

Pixel Perfect Whatever
Amy Hupe Design Systems Consultant Springer Nature
TBF

It’s Not for Looking At: Building Impactful Design Systems
Elyse Holladay Staff Design Engineer Color Health
When was the last time you shipped something that really felt impactful? We know a design system can be a powerful tool—but “value” and “impact” are difficult to define, quantify, and measure. Struggles with adoption, “convincing the business,” and yes, DS teams getting laid off, point to a challenging reality: we’re not delivering the value we say we are.
In this talk we’ll revisit what “impactful” really means and explore a framework to help you choose the most worthwhile DS work. Whether you officially work on a Design System team or not, you’ll come away with a focus reset from pure craftsmanship, back to work that is meaningful, energizing, and useful—not just for looking at.

Design Engineering: The next era of Software Design
Diana Mounter Director, Design Infrastructure GitHub
The roles of programmers and designers are evolving. The convergence of design and code signals a narrowing gap, prompting us to question the future landscape of design. As we enter the age of AI, will this lead us to chart a new course, or will it see us walking down familiar paths?
Drawing from my experience leading Design at GitHub, I’ll delve into my journey starting out as a designer who codes, to building and leading teams of hybrid designer-developers. I'll examine how blurring the traditional boundaries between design and engineering has shaped the role of Design Engineering in the future of software design. Join me as I explore the dynamic interplay between AI, design, and programming, and consider the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
Lunch and learn
sponsored by Omlet

Faking It to Make It
Mina Markham Senior Engineer Slack
Discover the subtle science and exact art of systematically replicating existing experiences. Join Mina for a deep-dive into creating high-fidelity, synthetic versions of your favorite workplace app.

Styling Links: The Bare Minimum
Homer Gaines Staff UI Engineer and Accessibility Specialist Guru Technologies, Inc.
TBF

So what is "design quality" anyway and why is it so hard to achieve?
Cameron Moll Product Design Manager Facebook
Arguably, quality is one of the most important measures of the work we do as web practitioners. The problem is nobody seems to know what "design quality" means — or at least we can't seem to agree on exactly what it is and why it matters, making it difficult to measure much less aim for. In this session we'll explore together what design quality should mean, how to prioritize design quality with peers, stakeholders, and executives, and ultimately how to achieve it despite headwinds, confusion, and lack of prioritization for all things "design quality.