UX Titans
Insights from the world of UX thought leaders
Welcome to UX Titans, where the wisdom of the industry’s best UX minds comes together in one book.
Ever wondered how top UX professionals navigated their careers, overcame challenges, and built products that truly resonate? Instead of another UX textbook, UX Titans gives you direct access to the insights, experiences, and lessons of 19 thought leaders who have shaped the field.
Whether you’re a UX newcomer, a seasoned designer, or a product leader, this book is your shortcut to understanding what makes a great UX professional—and how you can become one.
Are you ready to learn from the best and elevate your UX journey? Let’s dive in!
What is the book about?
A Deep Dive into 19 UX Careers
This book explores the journeys of 19 leading UX professionals, revealing how they started, what shaped their success, and the lessons they learned. Whether you’re new to UX or looking to grow, their insights provide a roadmap to navigating and excelling in the field.
Lessons from UX Thought Leaders
Instead of purely teaching UX methods, UX Titans brings real-world wisdom from top professionals. Through candid interviews, they share their best advice on career growth, skills, and the evolving landscape of UX.
Why UX Matters for Business Success
Great UX isn’t just about design—it’s a business advantage. The experts in this book explain how UX influences product success, customer loyalty, and business growth, making it essential knowledge for product managers and business leaders.
Your UX Mentor in Book Form
Imagine having 19 top UX professionals as mentors. UX Titans distills their most valuable insights into one place, offering career-changing guidance and inspiration for anyone looking to thrive in UX.
Guidance for Aspiring UXers
Breaking into UX can feel overwhelming. This book offers clarity by showcasing the diverse paths into UX, proving that there’s no single way to succeed. It’s an inspiring guide for those looking to start or transition into the field.
Beyond Theory: Real-World UX Insights
Unlike traditional UX books that focus on methods, UX Titans delivers practical, experience-driven insights. Learn from the stories of seasoned professionals who have faced real UX challenges, from stakeholder buy-in to career growth.
Honest Conversations About UX Challenges
UX isn’t all about pixel-perfect designs—it’s about people, processes, and overcoming obstacles. UX Titans highlights the struggles UX professionals face, from convincing stakeholders to dealing with career setbacks, and how they navigated these challenges.
The Future of UX, From Those Who Shape It
What’s next for UX? This book uncovers emerging trends, essential skills, and the evolving role of UX professionals. Learn what today’s top UX leaders predict for the future and how you can stay ahead.
Meet the UX Titans
Bill Albert
Bill Albert is a UX pioneer with over two decades of experience in UX research, strategy, and product innovation. As founder of Greenlight Idea Lab and former Executive Director at Bentley University, he has shaped industry standards and introduced groundbreaking UX metrics.
Carmen Fehrenbach
Carmen Fehrenbach, UX Manager at Deutsche Telekom, specializes in user research, design thinking, and accessibility. With over 20 years of experience, she has led UX initiatives in enterprise settings, ensuring that digital experiences are intuitive, inclusive, and centered around real user needs.
Dominique Winter
Dominique Winter is a UX consultant, coach, and speaker, specializing in UX leadership and product strategy. He has worked with major companies like OBI Group and REWE Digital, helping teams integrate UX into product development and drive user-centered innovation.
Gabriela Gomes
Gabriela Gomes is a UX leader, designer, and creative technologist with expertise in human-computer interaction and inclusive design. She has shaped UX strategies and product innovation at Deutsche Telekom, worked in academia, and led projects that reimagine how technology and design can foster human connection.
Gert-Dieter Tuzar
With over 30 years in UX and HMI design, Gert-Dieter Tuzar has shaped automotive interfaces at Faurecia, Visteon, and Siemens VDO. His expertise in cognitive systems engineering and user-focused design has driven safer, more intuitive automotive experiences worldwide.
Guido Meier-Arendt
Guido Meier-Arendt is an expert in human-machine interaction (HMI) and automotive UX, shaping the future of driver experiences. With a career spanning Siemens VDO and Continental, his work influences how users interact with autonomous and assisted driving technologies.
Katja Busch
Katja Busch is a UX consultant, trainer and strategist with expertise in digital transformation, agile methodologies, and AI-driven UX. As founder of attention.works and author and coach at Haufe Akademie she helps businesses align UX with business objectives and innovation.
