Program – UX Rotterdam 2026
Two Days. Two Ways to Learn. One Big Experience.
At UX Rotterdam, you decide how to experience the conference.
Do you want to get hands-on and experiment in workshops? Or would you rather sit back, listen, and get inspired by big ideas on the main stage?
With two parallel tracks — Workshops and Keynotes — you’re free to build your own experience.
Thursday 16th of april
08.30 Doors open: Registration and Coffee
Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast
Chrissy Welsh | VP Experience @KPN
Designing for the Age of Asking: How AI is Rewriting the Rules of Experience
We are standing at the edge of a major UX shift. For decades, our job was to help people find things, cleaner flows, better navigation, smarter search.
But with the rise of LLMs and intelligent agents, users will no longer search, they will ask. The interface disappears, the logic remains.
This talk explores how design must evolve in the Age of Asking, when experience moves from visual interaction to cognitive reasoning. I’ll share lessons from building AI-driven experiences at KPN, where we’re rethinking brand behaviour, tone, and trust for agent-based services.
Together we’ll explore how to design for clarity when the interface is invisible, how to preserve brand identity when an AI speaks for you, and how to build trust in systems that now think before they respond.
It’s the future of UX, and it starts with a single question.
Natalia Marmolejo | Design Lead @Rabobank
An inside view and on-the-ground stories of how Design can help shape new ways of working for HR that can result in changing policy.
Natalia will explore how design can quietly—but powerfully—reshape the inner workings of a large organization. By finding meaningful, purpose-driven work to influence HR strategy at the management board level and challenge legacy thinking.
This keynote will reveal how design is being used to reimagine employee mental health, career growth and personal development and also the company’s wiki. It’s a candid look at how strategic design can go beyond deliverables to shift culture, unlock new ways of working, and change people’s minds–all without waiting for permission.
Hector Ayuso | Creative Director @Paradiso
Everything you have is what you give away
At UX Rotterdam, Héctor will share his personal and creative mantra: “Everything you have is what you give away.” His keynote is a reflection on generosity, identity, and the invisible threads that connect our work to others—told through stories from his career, lessons from OFFF, Paradiso, and the projects that shaped him.
Ivo van Hulten | Director Of UX @Porsche
The Future Of Driver Experience At Porsche
I will bring a sneak-peek into our UX/UI Design-Lab in Weissach, Germany. Here we design and develop the next generation of Porsche cars and its typical “Driver Experience Design”.
I will explain how we set-up a holistic design approach, while carefully maintaining our strong brand-DNA. Showcasing the way, we translate our brand values into a systematic and modern design approach.
Alain Dujardin | Creative Director @Greenberry
Designing with, not for: A co-design mindset for societal impact
In the face of complex societal challenges, designing *for* people is simply not enough. It’s about designing *with* them. Join Alain Dujardin, creative director at design agency Greenberry, as he shares firsthand experiences and essential insights from over a decade of co-design projects aimed at meaningful societal change. Alain will uncover practical strategies for creating truly inclusive digital experiences by placing users at the heart of the design process.
Through inspiring stories—from tackling eating disorders to preventing youth violence—he'll show how deeply listening, embracing diverse perspectives, creatively shaping research methods, and making feedback central are keys to creating solutions that matter.
He will also reflect on how AI can creatively amplify co-design processes, highlighting both its potential and the pitfalls to be aware of. Expect an honest exploration into both successes and setbacks, and leave equipped to bring this powerful, collaborative mindset into your own UX practice.
Julia Bastian | VP Of Product @Alasco
From Lagging Metrics to Leading Decisions
In B2B, sales often drives product choices, not because it is best but because product teams lack timely data. Unlike B2C, B2B data is sparse and delayed, leaving PMs reactive instead of leading.
This keynote shows how to change that. You will learn four actions to strengthen product leadership, centered on using qualitative data for faster insight and organizational learning, the real unlock for product-led growth in complex B2B environments.
Katarina Bagherian | Customer Insights & Experience Leader
The Human Advantage for the Future of UX
Our industry is racing towards automation and along with it, pressure is mounting for UX specialists to become ‘do-it-all’ generalists in many organizations.
Leveraging AI is critical to transitioning to generalist roles, but what skills will make the UX generalist not only effective, but also essential to businesses? Drawing upon cases from a variety of industries, we’ll explore how core human characteristics underpin the most powerful skills in the UX professional’s toolkit.
We’ll dive into how curiosity is critical for turning user insights into winning business strategies, how genuine connections rally stakeholders to take action, and caring to deeply listen uncovers opportunities to apply your skillset well beyond the product org. This isn't a talk about UX surviving the future; it's about leading it and having the courage to double down on the qualities that only humans have.
Henk Haaima | Creative Director @Total Design
Are AI agents taking over UX?
With the rapid advent of AI agents, we are increasingly delegating the tasks of viewing and navigating web pages. They browse, click, and make decisions on our behalf.
