We are delighted to share Gonzalo Lusi Palombarini's story in our newest episode of Why UX?

From a background in multimedia, visual design, and even biology in Argentina to building a UX/UI career across industries like ERP, crypto, insurance, AI, and large-scale enterprise platforms in Denmark, Gonzalo's journey is driven by curiosity, adaptability, and a deep respect for the end user. He shares how moving to Copenhagen shaped his professional growth, how he bridges UI and UX into one cohesive experience, and why designers must sometimes be bold to truly advocate for users.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Helena Bright for making this episode!

In this episode of Why UX?, we sit down with Gaia, a longtime member of the community and UX designer at VELUX. She shares her inspiring journey from industrial design to service design, and how curiosity, people-centered thinking, and a drive to create real impact have shaped her career.

Tune in to hear Gaia's reflections on designing with empathy, driving change inside large organizations, and the evolving role of UX in tackling global challenges.

Ulla is an exited Founder turned writer currently promoting her new book "Firesoul Leadership". Hear about her experience of growing a business, the challenges and rewards of creating a compassionate design culture, and why she believes UX professionals should pursue entrepreneurship to solve big social issues.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Helena Bright for making this episode!

Sofia is a long-time member of CPHUX. She is currently working as a Product Designer at Bryq. Moving from Cyprus to Demark to study architecture, she then decided to switch to UX design instead. Hear about her experience of being a UX team of one with all its challenges and satisfactions and find out about her new exciting side project!

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Giorgia Meton for making this episode!

Sasha is a self-thought UXer and one of our dearest CPHUX members. She is currently working as a Senior Product Designer at Billetto. Hear about what she is currently working on, gather useful insights about her documentation process, and find out about her amazing experience with CPHUX!

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Giorgia Meton for making this episode!

Sandra is part of our Event Steering group and a beloved member of CPHUX. She is currently working as a User Experience Designer at Getinge. Her journey to UX was quite uncommon, starting with the fashion industry and moving on to banking and sales, they were all crucial steps in her development as a UX designer today. Hear about her day to day working process and about her volunteer work as a UX design mentor and teacher

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Giorgia Meton for making this episode!

Gui is currently working as a Senior Digital Product Designer at Universal Robots and he is been part of the CPHUX family for a long time. He comes from Brazil where he first started working in Industrial design but he always felt a connection to user experience. Hear about his long path in UX and what UX Design means to him.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Giorgia Meton for making this episode!

Alina Kristensen is a long-time member of CPHUX. Hear about her long journey to UX, starting from Business, moving on to marketing and front-end, to finally landing in Design.

Currently, she is working as a Senior UX Designer at Danske bank.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Giorgia Meton for making this episode!

Helena and her business partner Jayden reflect on their past year and overall time being together as co-founders with a BIG announcement. Hear their highlights and the biggest accomplishments from the beginning to the present. They then close with a reflection on the next year ahead of us.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Bailey Smith is an old member of CPHUX and even contributed for a short time. She is originally American but moved to the North of Jutland to study Information Architecture at Aalborg University. She, later on, moved to the capital; Copenhagen. Currently, she is working as a contract UX Designer at Milestone Systems.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Moira Mastrone is currently working as a Senior UX Researcher at MMS Technology in the South of Germany, but when she joined CPHUX, she lived in Odense. She is originally from Italy but has been all over the world.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Liana Møsbæk is today working at Siteimprove as a Product Designer. Hear her story which brought her from Romania to Denmark, and hear where she sees the future bringing UX. 

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

In this episode, the panel reflects on the story of a Design Manager who, despite holding that title, wore many hats: project manager, product owner, process consultant, and UX practitioner. After seven years in the role, a key question emerges: how do you carve out a UX career path that lets you focus on the work you truly love — like research, facilitation, and process design — when your experience is so broad?

The panel explores:

• How do you translate diverse experience into a focused UX role?
• What does it mean to find a job where you can actually do the things you care most about?
• And how can you identify organizations that will help you grow toward your vision of UX practice?

