# Phil Morton
> Home of Desk Notes, a free newsletter where I share what I've learned about product design, research, AI and more.
Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. Use `/llms-full.txt` for consolidated page and post context.
Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`).

## Pages
- [About](https://www.philmorton.co/about.md) - Hi 👋 I’m Phil Morton, a product design and research leader dedicated to helping teams create better products and services by putting customers at the heart of the design process. In the last 15 years, I’ve worked with the likes of PlayStation, Adobe, HSBC, Heineken, and Virgin Money. My recent wor…
- [Pegs Out privacy policy](https://www.philmorton.co/pegs-out-privacy-policy.md) - Version 1.0 | Effective: 17 June 2026 In short: Pegs Out keeps your data on your phone. There are no accounts, no tracking, no ads and no server. The only thing that leaves your phone is the location needed to fetch your weather forecast. Who are we? Pegs Out is made by Phil Morton, an independent…
- [Pegs Out support](https://www.philmorton.co/pegs-out-support.md) - Version 1.0 | Updated: 18 June 2026 Pegs Out tells you whether it is worth hanging your washing outside. Not just "will it rain", but whether, given the daylight and conditions left, this load will actually dry, or whether you are better off using the dehumidifier indoors. Getting help Pegs Out is…
- [Pegs Out](https://www.philmorton.co/pegs-out.md)
- [Pills In privacy policy](https://www.philmorton.co/pills-in-privacy-policy.md) - Version 1.0 | Effective: 29 July 2026 In short: Pills In keeps your medication data on your phone. There are no accounts, no tracking, no ads and no server. The app never sends anything to us, because there is nowhere for it to send it to. Who are we? Pills In is made by Phil Morton, an independent…
- [Pills In support](https://www.philmorton.co/pills-in-support.md) - Pills In reminds you to take your medication and tells you when you are going to run out of it. It keeps count of what you have left, works out how quickly you are getting through it, and gives you a run-out date and a reorder-by date for every medicine, so you know when to go to the pharmacy. Gett…
- [Projects](https://www.philmorton.co/projects.md) - Pegs OutLeading product design and research teams. Sign up for my free newsletter, Desk Notes.Phil MortonPhil Morton
- [Welcome](https://www.philmorton.co/welcome.md)

## Posts
- [A side project is the fastest way to upskill in the age of AI](https://www.philmorton.co/a-side-project-is-the-fastest-way-to-upskill-in-the-age-of-ai.md) - Don't miss out on the learning you get from building a real thing.
- [Why is AI bad at design?](https://www.philmorton.co/why-is-ai-bad-at-design.md) - Some things are best left to humans.
- [Five reasons design teams are struggling to adopt AI](https://www.philmorton.co/five-reasons-design-teams-are-struggling-to-adopt-ai.md) - Reinventing your methods, process and tooling is easier said than done.
- [When should a task be done by AI, and when should it be done by a human?](https://www.philmorton.co/when-should-a-task-be-done-by-ai-and-when-should-it-be-done-by-a-human.md) - The key to getting the best results from any task.
- [How I built Pegs Out, my first iOS app](https://www.philmorton.co/how-i-built-pegs-out-my-first-ios-app.md) - What I learned building with Claude and shipping to the App Store.
- [The anatomy of an AI agent](https://www.philmorton.co/the-anatomy-of-an-ai-agent.md) - What is (and isn’t) an agent?
- [Do researchers still need to take notes in interviews?](https://www.philmorton.co/do-researchers-still-need-to-take-notes-in-interviews.md) - AI can’t (yet) capture all the data you need.
- [Evals are for everyone](https://www.philmorton.co/evals-are-for-everyone.md) - How to test whether your AI feature actually behaves in the way you expect it to.
- [The soft skill that matters most when AI makes teams smaller](https://www.philmorton.co/the-soft-skill-that-matters-most-when-ai-makes-teams-smaller.md) - With greater individual responsibility, being able to own an outcome end-to-end will be critical.
- [The design-to-code AI workflow you’re looking for doesn’t exist (yet)](https://www.philmorton.co/the-design-to-code-ai-workflow-youre-looking-for-doesnt-exist-yet.md) - It’s not you – there isn’t an end-to-end tool that ticks all the boxes.
