In our latest UX Roundtable event, held in the heart of London, our User Experience Director Andrew and Managing Director Darren Low welcomed an impressive lineup of senior UX leaders for an engaging, in-depth discussion on UX Roadmapping.
This report dives into the key themes and takeaways from that vibrant discussion, offering a window into the expertise shared by our guests: Matthew Davison, Andreas Karamalikis, Jen Berg, Rickard Soderberg, Sandra Vickery, Alberto Ferreira, Nikhil Amble, Lori Ho.
UX roadmapping and alignment with product vision
"UX should be part of strategic decisions alongside technical decision-makers, not just follow orders after product and architecture have decided everything. It's a constant fight to integrate UX earlier."
Our guests dove into the essential connection between UX roadmapping, UX planning, and a product’s overarching vision. A key theme was the challenge of aligning UX execution with long-term product goals—especially in emerging organisations like startups and scale-ups, where this alignment often falls short.
The roundtable revealed common issues, such as leadership's struggle to clearly communicate product vision, leading UX planning to become more reactive and tactical rather than strategic. Participants shared both inspiring and cautionary tales of alignment (or lack thereof), showing how collaboration across departments—particularly between UX, product, and marketing—can either propel or stall a product's success.
The need for strong design leadership, strategic foresight, and adaptability in evolving markets emerged as a powerful message throughout the session.
UX roadmapping and its alignment with business goals and strategy
"Regulatory and compliance changes can derail roadmaps in an instant, and we don’t always have the flexibility to account for that in the planning phase."
The conversation homed in on the challenge of aligning UX roadmaps with broader business goals and strategy. Participants shared how difficult it can be to keep a user-centred approach at the forefront in environments often dominated by shifting corporate priorities, regulatory pressures, and everyday business-as-usual tasks.
A key takeaway was the need for strong, strategic advocacy for UX—ensuring it remains a priority rather than being sidelined for short-term gains or competitive pressures. Throughout the discussion, participants emphasised the value of flexible, adaptive frameworks that empower UX teams to balance evolving user needs with business objectives.
UX roadmapping and collaboration with cross-functional teams
"When you focus on craft and future vision, it shifts the conversation. Instead of debating what we don’t like, we discuss how we can build, market, or sell this vision in two to three years. It becomes more collaborative because everyone has something tangible to contribute."
As the conversation flowed, we moved on to talking about the experience of collaborating with cross-functional teams on UX roadmaps and planning. The experts explored how departments like marketing, business intelligence, and finance influence the UX process, sharing both the challenges and benefits of these partnerships. The focus was on strategies for fostering productive collaboration, recognising each team's unique value, and the dynamics of working across disciplines to drive UX outcomes.
UX roadmapping and emerging tech
"There's an expectation... but there's also suspicion... AI products can erode trust both in terms of your intentions and also in terms of their output."
This discussion explored the increasing prevalence of emerging technologies in both personal and professional contexts. The group shared insights on integrating these technologies into roadmaps while maintaining alignment with overarching product and business visions. With growing interest and familiarity around tech like AI, more team members were eager to engage in these conversations. However, challenges include evaluating the value of new technologies, ensuring they meet user needs, and building trust in AI-driven products. Participants highlighted the need to balance innovation with a thoughtful, structured approach to create a meaningful user experience.
UX roadmapping and prioritisation
"The biggest problem is that using prior prioritisation frameworks have helped educate people further up the food chain, but obviously having worked in UX, I know the challenges with this."
To wrap up, the group emphasised the power of prioritisation frameworks to align teams and secure buy-in across the organisation. They shared experiences of collaborating with teams such as marketing, product, and engineering, and the importance of finding allies and building relationships to facilitate cross-functional collaboration. Some participants highlighted the value of maintaining design craft and using design-thinking approaches to keep everyone focused on a shared vision. It’s clear: cross-functional alignment isn’t just a goal—it’s the key to creating impactful, user-centred experiences.
