Day 1

September 25th

Times are US Pacific Time

8:45 am

Welcome & Introduction

9:00 am
Portrait of Jina Anne

Beyond Code Generation: Where Design Systems Can Go Next In the Age of AI

Jina Anne Senior Director of Architecture Microsoft

Many discussions around AI & design systems focus on reducing effort in design & developer jobs easier, by generating design/code. But let’s go beyond that.

In this presentation, Jina will discuss how AI can improve user experiences by creating personalized and adaptable UIs. They will also address ethical considerations and share examples of how AI could make our design systems more meaningful. And they will share a few things that we should do now to get us there.

This talk is for designers, developers, and anyone interested in AI’s impact on design systems.

9:40 am
Portrait of Dan Mall

Design Systems Everywhere Else

Dan Mall Founder Design Systems University

As a design system consultant, Dan has had the privilege of seeing how hundreds of design systems teams work. The first question almost every team asks him is, “Is this how it works everywhere else?”

Design system work can be lonely, and it’s difficult to know if you’re doing it right. He’ll share his top findings for what most teams are doing—and what things they’re not that they should be.

10:20 am
Portrait of Val Head

Creating Your Own Design Career Path

Val Head Design Advocate Adobe

Leading a team isn’t the only way to be a design leader. Being a top-level individual contributor makes you a design leader too, but there are far fewer resources out there about this path.

In this talk Val will share her take on leading as a Principal Designer, plus what worked and what didn’t in her own experience navigating the individual contributor career path. (Hint – it’s not about being the loudest person in the room.) She’ll also share insights on what effective senior individual contributor design leadership looks like from the Principal Designer handbook project created for Adobe Design.

11:00 am

Lunch and learn sponsored by StackBlitz

11:30 am
Portrait of John Voss

Queer Systems: Systems Thinking through the Lens of Queer Theory

John Voss Designer, Co-founder Queer Design Club

Queer theory is a school of critique grounded in LGBTQ+ identities’ power to challenge norms. From sex and gender to societal definitions of success, queerness lets us look from the outside in at the norms governing our lives and how they came to be.

What if we looked at design systems with a queer eye? What norms govern our work and why do we privilege them over the alternatives? At a time when designers and engineers alike are questioning the future of our crafts, this talk explores the possibilities queerness might open up for us.

12:15 pm
Portrait of Amy Lee

Getting Design Systems Done. Organization Strategies for Teams of All Sizes

Amy Lee Senior Manager Design Systems

You have too many details to manage. You are constantly context-switching. Your stakeholders need to know the status of your work. How do you create rational ways of communicating what's happening with your company's design system?

Whether you are a member of a design system team, a leader of design system teams, or even the lone "team of one", you need strategies to manage the growth of your design system. Amy dives into various techniques that have worked for her at large companies, startups, and also as a solo implementer of a design system.

12:55 pm
Portrait of Ben Callahan

Symmetry: Three Challenges from a Unique Design System Experience

Ben Callahan Founder Sparkbox

In this presentation, Ben Callahan (founder of Sparkbox and The Question) dives into the genesis of Symmetry (a recent community-driven in-person design system event in Pittsburgh) and shares three big picture challenges issued to the community. From ants to architecture, this session will push you to think a bit differently about the industry, our practice, and our roles inside organizations.

Day 2

September 26th

Times are US Pacific Time

8:45 am

Welcome & Introduction

9:00 am
Portrait of Amy Hupe

Pixel Perfect Whatever

Amy Hupe Design Systems Consultant Springer Nature

TBF

9:40 am
Portrait of Elyse Holladay

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.

10:20 am
Portrait of Diana Mounter

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.

11:00 am

Lunch and learn
sponsored by Omlet

11:35 am
Portrait of Mina Markham

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.

12:15 pm
Portrait of Homer Gaines

Styling Links: The Bare Minimum

Homer Gaines Staff UI Engineer and Accessibility Specialist Guru Technologies, Inc.

TBF

12:55 pm
Portrait of Cameron Moll

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.