Nils van den Broek

About Nils van den Broek

Nils is one of the founders of Valsplat. He started the agency back in 2000 with Joris, long before “UX” was even a buzzword. For over 25 years, he’s been helping companies put people first and create digital products that actually work for the people using it.

What started as a love for tech and creativity has turned into a serious concern about its impact on our lives. He’s also the co-author of Weg van tech, a book about their love-hate relationship with technology. It’s a wake-up call to stop digitizing for the sake of it and start choosing a path that puts humans back in control.

What is your vision on our UX industry?

UX was supposed to make things better, but digitalization became a monster of its own. Nils has seen our digital world become smarter and more efficient, yet somehow less human.

In his view, UX isn’t just about a smooth flow and friendly experience; it’s about making conscious choices. He’s pushing for a future where we bring back the human scale, asking the tough questions and knowing when technology should actually just step aside.

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Keynote
Nils van den Broek

Bringing Back the Human Scale to the Digital World

We are at a crossroads. Digitalization has taken over our lives at a staggering pace, but along the way, we lost the human scale. Our digital world is becoming smarter and more efficient, but also colder and less inclusive.

In this talk, Nils draws a powerful parallel with a pivotal moment in history when technology reshaped our world, until people decided to reclaim their space. He challenges the obsession with “digital-first” and shows why designers and leaders must step up to actually put people first. Come for a reality check and leave with the spark to make the digital world human again.