This transformation has major implications for traditional user interfaces and accessibility standards, as digital experiences are shifting focus from human users to AI agents.
What happens to User Experience Design (UX) when users can largely bypass the carefully crafted interfaces created by design teams?
Karolina Boremalm | Director Global Digital Experience @Ecco
Who’s Really in Control?
Algorithms shape what we watch, buy, believe—and even who we become. What once felt like distant science fiction has quietly become everyday reality.
In this keynote, Karolina Boremalm, ponders how our pursuit of perfection and efficiency has led us to surrender more control to systems than we realize.
From curated playlists and “perfect partner” apps to AI-generated models and algorithmic feeds, she explores how invisible design decisions influence our choices, our creativity, and our sense of self.
It’s an invitation to pause and reflect on the balance between human intuition and machine intelligence—and to consider what it truly means to design for, and with, humans in an age of algorithms.
Emma Craig | Head Of Research And Content Design @Miro
how AI-driven ways of working will shape the next wave of successful UX teams
AI is reshaping how work happens and expanding what’s possible for any one person, team, and organization to accomplish. As roles become more fluid, and skills more self-directed and transferable, traditional career growth models are quickly becoming outdated. In parallel, shrinking budgets, leaner teams, and increased pressure to move fast means that leaders must scale their team's impact without additional time or headcount.
In this keynote, I’ll explore how AI-driven ways of working will shape the next wave of successful UX teams, and how leaders can prepare to guide their teams through this profound shift in roles, expectations, and growth paths. We’ll look at how UX teams can adapt and thrive by embracing experimentation, iteration, and human-centered AI practices.
This talk isn’t just for leaders - it’s for anyone eager to future-proof their craft, amplify their impact, and navigate change with curiosity and confidence. I’ll share practical ways to work smarter with AI, inspire adoption across teams, and build the kind of resilience that unlocks both personal growth and product excellence.
Jeroen van Geel | Independent Creative Strategist
Curiosity Unleashed The Key To True Innovation
Companies, and people alike, often gravitate towards stability, aiming to control every aspect of their journey. This leads them to rely on tried-and-true design patterns, technical solutions, and preferences that have a proven track record. Consequently, our landscape is saturated with safe, albeit monotonous, choices.
But what if you’re driven for real change? This is precisely where the audacity to rewrite the rules comes into play. In a world where conformity is the default, we’re embarking on a journey to unveil the astonishing potential of curiosity! This talk is a tailor-made expedition for the pioneers driving products, services, and entrepreneurial endeavours.
Bart Jan Steerenberg | Lecturer @Amsterdam University Of Applied Sciences
Developing creative growth for the next generation designers
How to train designers in a rapidly changing world. How can you facilitate Future proof education? I want to show a couple of examples of projects and show how we train students in the minor Immersive environments to become immersive experience designers.
Mei Zhang | Senior Designer @Booking.com
The AI Design Toolkit: Mapping Design Methods with Gen AI Technology
Even with the rapid development of Generative AI tools, one fundamental truth remains: the core process of human-centered design thinking: from Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test, leading to Iterate.
The designer is now, more than ever, the strategic gatekeeper. Our core value lies in defining the right methods for any given problem space. Knowing how to leverage Gen AI efficiently to execute these methods is a crucial competitive advantage today.
Are you looking for a practical guide on which Gen AI technologies to use for which design methods, and how to apply them? Then come to my talk and unlock The AI Design Toolkit. You will learn how to integrate AI in each design thinking phase throughout the entire design process, ensuring you focus on solving the right problem.
Jean Jacques Sliepen | AI Consultant & Founder @Optmzr.ai
Start from Zero: Trust Yourself, Not the Process
I’ll challenge UX professionals to abandon their sacred cows — the design process we’ve been preaching for a decade — and embrace a more uncomfortable truth: in the AI era, your value isn’t in following steps. It’s in knowing when something is worth building.
Expect a reality check on how tools have changed the game, why the double-diamond never really produced great work, and what separates designers who thrive from those who get left behind. I’ll share frameworks for 10x thinking instead of 10% optimization, and make a case for why intuition — that dirty word — might be your most valuable skill.
This talk isn’t just for senior designers — it’s for anyone who’s felt the ground shifting beneath their role and wants to know where to stand next. You won’t get a new process to follow. You’ll get permission to trust yourself. “Don’t trust the process. Trust yourself.”
Ivo van Hulten | Director Of UX @Porsche
The Future Of Driver Experience At Porsche
I will bring a sneak-peek into our UX/UI Design-Lab in Weissach, Germany. Here we design and develop the next generation of Porsche cars and its typical “Driver Experience Design”.
I will explain how we set-up a holistic design approach, while carefully maintaining our strong brand-DNA. Showcasing the way, we translate our brand values into a systematic and modern design approach.
