James McQuivey, PhD,

James McQuivey, PhD

VP, Research Director

James tracks and predicts behavior change, whether among consumers or employees. In his tenure at Forrester, he successfully forecast the rise of online shopping in 1998 and more recently predicted the arrival of Amazon’s Echo platform before it existed. His models succeed because he focuses on an understanding of core human needs and motivations, using that foundation to predict why, when, and how people will try new things. In February 2013, James published his book Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation. Currently, he is the research director for Forrester's Future of Work team, guiding a team of analysts to not only identify changes in the world of work but also prepare clients in every industry to approach these changes as opportunities instead of threats.
Previously at Forrester, James ran Consumer Technographics® North America, Forrester's unparalleled consumer research effort. In addition to keynoting at industry events and Forrester forums, James is routinely sought after for comment by such publications as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Consumer Marketing, CX, And Digital Leaders: How To Thrive Through Volatility In 2026 (US)
Outside your subscription
Trend Report
April 13th, 2026
21 min read

To navigate market volatility, consumer business leaders must optimize their focus and spend, master change management, and ratchet up risk management discipline.

Research Coverage

Planned Research

What research can you expect from Forrester in the next 12 months? Updated biweekly, our publishing plan will keep you current with market and technology trends. Use the link below to download a list of our upcoming research.

Download Planned Research
July 21st, 2026 5:00 PM - 5:40 PM Webinar

Leadership And Talent: Design Your Effective AI Learning Approach

Employers aren’t successfully equipping their employees with the understanding, skills, and ethics to succeed in a world of AI. And it’s becoming a bottleneck that inhibits productivity and return on AI investment. We measure this with AIQ, Forrester’s artificial intelligence quotient, and we’ve got alarming new data pointing toward one conclusion: Employees lack sufficient AIQ to thrive in the era of AI. We’re helping dozens of clients survey thousands of employees to understand their current AIQ. But once armed with that data, how do you design an effective AI learning approach?Join James McQuivey, PhD, as he leads a discussion with J. P. Gownder and Katy Tynan based on their years of guiding clients through workforce technology and now AI readiness decisions, drawing from their newly updated research on AI learning that you can act on now.Key takeaways: Learn what AIQ is and how it can help you understand your employees’ AI readiness. Understand why training isn’t the same thing as learning, and how to promote the latter. Hear what dozens of peer companies are doing to design AI learning approaches. Learn what works (and what doesn’t) in learning program design.Get a shortlist of things you can do right now to improve AI readiness in your team.Target audience level: all levels
July 28th, 2026 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM Webinar

Deep Dive: US Health Insurers Total Experience, 2026

Join Forrester principal analyst Judy Weader, Forrester principal analyst Arielle Trzcinski, and Forrester VP and research director James McQuivey as they discuss the results of our 2026 research into the total experience for US health insurers. This webinar covers the components of the Total Experience Score — Customer Experience Index (CX Index™) and Brand Experience Index (BX Index™) — as well as Forrester’s brand-new Employee Experience Index (EX Index™) and the state of trust for this industry.Key takeaways: Learn about the key ratings of total experience, customer experience, brand experience, and employee experience.Understand the impact of trust on quality perception and loyalty.Understand the impact of employee experience on total experience.Target audience level: all levels
September 15th, 2026 3:00 PM - 3:40 PM Webinar

Top Emerging Technologies For 2026: Layer Zero Experiences

Accelerate innovation with deeper insights about why layer zero experiences are important, when they will mature, and how organizations are beginning to experiment with them. Layer zero experiences use AI to coordinate interactions across apps, devices, and brands, translating intent directly into action without traditional interfaces. In this webinar, we share the latest expert insights, practical examples, and key steps you and your team can take. Join us to learn how this new engagement model could reshape customer experiences.Key takeaways: Gain an understanding of how layer zero experiences change digital engagement.Identify customer journeys best suited for AI orchestrated experiences.Learn early steps to prepare for cross brand and cross device orchestration.Target audience level: all levels