For agents

Wednesday August 26

09:30

What Can’t AI See? Ethnographic Research in a Post-Screen World

Melissa Voderberg
Director of Customer Experience & Innovation, Publicis Sapient

As UX design becomes more automated and digital interactions move beyond screens and into experiences that are auditory, kinaesthetic, and sensory, what does the future of UX research look like? What is the right…

Read more
10:05

Designing research for AI moderators: Lessons from running 100 interviews a week

Rebecca Klee
CX Researcher & Designer, Meridian Energy / Independent Consultant

AI can now conduct interviews at a scale that would be impossible for most research teams. But what happens when you stop being the moderator and start designing the moderator instead?

Over the past year, I’ve been…

Read more
10:40

Bridging the Gap Between Product, GTM, and the Bottom Line

Anna Lee Anda
Senior Manager, UX Research, Zendesk

As UX Research matures, the biggest threat to our impact isn't automation—it’s isolation. For too long, research has been confined to the "Product Development" bubble, while the most critical business levers - Sales,…

Read more
12:15

In defence of a long pause: Designing better through lived experience

Bhaven Chauhan
Service Design Lead, Transport for NSW
Chanel Lee

Designing inclusive public transport requires more than testing in controlled environments. To inform the next generation of suburban trains in NSW, our team conducted contextual research interviewing people with…

Read more
12:50

Designing ResearchOps for uncertainty

Weiyan Chee
ResearchOps Lead, Bupa

The pace of change in tech right now is wild. AI is reshaping how teams work, entire functions are being redefined, and layoffs and restructures have become part of the cycle rather than exceptions. Ways of working are…

Read more
13:25

The Researcher as a Diplomat

Ania Mastalerz
Lead Researcher, Atlassian

In the world of UX research, we often act as diplomats - navigating competing interests, translating perspectives, and persuading without authority. This talk explores what diplomacy can teach us about stakeholder…

Read more
15:00

Insight Is Not Enough: The Next Chapter of Design Research

Dr Asma Qureshi
Research & Insights Principal, A2 Online

My talk will focus on how design research is evolving from a tactical, project-based discipline into a strategic capability that shapes organisational decision-making. I will explore how leading organisations globally…

Read more
15:05

Applying Anthropology in Design Research: Why Culture Is the Conversion Strategy

William Anthony Yanko, PhD
CX/UX Research Leader, Flight Centre Travel Group

Why do people really behave the way they do? Not because the UX was frictionless, but because the experience spoke to something about who they are, who they want to be, and what their choices mean within their world.…

Read more
16:10

Nothing about us flying, without us: establishing a baseline for disabled travel through inclusive design research

Dr Chandra Harrison
Managing Director / Researcher, Access Advisors

Air travel remains one of the least understood and most stressful service environments for disabled people. While airlines often invest in accessibility improvements, they frequently do so without reliable baseline data…

Read more
09:30

What Can’t AI See? Ethnographic Research in a Post-Screen World

Melissa Voderberg
Director of Customer Experience & Innovation, Publicis Sapient

As UX design becomes more automated and digital interactions move beyond screens and into experiences that are auditory, kinaesthetic, and sensory, what does the future of UX research look like? What is the right…

Read more
10:05

Designing research for AI moderators: Lessons from running 100 interviews a week

Rebecca Klee
CX Researcher & Designer, Meridian Energy / Independent Consultant

AI can now conduct interviews at a scale that would be impossible for most research teams. But what happens when you stop being the moderator and start designing the moderator instead?

Over the past year, I’ve been…

Read more
10:40

Bridging the Gap Between Product, GTM, and the Bottom Line

Anna Lee Anda
Senior Manager, UX Research, Zendesk

As UX Research matures, the biggest threat to our impact isn't automation—it’s isolation. For too long, research has been confined to the "Product Development" bubble, while the most critical business levers - Sales,…

Read more
12:15

In defence of a long pause: Designing better through lived experience

Bhaven Chauhan
Service Design Lead, Transport for NSW
Chanel Lee

Designing inclusive public transport requires more than testing in controlled environments. To inform the next generation of suburban trains in NSW, our team conducted contextual research interviewing people with…

Read more
12:50

Designing ResearchOps for uncertainty

Weiyan Chee
ResearchOps Lead, Bupa

The pace of change in tech right now is wild. AI is reshaping how teams work, entire functions are being redefined, and layoffs and restructures have become part of the cycle rather than exceptions. Ways of working are…

Read more
13:25

The Researcher as a Diplomat

Ania Mastalerz
Lead Researcher, Atlassian

In the world of UX research, we often act as diplomats - navigating competing interests, translating perspectives, and persuading without authority. This talk explores what diplomacy can teach us about stakeholder…

Read more
15:00

Insight Is Not Enough: The Next Chapter of Design Research

Dr Asma Qureshi
Research & Insights Principal, A2 Online

My talk will focus on how design research is evolving from a tactical, project-based discipline into a strategic capability that shapes organisational decision-making. I will explore how leading organisations globally…

Read more
15:05

Applying Anthropology in Design Research: Why Culture Is the Conversion Strategy

William Anthony Yanko, PhD
CX/UX Research Leader, Flight Centre Travel Group

Why do people really behave the way they do? Not because the UX was frictionless, but because the experience spoke to something about who they are, who they want to be, and what their choices mean within their world.…

Read more
16:10

Nothing about us flying, without us: establishing a baseline for disabled travel through inclusive design research

Dr Chandra Harrison
Managing Director / Researcher, Access Advisors

Air travel remains one of the least understood and most stressful service environments for disabled people. While airlines often invest in accessibility improvements, they frequently do so without reliable baseline data…

Read more