William started his career in graphic design. When he started at Anthill Agency he moved into the UX space. Today he is UX Lead and in this episode, we get to know him better.
Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

After several years in the movie and craftsman business, Simon wanted to use his head more than his hands. He studied at KEA and Aalborg University in Copenhagen. Today he sees himself as a mix of Service Designer and UX Designer.
Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Jayden and Helena reflect on the past year at CPHUX; what stood out and what they're proud of. They'll talk about the upcoming year and why their activities tie so perfectly into their ambitions.
Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Petra is from Slovakia and has been a member of CPHUX for almost 2 years. From studying graphic design, creating posters and painting murals. Petra moved from art to web design to working more with applications and development. Today she works as a UI Designer at CONSENSUSThanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Tom is the Managing Director at Wholegrain Digital (a conversion focussed web design agency working exclusively with WordPress) 

Beth is currently working at Hubspot for 12 years and has just released her book "Cultivating Content Design". She is a leadership coach, content strategist and communications leader.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Lotus is from Portland US and after 20 years in the Bay area, she immigrated to Denmark where she joined CPHUX after 1 month. With a background in advertisement, she naturally moved into the UX space. Today she works at the global agency FFW as a Senior Customer Experience Service Design Consultant. 

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra for making this episode!

Ugnė is one of the oldest members of CPHUX. She is a creative soul and in this episode, she shares her story. Her take on the benefits and challenges of working in a startup. Lastly, she will share her own startup idea coming alive. 

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Adelajda Kołodziejska for making this episode!

Madelein studied sociology in Sweden and later found that UX could enable her to do research differently. She's currently working at Saxo Bank but previously she was contributing at CPHUX so Helena knows her quite well.

Madelein was actually the first CPHUX member and we're proud to share her story.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

Helena and her business partner Jayden reflect on their business marriage - who is super approachable and who is playing hard to get? They also look back at the year that has passed, discussing obstacles, celebrating victories, and optimistically looking onwards to 2021. 

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

In this episode, the panel takes on a case we've titled "Crash of the Titans." It's the story of a senior UX designer who believes true user-centricity requires a disciplined process. But in an organization driven by fast delivery and personal opinions, this creates friction — especially with a product manager under constant pressure to ship features quickly.

The panel explores the deeper questions behind this clash:

• How do you balance fast-paced delivery with research-driven UX practices?

• How can designers advocate for user empathy without being seen as overly critical?

• And how do you protect motivation when your standards feel at odds with organizational reality?

Steve Portigal, the author of 'Interviewing Users' and 'User Research War Stories', has become a human confessional for user researchers and their stories about the crazy and unpredictable things they experience in the field. Steve has facilitated and encouraged knowledge sharing between research professionals from even before he wrote a book about the subject. Now the book and his website have taken a life of their own where stories are getting shared across the world.

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

Susan "The Brain Lady" Weinschenk guests the show after the CPHUX Book Club read her recognized book "100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People". She shares her creative process of writing books and recommends how to stay on top of new psychology research that can be used in design.

Thanks to Preely for sponsoring this episode. Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

With over 20 years in UX and design, Fernanda Barbato has a lot of experience. As a Design Director at iZettle she is more managing than designing, but no matter what she'll do she'll always be a designer by heart. Through most of her career, the user has been at the center of her design process, but after realizing the consequences for the bigger system, she now asks: user-centered design at what cost? 

Thanks to Preely for sponsoring this episode. Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

'What Is Wrong with Why UX?' should be the title of this special episode of 'Why UX?' where Helena interviews the host of the podcast 'What Is Wrong with UX?' and author of the books 'UX for Lean Startups' and 'Build Better Products', the one and only, Laura Klein.  

Thanks to Pavel Bavtra and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

Helena traveled to Sweden to interview Swedish experience designer, Karolina, at IKEA Retail Business and Digital Department in Malmö. It doesn't get much more Swedish than that!

Karolina originally wanted to become a 3D animator, but after being taught many things she wasn't interested in learning, she now, two decades later, finds herself enabling 'design for the many' as a Senior Experience Design Leader at Ingka Group, IKEA's largest strategic partner. Hear her story, how she works and her view on the future of UX.

Thanks to our sponsor Preely, Thanks to Pavel Konstantinovs and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

Have you ever woken up to realize you are not where you are supposed to be? This has happened to Anne-Louise. Twice. First when she was studying Economics and Finance, later when she was studying Architecture and Design. She then discovered Service Design and she knew she was home. She is now working out of Idean in Malmö where she does UX and Service design as a consultant - thriving on the varied days, focus on users and creative freedom.

Thanks to our sponsor Preely, Thanks to Pavels Konstantinovs and Simon Dybdal for making this episode!