- [Workshops are for making things](https://www.philmorton.co/workshops-are-for-making-things.md) - Getting people to create something is more engaging and forces them to make decisions.
- [Give in-person research a chance](https://www.philmorton.co/give-in-person-research-a-chance.md) - You might be surprised at what you’re missing.
- [No workshop agenda survives contact with reality](https://www.philmorton.co/no-workshop-agenda-survives-contact-with-reality.md) - Why planning a workshop like a waterfall project never works, and how being more agile helps you get to the right outcomes.
- [Why the value of research is so hard to measure and what to do about it](https://www.philmorton.co/why-the-value-of-research-is-so-hard-to-measure-and-what-to-do-about-it.md) - How to show your worth when you create value through communication, not building things.
- [It’s never been easier to learn by doing](https://www.philmorton.co/its-never-been-easier-to-learn-by-doing.md) - Building forces you to learn things you’d never otherwise have to.
- [Can we still trust quant surveys?](https://www.philmorton.co/can-we-still-trust-quant-surveys.md) - AI is enabling new levels of fraud in online research.
- [What the vibe engineering workflow tells us about the future of UX roles](https://www.philmorton.co/what-the-vibe-engineering-workflow-tells-us-about-the-future-of-ux-roles.md) - AI coding agents can only go as fast as humans can give them direction.
- [How vibe engineering will turn the product design process (and tooling) upside down](https://www.philmorton.co/how-vibe-engineering-will-turn-the-product-design-process-and-tooling-upside-down.md) - UX folk can look forward to building products, not just drawing pictures of them.
- [With Claude Opus 4.5, I can build software again](https://www.philmorton.co/with-claude-opus-4-5-i-can-build-software-again.md) - The coding model we’ve all been waiting for.
- [Why every UX researcher’s new year resolution should be to create a viral video](https://www.philmorton.co/why-every-ux-researchers-new-year-resolution-should-be-to-create-a-viral-video.md) - This year, change how your organisation thinks about customers by putting them in their shoes.
- [An AI system for generating tailored CVs for each job that you apply for](https://www.philmorton.co/an-ai-system-for-generating-tailored-cvs-for-each-job-that-you-apply-for.md) - A step-by-step guide to using your favourite LLM to create an ATS-friendly CV.
- [Why product discovery is the future of UX research](https://www.philmorton.co/why-product-discovery-is-the-future-of-ux-research.md) - Organisations need help figuring out how to build the right thing more than ever.
- [An AI prompt for creating recruitment criteria](https://www.philmorton.co/an-ai-prompt-for-creating-recruitment-criteria.md) - Make it easier for your external participant recruitment partners to know who you want to speak to in research.
- [Why you shouldn’t run stakeholder interviews like you’d run customer research](https://www.philmorton.co/why-you-shouldnt-run-stakeholder-interviews-like-youd-run-customer-research.md) - A different approach gets the most out of this valuable source of insight.
- [How AI is reshaping CVs](https://www.philmorton.co/how-ai-is-reshaping-cvs.md) - The arms race between candidates and recruiters is changing the format of CVs.
- [How to get audience insights for free using the Reddit API](https://www.philmorton.co/how-to-get-audience-insights-for-free-using-the-reddit-api.md) - Using a Python script to collect posts which are then analysed by ChatGPT.
- [ChatGPT deep research is useful for more than just web search](https://www.philmorton.co/chatgpt-deep-research-is-useful-for-more-than-just-web-search.md) - Think of it instead as more compute time for (almost) any task.
- [What I learned building my first website in a decade with vibe engineering](https://www.philmorton.co/what-i-learned-building-my-first-website-in-a-decade-with-vibe-engineering.md) - AI may write all the code, but you still need software engineering skills to solve problems and make real progress.
- [The solopreneur era is here (and UX people are well placed to take advantage)](https://www.philmorton.co/the-solopreneur-era-is-here-and-ux-people-are-well-placed-to-take-advantage.md) - What can non-technical people build, now that AI can write the code?
