UXR Institute: Rapid qualitative analysis with AI tools

UXR Institute’s AI for UX Research course is a live, cohort-based program running over three weeks, taught by Leo Hoar, PhD. The next cohort runs Tuesdays from April 14 to 28, 2026, meeting for one hour per session. The course costs $295 and includes a certificate of completion.

The focus is narrow and intentional: how to use AI tools to process qualitative data faster without compromising research quality. The course covers analyzing interview transcripts and observation notes with AI assistance, identifying themes and patterns more systematically, and integrating AI into existing UX research methodologies. The live format means learners can ask questions and discuss tool outputs with the instructor in real time — which is directly relevant for a subject where developing judgment about AI-generated results is part of the learning itself.

Who it is for: Practicing UX researchers and user researchers with foundational experience in qualitative methods. The course assumes familiarity with interview analysis and thematic coding — it is not an introduction to those methods, but an extension of them into AI-assisted workflows. Mid-level researchers looking to formalize their approach to AI tools will find it most applicable; researchers who have not yet worked through a full qualitative analysis cycle would benefit from building that experience before taking the course.

What it does not cover: The course focuses specifically on the analysis phase of UX research rather than the full research lifecycle. Study design, participant recruitment, and session facilitation are outside its scope. Researchers looking for a broader overview of AI across all research phases would need to complement this program with other resources.

The UXR Institute runs as a practitioner-oriented learning organization for the UX research community. The live cohort structure is its primary differentiator from self-paced recorded courses: participants complete assignments and discuss outputs with the instructor and peers across the three weeks rather than working through pre-recorded material at their own pace.