AI-Proof Your Insights with Strategic Note-Taking for UX Researchers
Pascal Raabe
UX Research Expert & AI Skills Educator
The critical skill that keep UX researchers irreplaceable in the age of AI
AI can transcribe, summarise, and generate insights from your research sessions. So what happens to the researcher who just clicks "summarise"?
They become a transcript reader.
If you've noticed yourself skimming AI outputs instead of genuinely thinking, you're not alone. Researchers everywhere are asking: How do I stay sharp when the machine does the grunt work?
The uncomfortable truth: the risk isn't that AI misses things. It's that you stop thinking critically because AI makes it easy not to.
Strategic note-taking is how you stay cognitively engaged capturing your expert reactions, hunches, and the contradictions between what users say and do. The things AI smooths over. When you bring those notes to AI afterwards, you don't get a summary. You get a calibrated partnership.
In this 90-minute workshop, you'll learn a notation system from 10+ years of hands-on UX research, recently delivered to 45 designers at a major Australian bank. You'll practise live, build your post-session ritual, and leave with a toolkit for your very next session.
No theory dumps. No AI hype. Just the skill that makes you irreplaceable.
Workshop agenda
- 11:00AM EDT
Why AI-era researchers need self-awareness before they need better tools
We'll set the scene for why strategic note-taking matters now and do a grounding exercise that builds the core muscle this workshop depends on: noticing what you're thinking and feeling in real time.
- 11:15AM EDT
From passive transcript reader to active AI partner: the 5-minute ritual
Learn the post-session brain dump that protects your thinking before AI summarises it away. You'll see two workflows side-by-side and practise giving AI better instructions using your own hypotheses.
- 11:30AM EDT
Six notation methods to think better during and after research sessions
Walk through six practical notation types, from meta-cognition markers to contradiction mapping, with real examples. Each method comes with an AI prompt pattern so you can direct AI with precision.
- 12:00PM EDT
Hands-on: apply the methods to a real research scenario
Work through a simulated research clip using the notation methods. Capture your notes, compare with AI output, and experience the calibration matrix first-hand. Individual or breakout exercise.
- 12:15PM EDT
The 2×2 matrix that turns you and AI into a research dream team
Learn the calibration matrix: what you noticed vs. what AI noticed. Discover your blind spots, confirm strong signals, and build a repeatable practice for every session going forward.
- 12:25PM EDT
Your take-home toolkit and next steps
Q&A and Walk through the downloadable toolkit.
What you’ll learn
Master a practical notation system that keeps you thinking critically in every research session and turns AI into your sharpest collaborator
Learn meta-cognition markers to document your hunches and surprises in real time
Use contradiction mapping to flag what AI smooths over
Track emotional arcs with simple symbols to see patterns AI misses
Practise the brain dump template: what surprised you, what's forming, what to validate
Understand why capturing your thinking before AI summarises is the critical step
Leave with a printable template you can use in your next session
Replace vague prompts with specific, note-informed AI instructions
Use 12 tested prompt patterns mapped to each notation method
See live examples of how the same transcript yields different insights with better prompts
Compare what you noticed vs. what AI noticed to find blind spots and strong signals
Practise the calibration step with a real research scenario during the workshop
Build a repeatable habit for every research session going forward
Downloadable notation guide, post-session template, and AI prompt library
Each resource maps directly to what you practised in the workshop
Start using the toolkit in your very next research session
Learn directly from Pascal
Pascal Raabe
13+ yrs leading corporate UX research. Now teaching AI-era skills.
Who this workshop is for
UX researchers using AI transcription and summary tools who want to stay cognitively sharp instead of becoming passive transcript readers.
Product designers and PMs who run their own research sessions and need a fast, practical framework for capturing better insights.
Research and design leads building AI-augmented workflows for their teams while preserving critical thinking and research quality.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Pascal Raabe in a real-time, interactive format.
Strategic Note-Taking Toolkit
A downloadable PDF with every notation method from the workshop: meta-cognition markers, emotional arc tracking, question cascade, context anchors, observation vs. interpretation, and contradiction mapping. A cheat sheet for you to use it in your very next session.
AI Prompt Library: 12 research prompts you can steal and adapt
This collection of 12 tested prompts shows you exactly how to direct AI using your strategic notes, from bias-checking to contradiction surfacing to emotional arc analysis. Each prompt maps to a notation method from the workshop so you can use them immediately.
Live practice exercise with real-time feedback from the instructor
You'll apply the notation methods to a real research scenario during the workshop, compare your notes with AI output, and get direct feedback. You'll leave having already used the techniques, not just heard about them.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
Your purchase is backed by the Maven Guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
$200
USD