Today Kevin Fox works at EGGS Design, but his journey to this job and into service design was not as straight as can be. Kevin finished a bachelor in architecture but never worked as an architect. Instead, he got a job as a test analyst, however, after questioning too much how the product was designed, he ended up as the company's UX/UI designer. This wasn't enough for Kevin's searching soul! He found himself being curious about the impact and effect of his work for the people he was designing for. He, therefore, transitioned into service design where he could cleanse his thirst for a holistic problem-solving, and if he could choose, this would be what he will do for the rest of his career. 

"Service is when a person leaving the store getting more than they expected". These words from a supermarket training course for new employees proved to determine the direction of Helena's life. Giving more than people expected has been her recipe ever since she complained her way into Kolding design school. Here her extraordinary passion for digital interaction design has moulded her into the community builder and UX advocate we all know her for today.

Thanks to Pavel Konstantinov, Simon Dybdal and Preely for making this episode. 

In this episode, our panel dives into the real-life story of a UX designer in a large enterprise company, where career growth feels unclear and mentorship is missing. With a supportive but limited manager, this designer faces the challenge of driving organizational UX maturity almost single-handedly — and it's exhausting.

The panel explores questions like:

• How can a designer proactively assist their manager in shaping a career path?

• What does it take to lift UX maturity in an organization?

• And how can designers avoid feeling stranded in the "mentorship desert"?

Rosa is a UX designer originally from Barcelona but has been enjoying CPH for the last 6. She has been trying different disciplines from graphic design, service design to frontend development until she decided to focus on product UX and UX research. Up to recently, she was working at Momondo where she focused on user research and supporting the mobile team. Now she just started at her new job at nuuday.

Thanks to Pavel Konstantinov, Simon Dybdal and Preely for making this episode. 

Sharon is an American UX designer who moved to Copenhagen after working 9 years in the Big Apple. She has left her mark on many different industries but has realized that the skills of design never change. You have to be curious, open and accept you do not know everything.

Thanks to Nora Horn, Simon Dybdal and Preely with the creation of this episode. 

Katja is Creative Director at EGGS Design, with almost 20 years of experience she has worked across the disciplines of UX, IA, IXD and Service Design for agencies such as Fjord in London, Kontrapunkt and now EGGS Design in Copenhagen. Since working with the first team of Index:Award in 2005, sustainability and using design and innovation to improve the world has been a growing focus area.

Thanks to Nora Horn, Simon Dybdal and Preely with the creation of this episode. 

Jared Spool was there from the beginning, or rather he was there from before the beginning. As he says in this episode "I didn't get started in UX - UX got started around me". And this is not overstating it. Jared is one of the most influential figures in UX, usability and product design, and his footprints can be seen from everything between the arrow keys of computer keyboards to the often repeated quote "everyone is a designer". 

Thank Preely, Nora Horn & Simon Dybdal with the creation of this episode. 

Xavier was born in the French Alps, and even though he is now living in Denmark - one of the flattest countries in the world - he kept his love for mountains. This is evident in his startup Whympr, which is an app for mountain and outdoor activities. On top of that he works as an external consultant for Nordea were his mission is to ensure consistent and quality UX through communication and atomic design.

Thank Preely, Nora Horn & Simon Dybdal with the creation of this episode. 

Equipped with the ambitions of becoming a cartoonist Glenn joined the Kolding Designskole. Little did he know, that the universe had other plans for him. The emerging technology of CD-ROMs propelled Glenn into a successful career path of interactive design and UX, where he has been working with a broad range of users and a broad range of products. A lot has happened since he started as the first interaction designer in Lego history, until the present where he designs med-tech at Radiometer.

Glenn believes the future designer will be a designer. Not a UI, UX, digital or a "whatever"-designer. The silos will disintegrate, to make way for a more holistic perspective and approach to product design.

Thanks to Preely, Nora Horn & Simon Dybdal for help making this episode. 

Flemming has always been interested in computers but hated how horrible they were to use. Now he starts his day at 5 am each morning, to take care of his job as a contractor for the Chinese Huawei. Here he uses his UX problem solving to make digital change for Huawei's large clients. This change is not just about using new technologies, but how to build up a business model around said technologies

Design thinking is getting more and more widespread, which means you no longer need designers for basic websites and basic applications. Flemming, therefore, foretells a future, where designers will face more competition, and they will need to move up the value chain and brace increasingly complex problems.

Thanks to our sponsor Preely, Nora Horn and Simon Dybdal for their support in making this episode.

