UXCE 2019
This year marked the 10th anniversary of UXcamp Europe. Starting in 2009 as the first German User Experience Barcamp, the event already had an international focus the following year due to its great success. Over the years, it has become an institution for European User Experience professionals.
UXcamp Europe 19 – Review
Saturday Morning: Kicking Off with Energy and Ideas
The event began with a warm welcome from the organizing team, setting the tone for a weekend of collaboration and learning. Attendees gathered in anticipation as the session board quickly filled up with discussions, workshops, and talks covering a variety of UX-related topics. With over 100 sessions conducted over two days, participants had a wealth of opportunities to engage in practical, theoretical, and future-oriented discussions. As the sessions began, engaging conversations took the spotlight. Eric Reiss’s talk, “Be a Community, Don’t Be a Tribe” highlighted the importance of fostering inclusivity in digital design. Wieland Kloimstein’s presentation, “Comics & UX” connected the art of storytelling in comics to its valuable lessons in UX design. Crisse Küttler’s session, “Speculative Experience: Design Thinking for Future Scenarios” delved into how past sci-fi ideas have shaped our current realities and introduced tools like the Future Radar to help us foresee design needs for the coming decades. The workshops offered hands-on experiences, such as one focused on clustering sticky notes. This session illustrated how organizing research insights with clear descriptions and meaningful groupings can significantly improve usability findings. Another workshop showcased (rapid) paper prototyping, emphasizing how quickly and affordably design concepts can be iterated in a short amount of time.
Saturday Morning: Deepening the UX Discussions
Over two days participants contributed one hundred and ten talks, workshops, and discussions. Some were polished presentations that filled the large auditorium, some were small and intimate affairs. Some spoke to universal ideas in our field, some examined very niche topics. Some presenters routinely speak at large conferences, some dared to do so for their very first time. All were great.
The range of session topics speaks to the diversity of the community and to the maturity of User Experience as a discipline. We covered the spectrum from beginner questions like user research and usability to advanced issues like digital transformation and strategic design. We covered many points of influence designers have in their work, from shaping a product to developing a strategy to leading a team to deciding on ethical implications. We covered a wide array of outcomes, be it services, websites, apps, voice interfaces, augmented reality, or physical environments. And we covered a diverse range of industries, including commerce, healthcare, urban planning, and humanitarian aid.
The sessions are the one thing we never plan for and never want to plan, and we were just blown away by every single one.
Wrapping Up
As the final sessions wrapped up, attendees reflected on the wealth of knowledge shared over the weekend. The event’s success was made possible by a dedicated volunteer organizing team, generous sponsors, and the free venue at Humboldt University. Sustainability was a key focus this year, with reusable coffee cups and glass bottles reducing waste.
The event concluded with the traditional UXcamp Europe closing session, where organizers expressed gratitude to all participants, sponsors, and contributors. As attendees left, the energy of the event remained, reflecting the passion and dedication of the UX community.
We said this before but it bears repeating: UXcamp Europe is a one-of-a-kind event with a one-of-a-kind community. Don’t take this for granted and don’t forget to enjoy every moment of it!
Looking Forward to the Next UXcamp
As always, UXcamp Europe was a platform where professionals and enthusiasts came together to share knowledge, learn, and build connections. The event reaffirmed the power of a self-organized, community-driven approach to learning and networking in UX. With preparations already underway for the next edition, the tradition continues, ensuring another year of inspiring sessions, collaborative discussions, and a celebration of the evolving UX field.
See you next time
