← Back to the LeaderboardThe Design Leadership Index

Erika Hall

Co-founder & Director of Strategy at Mule Design; author of Just Enough Research and Conversational Design

SeniorLeads from the backOld schoolResearchContentOrgBrandEnterprise
Her clarity thesis and conversational-design principles are foundational to designing humane human-AI interaction, and her insistence on real evidence over AI shortcuts protects judgment in the AI era.

Signature win. Wrote Just Enough Research, the industry-standard book that made evidence-based research accessible and reshaped how a generation of designers and teams make decisions.

The case

editorial · CCBEI · with sources
CraftAuthor of industry-standard Just Enough Research (2013, rev. 2024) and Conversational Design; her whole practice is holding the bar on judgment and evidence over polish.7
CommunicationTwo A Book Apart titles plus decades of plain-language, evidence-first writing and talks; clarity and making the case for research is her literal subject matter.7
BusinessMule Design's strategy practice frames research as 'better quality decisions,' explicitly tying design to how orgs make decisions and ship products.8
Education[Education recalibrated toward editorial baseline] Just Enough Research demystified research for a generation of designers/PMs; she's reskilled the field by making rigorous practice accessible, not gatekept.8
InnovationConversational Design principles (cooperation, context, ethics) directly inform human-AI agent design, but she's a clear-eyed critic of AI shortcuts rather than a hands-on builder pushing the practice forward with AI.5

Endorsed by peers

illustrative · opens with verified accounts
OverallI'd work for them45
CraftRaised my craft bar43
CommunicationMade the case for design43
BusinessMade design matter to the business50
EducationTaught me something I still use50
InnovationShowed me a new way to work31

Verified peers only — one tap with LinkedIn. Names stay private; we show role and industry. Bars are illustrative until the participation backend is live.

Stories

first-hand · reviewed before publishing
No stories yet.