Loba van Heugten has more than 15 years experience within UX. Specialized in Design Research and Service Design the curiosity to understand the motivation and context of the end-users is a key driver. It is all about turning complex and detailed user insights into the business outcome that will support the strategic goals of the business. Loba collaborates pro-actively with stakeholders to funnel insights directly into the development processes often through wireframes to frame the dialogue in a tangible direction. Loba's international experience on user research and UX/design has given her a solid foundation. She taught for 2 years at university, she worked for 2 years in an international agency in London, she worked for 8+ years in-house and 2+ years as Head of UX and insights. She has worked for big international companies such as Microsoft and Nordea (large Nordic bank). 
 She is currently working in a big pension company applying Design Thinking methodologies and presenting the research she did on chatbots on the latest EuroIA18 in Dublin - Irland.

Educated from the Technical University Delft in the Netherlands, Anne has a love for Business Applications and UX. Visa availability and Microsoft brought her to Denmark. Today she's at Danske Bank, trying to make the banks' visual expression cohesive across departments, and improving the experience for business owners.

Hans is really one of the old school UX'ers and back in the days, he was a Usability Tester. As the industry has grown he has grown with it. Today he sees himself as a toolmaker and as head of Product Design at Milestone System he's the frontrunner of making his teams understand their users in order to build the right product. He has high standards which shine through in his dedication to empowering his users through his work.

With a background in innovation and product development, Michael has focused on implementing user centric and innovative practices in large size enterprises the last years. He has worked in Tech companies like Amazon, PayPal, eBay to understand how a large digital company works and is now implementing user centricity and design cultures and methods at scale in global enterprises. He currently drives Digital Products in a transformation team at Novo Nordisk, implementing UX Design, Strategic design, Product Managment and Product Adoption

Jimmy is not by far the classical UX designer, he's a full on anthropologist working in the design space, or more so the product space.
He found his way into design through an article that described how the company Red Associates used the social sciences to solve complex problems for some of the largest companies in the world. He spend a couple of years at Designit, but the constant focus on speed, being at an agency, wasn't for him. Today you'll find him at Maersk, a company that needs to rethink how they're doing business if they want to survive.
Here Jimmy is doing research to stop bad ideas for being executed. He compares research with Tetris. Usually designers think about the falling block, Jimmy is thinking of the landscape the piece is falling into.
He believes UX designers should take more responsibility as decision makes and not just be skilled craftsmen.

Catherine grew up with a pencil in her hand. The born visual designer. She studied Industrial Design in Paris and at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts through Erasmus. She then came back to Copenhagen to learn Glass design and blowing techniques. Through a student job at a strategy consulting company, her eyes opened to User Research and as a graduate, the transition into, what we today call UX, came naturally.

Today she works at GenieBelt and deals with the realities of time constraints and of agile methodologies, how to work with and manage others and make the best of it in a company with high ambitions. She sees herself not just working with pieces but with the entire journey.

For the future, she strives to improve her management skills, because although we understand our users, design management is quite a different cup of tea.

Rasmus Landgreen started his journey 16 years ago placing his first pixels online, doing e-commerce solutions for small businesses.

After a couple of years of scrambling, he entered the Danish Design Schools interaction design programme where he stayed on for 3 years. Learning a bit about digital design, but mostly learning that graphic design and digital design are two different worlds.

Through random job opportunities, he ended up starting his path into usability design in 2005. In 2007 he joined Issuu, an online publishing platform where he had a chance to put his skills to a test and design for millions of platform users.

After Issuu, Rasmus joined Podio - another great startup story from Copenhagen. After this a years of freelancing - back in the publishing space working with Zetland, Egmont and DR. And then a change of scenery - through Hello Group, his interest for finance and large scale companies got sparked.

Today, he's working with Nordea building E-Markets. A platform where large corporates can manage their international currency needs.

The task is challenging - users are trusting an interface to handle millions of Euros on behalf of their company. So the UX stakes are very high.

Kim Johannesen is the co-founder and managing director at a small frontend-consultancy called Shift. They have three core areas they focus on: scalability, performance and accessibility. Kim calls himself a failed designer as he always wanted to be one, but didn't have the skills so instead, he turned to frontend development. Kim started his career in 2000 when he got a job in England as a front-end developer, but he was always drawn towards reading books and blogs about user experience and information architecture.

He was always interested in design, so he became a bridge between creative and development departments.

Kim has always been an advocate for invisible design and simplicity, always trying to question fancy ideas and directions.

Check out his SprUX (Spreadsheet UX) here
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10b4TyizIZ5_4XnYyuofzI8FudCkcH2HorXR96emgUDI/edit#gid=0