Kerstin Dyck
Kerstin Dyck, UX Lead at SAP, combines the UX and service design point of view. With a psychology background and 17+ years in UX, she focuses on a research-driven approach to create value-adding experiences that balance usability, sustainability, and business impact.
Kevin Liang
Kevin Liang is a UX researcher, mentor, and educator with 15+ years in behavioral research, shaping UX at Google, Volkswagen, Uber, and beyond. As a co-inventor of multiple patents and the Founder of Zero to UX, he mentors and empowers the next generation of UX leaders with a bit of humility and fun.
Dr. Lutz Krauß
Lutz Krauß, Porsche’s UX strategist and former HMI leader, has shaped automotive UX for over two decades. Now an Internal Customer Success Lead, he ensures that UX strategies align with business goals and enhance digital and physical driving experiences.
Marc Hassenzahl
Marc Hassenzahl is a leading UX academic and experience design expert. As a professor of Ubiquitous Design at the University of Siegen, his research explores how UX impacts emotions, behavior, and the overall user experience across digital and physical interactions.
Matthias Schulz
Matthias Schulz is a UX strategist and researcher at Porsche with a focus on UX maturity, strategy and evaluation. With a background in business psychology, he drives user-centered innovation in internal IT solutions and teaches usability research at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences.
Nis Boy Naeve
As former Chief Product Owner for SAP UI Technologies, Nis Boy Naeve has spent nearly 30 years shaping UX strategy and UI governance. He has defined SAP’s UI frameworks and led initiatives ensuring enterprise software remains user-centric, scalable, and seamlessly integrated.
Oliver Kulpi
Oliver Kulpi is a UX strategist with 25+ years in digital experience design, leading global UX teams in the automotive, healthcare, and luxury industries. As Co-CEO of Digital Experiences Group and Ergosign, he pioneers digital transformation and large-scale UX ecosystems.
Sarah Diefenbach
Prof. Dr. Sarah Diefenbach, UX researcher and professor at LMU Munich, blends psychology and UX to create meaningful interactions. Recognized for her award-winning research, she explores user behavior, trust in technology, and the intersection of emotion and design.
Thomas Vöhringer-Kuhnt
Dr. Thomas Vöhringer-Kuhnt is a UX researcher and product strategist, shaping automotive UX at Mazda, Geely/Lotus, and Continental. As host of the “Lead UX” podcast, he shares insights on UX leadership, strategy, and human-centered design.
Tobias Oberpaul
Tobias Oberpaul, Lead of DB UX at Deutsche Bahn, transforms UX into a strategic asset at scale. By developing design systems, UX governance, and cross-team collaboration, he ensures user-centered experiences in large-scale digital transformation projects.
Ulf Schubert
Ulf Schubert, Director of UX & Touchpoint Design at DATEV eG, specializes in UX & CX management & leadership. With his side project “Experience Leadership Club” he promotes and supports the professional development of (future) UX & CX managers.
Uwe Betzin
Uwe Betzin, Head of UX at generic.de, bridges UX and agile software development. With a background in Clean Code Development and Agile UX, he ensures enterprise software is built with a strong user-centered foundation, and becomes the perfect digital tool for professionals.
Please note: The list of Titans from the first book is not meant to be exhaustive. We would love to include more UX Titans in the future. Please help us by suggesting “your” UX titans or yourself. We look forward to working together to make the world of UX Titans even more diverse.
About the authors
Dr. Benjamin Franz
Benjamin Franz founded the Data Driven UX Design Agency Custom Interactions in 2013 together with his wife Michaela. With his background in mechanical engineering and his Dr. on user interface design he has more than 15 years of experience with designing user interfaces that are easy to use and delightful for the user. Besides being the head of a design agency, Benjamin shares his knowledge as author, lecturer and speaker and has a knack for software development.
Dr. Michaela Kauer-Franz
Michaela Kauer-Franz is co-founder of Custom Interactions together with her husband Benjamin. Since 2017 she is head of the business unit Custom Medical. With her background in Psychology and her Dr. in acceptance of technology, she strives since almost two decades to design devices that really matter. Michaela’s work is focused on user research and user needs. She shares her knowledge as author, lecturer and speaker and is enthusiastic about the soft skills needed for UX success.
Is there a waiting list?
Yes, there is. And more…
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Bonus content & resources
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