Design research is how we understand, shape and address systemic issues — from individual products and services and the structure of organisations, through to societal challenges like climate change and inequality.
A one-day conference dedicated to design research and evidence-led practice, produced by UX Australia.
Lead Researcher
Atlassian
The Researcher as a Diplomat
Senior Manager, UX Research
Zendesk
Bridging the Gap Between Product, GTM, and the Bottom Line
Senior Service Designer & Senior Service Design Lead
Transport for NSW
In defence of a long pause: Designing better through lived experience
Research & Insights Principal
A2 Online
Insight Is Not Enough: The Next Chapter of Design Research
Managing Director / Researcher
Access Advisors
Nothing about us flying, without us: establishing a baseline for disabled travel through inclusive design research
Director of Customer Experience & Innovation
Publicis Sapient
What Can’t AI See? Ethnographic Research in a Post-Screen World
CX Researcher & Designer
Meridian Energy / Independent Consultant
Designing research for AI moderators: Lessons from running 100 interviews a week
ResearchOps Lead
Bupa
Designing ResearchOps for uncertainty
CX/UX Research Leader
Flight Centre Travel Group
Applying Anthropology in Design Research: Why Culture Is the Conversion Strategy
More speakers to be announced soon.
Design Research is in Sydney on August 26th, 2026. Grab the pass that suits you — prices rise after each early-bird date.
We have special pricing for anyone funding their own ticket, juniors, people working in education, not-for-profits, and people working in digital agencies. It’s an honour system. Just choose the ticket type that applies to you.
In person · 2 days
$1,795full price
In person · 2 days
$695full price
In person · 2 days
$1,195full price
In person · 2 days
$395full price
In person · 2 days
$595full price
In person · 2 days
$695full price
Want news about the program and tickets? Let us know and we’ll email you when speakers are announced.
Join from anywhere
Watch everything live and then on demand with a Conffab Premium membership. You'll get 12 months of live-streamed conferences and over a thousand on-demand presentations.
In the heart of Sydney
Design Research 2026 will take place August 26th at the Teachers Federation Conference Centre, Surry Hills, Sydney.
Sponsors to be announced. Partner with us.
Live stream world leading conferences like performance.now() and AI Engineer Melbourne
Catchup on hundreds of presentations on our free tier, and keep up to date with all that's happening in our industry at your own pace.
The organisers
Since 2009, UX Australia has been Australia’s premier conference about UX, product and service design, and the surrounding disciplines of research, content, operations, management, and more.
Steve was the inaugural CEO of the Australian Design Council, co-founder of Meld Studios and co-founder of UX Australia. He is a Director of the Product Stewardship Centre of Excellence and served two years as the President of the Interaction Design Association.
For more than 20 years Web Directions has brought together the people creating the web and digital products to learn from one another and the world's leading experts.
We promise that attending one of our events will leave you better equipped for the challenges you face every day.
John Allsopp has worked on the web for nearly 30 years. His tools and writing helped lay the groundwork for web typography and Responsive Web Design.
He has authored books, spoken at conferences worldwide and brings that experience and curiosity to every Web Directions program.
A conference for everyone
Everyone deserves a welcoming, inspiring and safe conference. Our code of conduct applies to attendees, speakers, partners and organisers.
If something concerns you, please tell us. We will take it seriously.
