What if your assumptions about design and user experience were completely wrong? John S. Couch, former VP of Product Design at Hulu, found himself facing this exact realization when user testing revealed that people weren’t interacting with his team’s designs as expected. Instead of seeing this as a setback, Couch used it as a catalyst to redefine design leadership at Hulu—building a culture where design, product, and engineering worked together to create a seamless, user-centric experience.

In UserTesting podcast episode, Couch shared his journey, insights on leading a design team, and how businesses can better integrate user experience strategy into their products. Below, we explore the key takeaways from his conversation, highlighting how vision, culture, and collaboration drive impactful design.

From Wired to Hulu: a design leader’s journey

Couch’s career has been anything but traditional. He started at Wired magazine, made his way through startups, enterprise software, and e-commerce before landing at Hulu. Each step added to his understanding of how design can shape both business success and user satisfaction.

“When I started at Hulu in 2016, there were about 9 million paid subscribers,” Couch recalled. “We had a strong vision to not only redesign the experience but also integrate live television into the over-the-top streaming environment.”

Hulu was at a crossroads, competing against streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It needed to evolve beyond its reputation as simply “yesterday’s TV, available today.” That’s where Couch came in—with a mission to rethink Hulu’s product experience from the ground up.

Building a culture of design leadership

One of Couch’s first challenges at Hulu was shifting design from a service function to a leadership role in decision-making. Traditionally, design teams receive product requirements, build visuals, and hand them off to development. Couch wanted to change that by embedding design at the table alongside product managers and engineers.

“I wasn’t trying to make Hulu a design-driven company, but I felt that design had to be at the table,” he explained. “It couldn’t just be the last step in a conveyor belt where product writes the specs, design makes it pretty, and then engineering builds it.”

To achieve this, he scaled the design team from five to 40 members in just nine months, hiring not just for skill but also for cultural fit. He also established a UX research team to ensure user feedback was constantly shaping the product.

"One of the most important things in any design culture is a strong, clear vision. The second is culture. And they’re equally important."

The power of vision: why every product needs a story

One of Couch’s boldest moves at Hulu was commissioning a vision video—a short film that painted a picture of how users would interact with Hulu in the future.

“I asked for a big budget to make a short film, and people thought I was crazy,” he admitted. “But the goal was to align the entire company around what the product should feel like, rather than just what features it should have.”

This storytelling approach helped executives and teams visualize the why behind the redesign. The result? A product experience that was not just functional but deeply engaging.

“When we presented the vision to leadership, the reaction went from skepticism to ‘I want to build that.’ That’s when you know you’ve done it right,” Couch said.

Key Takeaway:

A strong user experience strategy isn’t just about usability testing and iteration. It starts with a compelling vision that excites teams and gets leadership buy-in.

Learning from failure: how user testing changed everything

Even with a strong vision, Couch quickly realized that assumptions about user behavior often miss the mark. Early user tests were humbling—people couldn’t find key features, struggled with navigation, and didn’t interact with the design as expected.

“We literally wanted to yell through the glass, ‘Click the button, it’s right there!’ But they couldn’t find it,” he said. “It was a huge moment for me, realizing how often our assumptions about design are completely wrong.”

This led Hulu to prioritize continuous user research, bringing in real people every two weeks to test new experiences. The insights gathered helped refine the product, ensuring that it worked for real users—not just for designers and executives.

Inclusive design: serving all users, not just some

One of the most important lessons Couch learned at Hulu was about inclusive design—making sure the platform worked for everyone, including those with disabilities. Initially, the redesign overlooked accessibility concerns, making it difficult for visually impaired users to navigate.

“It was a huge failure on my part,” he admitted. “I realized I had been designing for someone like me—someone who can see, hear, and interact easily. That was a wake-up call.”

To address this, Couch’s team worked with users with disabilities, refining typography, contrast, and navigation to improve accessibility. They also launched Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to advocate for diverse user needs, leading to more inclusive product decisions.

"We strive to tackle the needs of the disenfranchised and underserved—those with sight or hearing impairments, limited mobility, or other challenges. Designing for all is not just good ethics; it’s good business."

Making the business case for design

For designers struggling to get executive buy-in, Couch offers a simple strategy: lead with vision, then back it up with data.

“When I pitch to executives, I start by showing them something exciting—a high-fidelity prototype, a vision video, something that makes them go ‘Wow.’ Then I immediately follow with data to prove why it will work.”

By balancing inspiration with hard metrics, designers can move beyond being seen as “visual people” and position themselves as key players in business success.

Key Takeaway:

If you’re trying to convince leadership to invest in design, don’t just present facts—tell a story. Show them what’s possible, then reinforce it with research and KPIs.

The true impact of design leadership

Looking back at his time at Hulu, Couch is most proud not of the designs themselves—but of the culture he built and the people he mentored.

“When I left Hulu, my team made me a book—filled with notes, photos, and memories of our journey together. That, more than any design I worked on, was the most meaningful thing to me.”

His story is a powerful reminder that great design leadership isn’t just about pixels and prototypes—it’s about people, vision, and creating experiences that truly matter.

"The most important impact you have isn’t just at scale with customers—it’s with the people around you, helping them fulfill their potential," John said.  

Episode links: 

• How UserTesting brought together product design and experience research: This article discusses the integration of product design and user research, highlighting the importance of collaboration between design and research teams to create user-centric products.
• UX strategy: the foundation of a successful product: This blog post emphasizes the importance of a clear user experience strategy, outlining key characteristics of effective UX strategies and how they guide product development.
• Fuel your digital success with empowered design teams: This podcast episode features insights on building a design-driven culture and the role of leadership in fostering innovation within design teams.
• Getting user feedback at every stage of the design process: This guide highlights the importance of collecting user feedback throughout the design process and offers practical tips for implementing continuous user research.
• UserTesting for UX leaders: This page discusses how UX leaders can empower their design teams to understand customer needs, increase the quality of their deliverables, and drive cross-team alignment through best practices.