the same programs to upskill entire teams. Join our live webinar on Wednesday, August 12 at 12pm ET to learn more.

We'll also cover how you can take advantage of our training credits to let employees choose the courses most relevant to their roles — from AI and data-driven design to Figma, design systems, and more. For a customized recommendation and quote, schedule a call with our team.