- [This is the scariest (and most exciting) time to be a UX researcher](https://www.philmorton.co/this-is-the-scariest-and-most-exciting-time-to-be-a-ux-researcher.md) - How to cope when everything is changing.
- [A style guide for generating concept designs with AI](https://www.philmorton.co/a-style-guide-for-generating-concept-designs-with-ai.md) - Part 2, following on from last week’s guide to using ChatGPT/Sora for creating storyboards, early-stage concepts and research stimulus.
- [How to prompt AI to generate images for concept design](https://www.philmorton.co/how-to-prompt-ai-to-generate-images-for-concept-design.md) - A practical guide to using ChatGPT/Sora to create storyboards, early-stage concepts and research stimulus.
- [9 more ways to get better results with AI](https://www.philmorton.co/9-more-ways-to-get-better-results-with-ai.md) - Advanced tips for collaborating with LLMs.
- [Miro is for the chaos. Notion is for control.](https://www.philmorton.co/miro-is-for-the-chaos-notion-is-for-control.md) - Making the business case for ‘collaboration software’ is hard, but it’s essential for knowledge work.
- [Why researchers should think like marketers](https://www.philmorton.co/why-researchers-should-think-like-marketers.md) - Generating insight is only half of the story.
- [Voice dictation is the biggest productivity boost from AI that most people aren’t using](https://www.philmorton.co/voice-dictation-is-the-biggest-productivity-boost-from-ai-that-most-people-arent-using.md) - Why you should start talking to your favourite LLM more often.
- [Why I don’t ask people to think aloud in evaluative research](https://www.philmorton.co/why-i-dont-ask-people-to-think-aloud-in-evaluative-research.md) - Briefing people before they start a task leads to unintended consequences.
- [UX research teams should start with general-purpose AI tools](https://www.philmorton.co/ux-research-teams-should-start-with-general-purpose-ai-tools.md) - Most people underestimate how much can be done with a general-purpose tool and overestimate how useful specialist tools are.
- [Will AI really replace junior roles?](https://www.philmorton.co/will-ai-really-replace-junior-roles.md) - The case for hiring entry-level roles has never been stronger.
- [Why participant recruitment is the biggest risk in UX research](https://www.philmorton.co/why-participant-recruitment-is-the-biggest-risk-in-ux-research.md) - How to defend against growing threats to research quality.
- [How to create an AI master prompt for any project](https://www.philmorton.co/how-to-create-an-ai-master-prompt-for-any-project.md) - Giving the LLM all the context it needs.
- [Why and how to increase the breadth of your skills](https://www.philmorton.co/why-and-how-to-increase-the-breadth-of-your-skills.md) - Practical steps to add more variety to (and future-proof) your career.
- [The Situational Leadership model](https://www.philmorton.co/the-situational-leadership-model.md) - A useful framework for figuring out the right level of direction and support to give someone you're working with.
- [11 ways to get better results with AI](https://www.philmorton.co/11-ways-to-get-better-results-with-ai.md) - Essential skills for a collaborating with LLMs.
- [Yes, working through bureaucracy is your job](https://www.philmorton.co/yes-working-through-bureaucracy-is-your-job.md) - But good news: UX skills will help you do it.
- [Why everyone’s talking about ‘taste’ as the next differentiator](https://www.philmorton.co/why-everyones-talking-about-taste-as-the-next-differentiator.md) - Human expertise and judgment is making a comeback.
- [An AI prompt for creating discussion guides](https://www.philmorton.co/an-ai-prompt-for-creating-discussion-guides.md) - If you’re thinking about how you can integrate AI into your research process, writing a first draft of a discussion guide is surely one of the most obvious places to start. * Writing a discussion guide usually takes several hours. * They follow a standard structure and set of guidelines. * AI is go…
- [Stop asking “can you give me an example of when you…” in job interviews](https://www.philmorton.co/stop-asking-can-you-give-me-an-example-of-when-you-in-job-interviews.md) - Why this type of question is flawed and what to ask instead.
- [A practical introduction to market research, for UX researchers](https://www.philmorton.co/a-practical-introduction-to-market-research-for-ux-researchers.md) - It’s time to find out what those other researchers do.
