LIVE
Thanks for joining us for UXRConf 2023! You can find all the video recordings here. See you next year! 
Art by Grace Ling
About
The
Event
Design Buddies began online in April 2020 when Founder Grace Ling wanted to make design friends. Today with a combined audience of 200,000+, we are ready to bring you our first conference as we design our future together!
We are hosting a one day hybrid conference in-person in San Francisco and online. Make new connections, gain new skills, and come back inspired to take your career to the next level!
Topics include: Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Sustainability, Blockchain, Biotech, Space, and more.
Apply
To
Speak
Thinking about applying to speak at Design The Future? You should. We encourage everyone, including first-time speakers and early career designers, to put their best ideas forward.
Speaker applications close on Monday February 26th at 11:59 pm PST.
Quick Facts
Here are some things you should know before applying to speak at Design The Future:
- Our team will only be reviewing talk proposals from individual speakers this year, not co-speakers.
- All speakers will receive a $250 USD honorarium for their participation.
- While this event will be a hybrid experience, all speakers are required to attend the event in-person on Monday May 20 to deliver their talk. Return travel will be provided to any speaker who resides outside of the San Francisco Bay Area.
All scheduled times are in PST
Design The Future
Monday May 20
Monday May 20
8:00 am –
9:30 am
Coffee With Bezi
Join us for a pre-conference coffee to kick-start our day with our friends from Bezi!
9:30 am –
10:10 am
Doors Open
10:10 am –
10:30 am
Welcome, Dance and Group Photo
Emotional Ergonomics of Cyberspace: Design in the 4th Dimension
As designers, we’re trained in tools to design in screens (2 dimensions) and perhaps hardware (3 dimensions). But, what if we’ve been approaching it wrong? What if the user experiences and interfaces we’ve designed should actually be crafted through the lens of designing in the medium of time? Join Shuya for an interactive talk and field trip through cyberspace (and meatspace!), that explores how our products and services make us feel, and workshop the new design methods and patterns that shape our embodied technologies of the future.
10:30 am –
11:00 am
Shuya Gong
Creative Director at
IDEO CoLab Ventures
Creative Director at
IDEO CoLab Ventures
Designing Dimensions: An Introduction to Spatial Design
In just 30 minutes, gain a working knowledge on topics that inform the form and function of spatial applications, with a particular emphasis on VR. In this talk, Resham will cover a range of topics such as types of 3D models, interaction patterns, technical tools, art direction, locomotion, popular VR applications, ethical considerations, and more — and assess how all of these aspects come together to create seamless experiences within virtual spaces.
11:00 am –
11:30 am
Resham Khanna
Product Designer at Meta
Product Designer at Meta
11:30 am –
12:00 pm
Break and Sponsor Demo - Bezi
12:00 pm –
12:45 pm
Exploring Spatial Design: Insights from Top Tech Companies in SF
Join the Bezi team for an engaging panel discussion about the world of spatial design within the tech industry. In this session, Bezi will dive into the innovative ways in which leading tech companies in San Francisco are leveraging 3D technology to design for the future. Our panel of industry leaders will share their firsthand experiences and insights, offering valuable perspectives on the strategic integration of spatial design within companies like Google and Meta.
Lacey Miller
Head of Marketing at Bezi
Head of Marketing at Bezi
Karen Campa-Perz
Product Designer at Meta Reality Labs
Product Designer at Meta Reality Labs
Daniel-Marqusee
Lead Spatial Designer at Bezi
Lead Spatial Designer at Bezi
Cecilia Uhr
Co-Founder and Designer at Bezi
Co-Founder and Designer at Bezi
Julian Park
Co-Founder and CEO at Bezi
Co-Founder and CEO at Bezi
12:45 pm –
1:45 pm
Lunch Break and Sponsor Demos - Dovetail and Studio
1:45 pm –
2:15 pm
Community Q+A
Federico Francioni
Head of Digital Ecosystem at Meta
Head of Digital Ecosystem at Meta
Grace Ling
Founder at Design Buddies
Founder at Design Buddies
2:15 pm –
2:45 pm
Crafting Product Experience for GenAI Creation Tools
Join Jennifer as she shares her story about being part of the first team to build Gen AI products at Microsoft. In this talk, Jennifer will dive into the wins, pivots, and learnings along her journey so far, and share some of her key product design and responsible AI principles for anyone pursuing UX design in AI creation products.
Jennifer Jing
Product Designer at
Microsoft
Product Designer at
Microsoft
2:45 pm –
3:15 pm
A Journey Through Time with Pixels
Discover how familiar concepts from the past illuminate the path to crafting great UX experiences in emerging industries including AI, creator economy, blockchain, and more. “To infinity and beyond!” – Buzz Lightyear
Adam Syed
Product Designer at
Twitch
Product Designer at
Twitch
3:15 pm –
3:45 pm
Break and Sponsor Demo - Spline
3:45 pm –
4:15 pm
Designing the Future of Work with GenAI and Mixed Reality
Ever thought about onboarding to a new job in the Metaverse? Or working alongside a bespoke Generative AI assistant in solving complex problems? In this talk, Dylan will discuss the triumphs and challenges of designing enterprise software for the future, along with tips for navigating the unknown to create well-known, effective user experiences.
Dylan Rabin
Product Designer at SAP
Product Designer at SAP
4:15 pm –
4:45 pm
Designing Tomorrow: The Role of Design in the Evolution of Autonomous Vehicles
As our vehicles become sophisticated computers in a rapidly advancing technological landscape, design acts as the vital link between complex algorithms and user-friendly experiences. From simplifying setup processes, like adaptive cruise control, to addressing challenges in autonomous driving, design ensures that the journey towards safer transportation remains efficient and accessible. With a focus on user-centric design, we’re shaping a future where autonomous vehicles revolutionize transportation while prioritizing safety and usability
Aishwarya Bagaria
Independent Product Designer
Independent Product Designer
4:45 pm –
5:00 pm
Closing
Design Tools Day
Tuesday May 21
Tuesday May 21
Our Sponsors
Join a fantastic group of design tools providing financial support to an event that will bolster the careers of thousands of designers.
Community Partners
Design Buddies
Design Buddies is the world’s largest design community. We help designers level up through events (online and in-person), job boards, design challenges, content, giveaways, resources, and more.
Design Buddies was founded by Grace Ling.
Check out our website, Discord, newsletter, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
An Event Powered By Learners
A big shout out to our partners at Learners for their support organizing this event. Learners helps companies, creators and communities like ours put on wonderful hybrid learning events.