Alain Dujardin | Creative Director @Greenberry
Designing with, not for: A co-design mindset for societal impact
In the face of complex societal challenges, designing *for* people is simply not enough. It’s about designing *with* them. Join Alain Dujardin, creative director at design agency Greenberry, as he shares firsthand experiences and essential insights from over a decade of co-design projects aimed at meaningful societal change. Alain will uncover practical strategies for creating truly inclusive digital experiences by placing users at the heart of the design process.
Through inspiring stories—from tackling eating disorders to preventing youth violence—he'll show how deeply listening, embracing diverse perspectives, creatively shaping research methods, and making feedback central are keys to creating solutions that matter.
He will also reflect on how AI can creatively amplify co-design processes, highlighting both its potential and the pitfalls to be aware of. Expect an honest exploration into both successes and setbacks, and leave equipped to bring this powerful, collaborative mindset into your own UX practice.
Julia Bastian | VP Of Product @Alasco
From Lagging Metrics to Leading Decisions
In B2B, sales often drives product choices, not because it is best but because product teams lack timely data. Unlike B2C, B2B data is sparse and delayed, leaving PMs reactive instead of leading.
This keynote shows how to change that. You will learn four actions to strengthen product leadership, centered on using qualitative data for faster insight and organizational learning, the real unlock for product-led growth in complex B2B environments.
Katarina Bagherian | Customer Insights & Experience Leader
The Human Advantage for the Future of UX
Our industry is racing towards automation and along with it, pressure is mounting for UX specialists to become ‘do-it-all’ generalists in many organizations.
Leveraging AI is critical to transitioning to generalist roles, but what skills will make the UX generalist not only effective, but also essential to businesses? Drawing upon cases from a variety of industries, we’ll explore how core human characteristics underpin the most powerful skills in the UX professional’s toolkit.
We’ll dive into how curiosity is critical for turning user insights into winning business strategies, how genuine connections rally stakeholders to take action, and caring to deeply listen uncovers opportunities to apply your skillset well beyond the product org. This isn't a talk about UX surviving the future; it's about leading it and having the courage to double down on the qualities that only humans have.
Henk Haaima | Creative Director @Total Design
Are AI agents taking over UX?
With the rapid advent of AI agents, we are increasingly delegating the tasks of viewing and navigating web pages. They browse, click, and make decisions on our behalf.
This transformation has major implications for traditional user interfaces and accessibility standards, as digital experiences are shifting focus from human users to AI agents.
What happens to User Experience Design (UX) when users can largely bypass the carefully crafted interfaces created by design teams?
Karolina Boremalm | Director Global Digital Experience @Ecco
Who’s Really in Control?
Algorithms shape what we watch, buy, believe—and even who we become. What once felt like distant science fiction has quietly become everyday reality.
In this keynote, Karolina Boremalm, ponders how our pursuit of perfection and efficiency has led us to surrender more control to systems than we realize.
From curated playlists and “perfect partner” apps to AI-generated models and algorithmic feeds, she explores how invisible design decisions influence our choices, our creativity, and our sense of self.
It’s an invitation to pause and reflect on the balance between human intuition and machine intelligence—and to consider what it truly means to design for, and with, humans in an age of algorithms.
Emma Craig | Head Of Research And Content Design @Miro
how AI-driven ways of working will shape the next wave of successful UX teams
AI is reshaping how work happens and expanding what’s possible for any one person, team, and organization to accomplish. As roles become more fluid, and skills more self-directed and transferable, traditional career growth models are quickly becoming outdated. In parallel, shrinking budgets, leaner teams, and increased pressure to move fast means that leaders must scale their team's impact without additional time or headcount.
In this keynote, I’ll explore how AI-driven ways of working will shape the next wave of successful UX teams, and how leaders can prepare to guide their teams through this profound shift in roles, expectations, and growth paths. We’ll look at how UX teams can adapt and thrive by embracing experimentation, iteration, and human-centered AI practices.
This talk isn’t just for leaders - it’s for anyone eager to future-proof their craft, amplify their impact, and navigate change with curiosity and confidence. I’ll share practical ways to work smarter with AI, inspire adoption across teams, and build the kind of resilience that unlocks both personal growth and product excellence.
Jeroen van Geel | Independent Creative Strategist
Curiosity Unleashed The Key To True Innovation
Companies, and people alike, often gravitate towards stability, aiming to control every aspect of their journey. This leads them to rely on tried-and-true design patterns, technical solutions, and preferences that have a proven track record. Consequently, our landscape is saturated with safe, albeit monotonous, choices.
But what if you’re driven for real change? This is precisely where the audacity to rewrite the rules comes into play. In a world where conformity is the default, we’re embarking on a journey to unveil the astonishing potential of curiosity! This talk is a tailor-made expedition for the pioneers driving products, services, and entrepreneurial endeavours.
