AI for customer research — Maven course by John Whalen

What the course is

A four-week cohort-based course on Maven by John Whalen, PhD, an AI for UX expert with a Johns Hopkins doctorate and Fortune 500 client experience. Rated 4.6 across 121 reviews. The course has recurring cohorts, with sessions running in March and April 2026.

Who it’s for

Researchers seeking to deliver insights faster at scale using AI, product managers balancing rapid customer insights with quality concerns, and designers wanting practical AI tools for understanding users and testing concepts. No coding knowledge is required.

What it covers

The curriculum spans four practical areas. Prompt engineering teaches advanced techniques for getting reliable outputs from LLMs. AI-moderated interviews cover setting up studies using enterprise platforms like Listen Labs, Userology, Wondering, and Vurvey. AI analysis of research focuses on processing large qualitative datasets with tools like Coloop and Marvin to surface themes at scale. Synthetic user studies cover creating AI personas to stress-test assumptions and explore edge cases. Students also get hands-on access to premium AI research platforms and step-by-step method guides.

Limitations

The tool-specific nature means some content may become dated as platforms evolve. The course leans toward AI-first workflows, which may not suit researchers who want a more cautious, human-led approach to AI integration.