Eric Blumberg
Eric Blumberg
UX Research & Strategy Executive
Eric Blumberg, PhD, is a UX research executive whose career spans Apple, Coinbase, Citrix, and Fidelity Investments. Trained as a Human Factors engineer, he builds research practices that transform organizational decision-making, not just generate insights. Eric believes influence is infrastructure, and his work focuses on embedding human understanding into the systems, relationships, and workflows where strategic bets get made. He has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered and holds a FaceID patent.
The NPC Advantage: Your Influence Should Travel Further Than You Do
The most impactful UX professionals aren't always in the room; their thinking already is. As AI takes over more of the work of execution, the distinctly human ability to carry context, shape questions, and shift decision culture becomes UX's greatest differentiator. This session reframes how UX professionals at every level think about influence over ownership, using an unexpected metaphor: the NPC. Like the best nonplayer characters in games, great UX practitioners hold the map, carry the context, and issue the quests that let product teams advance. You'll leave with concrete strategies to embed your influence into workflows, planning cycles, and decision culture so your impact multiplies.