Conference program

Mindy Nam opens the day with warmth, perspective and purpose. She sets the tone for what’s ahead—a day of ideas, reflection and bold conversation.

Curiosity is a superpower. It fuels creativity, challenges the status quo and helps designers see what others miss. In this interactive session, Simon Banks explores how curiosity sharpens our thinking, unlocks innovation and helps us tackle complex design challenges with fresh eyes. Through a visual journey into famous artworks, Simon will train your eyes to spot the unseen. Expect bold questions, new connections and a reminder that curiosity is not a soft skill. It is a designer’s edge.

Building confidence as a designer is hard when you cannot predict how people will interact with your work. Vivian Yu and Timothy Parker share how design experimentation gives designers the tools to make better decisions and influence with clarity. Through real case studies from Jira, they offer a step-by-step look at how to run experiments, gather insights and translate data into action. This session is for designers ready to move from guesswork to grounded influence.

Does mastery always lead to meaningful change? Julia Suh challenges this assumption, urging designers to move beyond expertise and into deeper systems thinking. She explores how rigid frameworks can limit potential, and how impact demands more than polished process. Through bold questions and strategic disruption, Julia reframes design as a living system—one that evolves, adapts and sustains outcomes over time. This is a session for those ready to expand their remit and design with lasting intent.

What if the secret to better design is learning when to move fast and when to go deep? At just 23, Ryan shares lessons from building Insert Frame and teaching tens of thousands of designers how to create and ship with speed and purpose. This session is a high-energy guide to choosing momentum over hesitation. Expect insight into startup ways of working, knowing when to invest or iterate, and how to design with focus, clarity and creative fire.

What if the best design approach is the one that actually gets used? Amanda shares her journey from accidental graphic designer to design leader, advocating for a pragmatic middle ground where progress beats perfection and research serves action. Blending lessons from government, media and one very unexpected farming experiment, Amanda introduces her “happy medium” framework. This is a session for anyone tired of overthinking and ready to design with clarity, momentum and a little more joy.

How can design elevate scientific research to create greater impact? At CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, Georgina Ibarra and her team use the Four Orders of Design to bridge complex research with real-world outcomes. From visual storytelling to systems change, this session unpacks how communication, product, service and strategic design come together to amplify science. Through methods, challenges and case studies, Georgina reveals how design is helping shape everything from better tools to better futures.

Most digital products are built for individuals. But in Southeast Asia, life is communal. Stevanus explores how designing for families, friends and shared responsibilities unlocks more inclusive, intuitive and trusted experiences. From Grab’s Family Account and Teen Access to collaborative flows in GrabMaps, this session shows how designing for interdependence can drive growth, loyalty and scale. If your product touches layered relationships, this talk will challenge you to design not just for users, but for the communities they live in.

What if imposter syndrome isn’t a flaw, but a design problem? In this honest and reflective session, Dhruv Sharma draws on his experiences growing up queer and brown in 90s India, and building a career across consulting and design leadership in Australia. Blending personal story with behavioural science and design thinking, Dhruv reframes self-doubt as a learned loop that can be redesigned. This is a talk about rewiring the inner narrative, and turning difference into your greatest advantage.

As AI systems take on greater autonomy, the role of design is shifting. Andrea shares how trust becomes the true product when experiences are powered by models that learn, decide and act in real time. Drawing from her work at REA Group, Andrea explores how to build calibrated trust, design for failure and embed ethics early. This session is a call for designers to shape AI with care, clarity and responsibility—because the future of AI must be designed, not just deployed.

What does it mean to stay creative when life is uncertain, messy or nothing like you expected? Vida Asrina Dhulst shares her journey from growing up in conflict-affected Aceh and surviving the 2004 tsunami to navigating migration, identity and design leadership in Australia. This is a quiet reflection on resilience, creativity and leading with difference. For anyone who has felt out of place in design, it offers a reminder that creativity is not just about making. It is about adapting, listening and continuing anyway.

What if the path to purpose isn’t linear, but uniquely wired? Rachelle shares the story of starting Kite Therapy, a startup making therapy for autistic children more accessible, while navigating her own experience with ADHD. This is a talk about designing systems that work for your brain, your mission and your pace. With honesty and clarity, Rachelle reflects on building a company, balancing impact and ambition, and what it means to succeed on your own terms.

As technology becomes more accessible and commoditised, design is fast becoming the edge that sets products apart. Corey explores how design is not just shaping interfaces but transforming the organisations behind them. From building design-literate cultures to navigating the rise of AI, this session unpacks the evolving role of designers as strategic enablers. With insight from global teams and his work at Figma, Corey shares how design can be the unfair advantage in today’s digital product landscape.

What happens when your work shapes systems, but your title has no name? In 2024, “design” was formally recognised in Australia’s occupational classifications, yet service and strategic design were left out. Laura Kostanski and Simon Goodrich explore what it means to be essential but invisible. Without recognition, we risk losing influence, clarity and credibility. This session considers how naming shapes power, how language defines value, and why design’s future may depend on being counted.

Our material world has been designed through systems of extraction, exploitation and ego. In this provocative session, Sarah D’Sylva argues that sustainable design without dismantling patriarchy is a dead-end—and it’s time we said so out loud. Blending sharp insight, personal story and real-world case studies, Sarah exposes how performative sustainability props up broken systems. This is a call to redesign from the ground up, centring circular innovation, collective care and the courage to challenge power.

Mindy returns to help us land the day with clarity and care. A moment to reflect, reconnect and carry the conversation forward.

