The Origin
UXxUX started as a conversation between me, Maria Papaleo, and Simon Stolz. We wanted a design event that felt different: no pre-set agenda, no panel of authorities, no one explaining UX to a room of UX people. Just practitioners deciding together what was worth talking about.
The format is an unconference. Attendees pitch topics in the morning, vote with their feet, and the schedule builds itself. In 2023 we nearly doubled attendance and sold out the venue. We sold out again in 2024. Both years, more people wanted in than we could fit.
Design leadership doesn’t just happen inside organizations. It happens in communities: through mentorship, shared language, and the conversations that don’t make it onto conference slides. UXxUX was an attempt to create more of those.
We ran three events between 2022 and 2024. The conference is on hiatus now, but the community it built isn’t.
What Made It Work
- No pre-set agenda. The room decides what matters.
- Structured unconference format with real practitioner participation
- Built on genuine community, not sponsorship or brand
- Sold out in 2023 and 2024
- Co-created with Maria Papaleo and Simon Stolz
Details
Role
Conference Co-Lead
Organization
UXxUX unConference
Period
2022–2024
Location
Vancouver, BC
Focus Areas