- [Why researchers love writing reports](https://www.philmorton.co/why-researchers-love-writing-reports.md) - We all want to create things that feel 'heavy'.
- [The 10 habits of highly productive people](https://www.philmorton.co/the-10-habits-of-highly-productive-people.md) - I wrote the first version of this a decade ago, but it’s something I keep referring back to when I’m coaching people on productivity and time management. Personal productivity is a skill, not a personality trait Work throws a lot of stuff at us. Tasks, meetings, emails, Slack messages, accountabili…
- [Critiquing design is a researcher’s job](https://www.philmorton.co/critiquing-design-is-a-researchers-job.md) - Years of observing real users give researchers a sixth sense for what will (and won’t) work.
- [Getting the most out of ChatGPT deep research](https://www.philmorton.co/getting-the-most-out-of-chatgpt-deep-research.md) - ChatGPT deep research has been out for a couple of months now. What is it good for and what are its limitations? What is deep research? As the OpenAI website explains: Deep research is OpenAI's next agent that can do work for you independently—you give it a prompt, and ChatGPT will find, analyze, a…
- [The case for designing in mid-fidelity](https://www.philmorton.co/the-case-for-designing-in-mid-fidelity.md) - In a world with design systems and AI that can create fully-functioning apps in minutes, why would anyone bother with mid-fidelity design? I argue that mid-fidelity is too easily overlooked. For certain stages of the design process, it offers a sweet spot between low and high-fidelity which allows…
- [Focus on what causes success, not the success itself](https://www.philmorton.co/focus-on-what-causes-success-not-the-success-itself.md) - I went on a leadership training course a few years ago and in the breaks, they taught us to juggle. At first, I thought it was just a bit of fun, but it turned out to be one of the best demonstrations of how people learn that I’ve seen. It taught us to focus on what causes success, not the success…
- [Why your research isn't landing (and how to fix it)](https://www.philmorton.co/why-your-research-isnt-landing-and-how-to-fix-it.md) - The most common blindspot that UX researchers have is how they’re communicating the insights they’ve discovered. Too many people struggle to present their findings in a compelling way. They write reports that lack impact because they: * Don’t link what has been found back to the business challenge.…
- [How AI coding is reshaping product teams](https://www.philmorton.co/how-ai-coding-is-reshaping-product-teams.md) - Coding is the area in which AI is having the biggest immediate impact. 63% of professional developers use it (and that’s data from May 2024). There are two types of tools emerging: 1. AI coding assistants Tools like GitHub Copilot, Cline and Cursor support developers in their day-to-day work, helpi…
- [AI won’t make you an expert, but it will make experts better](https://www.philmorton.co/ai-wont-make-you-an-expert-but-it-will-make-experts-better.md) - Imagine you’re working on a project with two colleagues. One is a seasoned expert, the other is just starting out. Both have access to the same AI tools. Who do you think would benefit more? A couple of articles I’ve read recently suggest that it’s the more experienced colleague. AI amplifies exper…
- [Using AI to write more realistic prototype copy](https://www.philmorton.co/using-ai-to-write-more-realistic-prototype-copy.md) - I recently finished a project where I used AI to write 90% of the copy for my mid-fidelity concepts and prototype. In the ‘olden days’ of 2 years ago, you’d have to write all of the copy in your designs yourself, or resort to lorem ipsum. But what if there was a better way? The problem with writing…
- [You should probably be doing more research with couples](https://www.philmorton.co/you-should-probably-be-doing-more-research-with-couples.md) - The vast majority of qual UX research is one-to-one. But in reality, many products and services aren’t bought or used by just one person: it’s a couple making the decision. Just consider the data: * 71% of holiday bookings are made by couple or families * Partner influence is the biggest factor in…
- [Welcome to Desk Notes!](https://www.philmorton.co/welcome-to-desk-notes.md) - Welcome to my new website and the very first issue of Desk Notes! I’ve been writing on LinkedIn for the past few years, sharing thoughts on research, design, leadership and career development. But LinkedIn has its limitations - posts disappear over time and while brevity is great, sometimes you nee…

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