Jeddi kicks off the day with heart, humour and what to expect. Settle in, get your bearings and get ready for a day of big ideas and shared energy.

What happens when you loosen the grip on structure in a role built on process? Georgia Rust explores how embracing messiness can unlock greater creativity, connection and momentum. By deliberately making space for ambiguity, she reveals how new ideas and unexpected impact can emerge. Drawing from her own experience disrupting the expected, Georgia shares practical ways to rethink routines, challenge rigidity and lead with curiosity. This session is an invitation to let a little chaos in and see what changes.

Digital products rarely fall apart all at once. More often, they slowly drift away from what users need, becoming cluttered, unresponsive, and driven by the wrong metrics. Tim Hardaker names this slow decay for what it is and shows how to stop it in its tracks. With examples from his work leading ABC’s digital platforms, Tim shares how to reconnect product strategy with real audience needs. Expect sharp insights, practical methods, and a compelling case for always-on listening.

What does it take to run fast when the destination is still forming? Tarra van Amerongen shares hard-won lessons from design-led transformation inside Atlassian, where imperfect conditions, bold bets, and deep partnerships delivered unexpected outcomes. This is a story of shaking up the status quo, building belief in the unknown, and creating space for product and design to move together at pace. Expect practical insights, surprising turns, and a fresh perspective on what it means to lead through uncertainty.

As pressure mounts to deliver faster, better, and more collaboratively, the relationship between product and design is being rewritten. In this fireside chat, Pete Bradd from Miro and Che Douglas from Xero explore the evolving dynamics between these disciplines and what it means for building great products. Together, they unpack how alignment, trust, and shared ownership are becoming the new markers of success. Expect candid insights, lively debate, and fresh thinking on how to lead through collaboration.

What does it take to craft travel experiences that feel seamless, personal and unforgettable? Shay Hamama shares how Luxury Escapes blends content, commerce and customer signals to design journeys that inspire loyalty from first glance to final stay. Drawing on data, mindset frameworks and real-world applications, Shay explores the tension between discovery and decision-making, and how intent shapes design. This session offers a practical, strategic look at full-funnel experience design in an industry built on emotion and expectation.

From childhood dreams of becoming Alicia Keys to boardroom transformation, Sathya shares a powerful reflection on who gets permission to speak up, stand out and shape what’s next. Through humour, storytelling and lived experience, she invites us to question how inclusion really shows up in creative and corporate spaces. This session offers practical ways to unlock innovation by creating environments where all voices are heard. Expect honest provocation, fresh perspectives and the kind of questions that make better ideas possible.

Tired of AI panic and the myth of the 10× PM? Sam Chan cuts through the noise with four moves to keep product leaders grounded, focused and delivering work that matters. From rejecting busywork to rallying teams and resonating with users, this is product leadership without the fluff. Blending provocation with practical tools, Sam shares candid stories from the trenches and rapid-fire tactics you can test straight away. If you’re ready to lead with clarity and impact, this one’s for you.

What does personalisation look like when your mission is to serve everyone? Stephanie Saad takes us behind the scenes of ABC iview’s transformation, where public service, editorial integrity and a digital-first mindset had to coexist. It’s a story of careful risk-taking, reframing personalisation as a tool to elevate curatorial voice, not replace it. This session offers real-world lessons in leading innovation through complexity. Expect strategies for aligning stakeholders, building trust, and delivering value without compromising your organisation’s purpose.

Growth isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about tuning in. Hayley Rose introduces Magnetic Growth™—a framework for building brands people are drawn to, not targeted by. In a landscape overwhelmed by AI churn, trend fatigue and copycat thinking, this talk is a reset for those ready to lead with clarity. With lessons from global brands and high-growth scale-ups, Hayley offers practical ways to slow down, align your energy and build something original, resonant and impossible to ignore.

What if the real measure of leadership is how well your team performs when you’re not in the room? Neha shares her experience building empowered, self-sufficient teams that continue to deliver through change, allowing leaders to focus on the bigger picture. With lessons from scaling global design practices, she offers practical hacks to embed ownership, accountability and growth. Grounded in the philosophy of head, heart and gut, this session is a guide to leading with intention and designing teams that flourish.

Roadmaps can shape the work, but they rarely shape the future. Damian Madden invites us to rethink how we lead products and people by shifting from control to navigation. Through clarity, emotion and creative trust, the most enduring work is built to move and respond. Sharing his Experience Compass framework, Damian explores how emotional guidance fosters resilience, autonomy and deep connection. This session is for anyone ready to lead with intention and design teams and products that last.

What does it take to launch a product in a world that won’t sit still? In this candid session, Fingertip co-founders Matt Blode and Olly Hoffman share the real story behind building a platform for modern creators and service-based businesses to show up online with less friction and more freedom. From pressure-cooker decisions to unexpected pivots, they unpack the lessons, challenges and values that shaped Fingertip. This is a story of resilience, simplicity and building something that sticks.

What if the biggest barrier to starting isn’t your experience, but your hesitation? In this energising session, BuildPass co-founder Matt Vagg shares his leap from civil engineering and corporate safety into construction tech, despite knowing nothing about the industry. Through personal stories and honest lessons, Matt explores how to navigate doubt, build conviction and back yourself when no one else will. This is a talk for anyone stuck on the sidelines, ready to move from hesitation to action.

Details for this session will be released soon. Stay tuned.

Jeddi returns to help us land the day, tie the threads together and leave with purpose.