Announcing the Conference Program for Shift UX 2026

We are thrilled to announce the program for Shift UX 2026, a hybrid conference for designers, researchers, product managers, content designers, and adjacent practitioners navigating a moment when traditional UX roles are blurring or disappearing.

Key Highlights

• Keynotes from industry leaders: Hear from Catt Small, Staff Product Designer at Dropbox & Author of The Staff Designer, in the opening keynote, and Jesse James Garrett, AI Transformation Consultant & Private Leadership Advisor at Intentional Associates, in the closing keynote.
• Live sensemaking sessions: Watch ideas get synthesized in real time across three dedicated sensemaking blocks — on research and knowledge, on moving from operations to orchestration, and on human-centered tooling — led by practitioners like Dan Brown, Co-founder of EightShapes, and Sophia Prater, UX Strategy Consultant and Coach at OOUX.
• Two focused day-long tracks: Day one centers on strategic research and knowledge sensemaking into the operating models organizations need to remain human-centered in a post-AI era, while day two explores tools that extend human capability, then brings the conference’s ideas together through live sensemaking and a closing keynote.
• Practical talks on AI-era operations: Sessions like “From Operations to Orchestration,” “Shared Accountability in Enterprise UX,” and “The Judgment Layer: Operations After Throughput” dig into how design orgs coordinate and stay accountable as workflows become more automated.
• Networking built into the schedule: In-person attendees get topic-table lunches and multiple coffee breaks, while remote attendees get dedicated chat sessions plus a remote social (Cozy Juicy Real)  and remote after-party — giving both formats structured time to connect.
• Flexible attendance formats: The full schedule is mirrored for both in-person (New York City) and remote attendees, so highlights and access to speakers aren’t limited to those on-site.

Why attend?

• Future-proof your skillset by diving into four forward-focused practice pillars that resist automation: strategic research, sensemaking, operations as orchestration, and human-centered tooling
• Uncover new opportunities by exploring the intersections between these pillars — spaces where UX practitioners are uniquely positioned to add value
• Gain language and frameworks that make your skills, experience, and impact more visible and valued, whatever role you’re in or moving toward
• Connect with peers and talent navigating similar shifts — blurred roles, evolving team structures, and new ways of measuring UX impact
• Learn from expert-led workshops and the Leaders Salon designed to help you translate your experience into what’s next, whether that’s growing in your current role, leading a team, or branching into coaching, consulting, or teaching

Join us at Shift UX 2026 as we navigate this exciting frontier together. Stay tuned for more announcements!

View the program »