Top UX Research Conferences to Attend in 2019
Global conferences dedicated to the practice of user research.
Check out the latest list of UX research conferences in 2020 to attend.
There’s never been a better time for UX research than now. Many companies are hiring UX researchers for the first time, companies with existing research teams are expanding, and executives are increasingly turning to UX research to understand their customers. Conferences are popping up to support the growing need for professional development in user research.
As such, the following list contains conferences dedicated to the UX research practice, for an audience of UX researchers. Hot topics for 2019 include research in new technologies, multidisciplinary collaboration, accessibility, and research leadership. Find a great conference that fits your budget and schedule below!
QRCA 2019
January 30 — February 1, 2019
Savannah, Georgia
$1,545 (student ticket $625)
The Qualitative Research Consultants Association Conference boasts “high quality, cutting-edge learning from the best in the industry, with an emphasis on real-world methodologies, technologies, advice and insights to put into practice immediately”.
Come see keynote presenter Dr. Carmen Simon, Cognitive Neuroscientist and found of Memzy, talk about the neuroscience of memorable messages. Afterwards consider participating in one of many round table conversations on topics ranging from “UX: the Lab and Beyond” to “Difficult Recruits.”
X4: The Experience Management Summit
March 5–8, 2019
Salt Lake City, Utah
$1,399 ($999 earlybird ticket)
X4 covers all areas of experience research that routinely fall under the umbrella of UX Researchers: customer experience, product experience, brand experience, and (yes!) employee experience. Because researchers are partnering and embedding with more teams in organizations, this conference is a one-stop-shop for the industry practitioner.
Come see this stacked line up that includes UXR heavy hitters, as well as experience leaders from around the globe. Speakers include Amy Lokey (VP of User Experience, Google), Radha Subramanyam (Chief Research Officer, CBS), Peter Gilks (Director of Product Insights, Spotify), and keynote speaker Oprah Winfrey.
Design Research 2019
March 13–15, 2019
Sydney, Australia
$350–750
This conference is upping its game this year by tackling the hottest topics of the year: research ops, creating new research methods, and ensuring the research done positively affects the user experience.
Come see consummate speaker Steve Portigal (who has been making the rounds in the UXR circuit) will be delivering the keynote to kick off the event. Additional speakers include Dalia El-Shimy (UX Research Lead, Shopify), Gerard Hogan (Senior Manager Research & Insights, Westpac Group), and Nicole Fernandez (Senior UX Researcher, Google).
#gamesUR US
March 19, 2019
San Francisco, California
$70 — $200
User research plays an important role in creating captivating, climactic games. This year’s #gamesUR conference features keynote speaker Randy Pagulayan, PhD, Director of Xbox Research at Microsoft, and topics ranging from narrative usability, female perspectives, and UX research in pre-production.
UXinsight: “Looking Ahead”
April 3–4, 2019
Utrecht, The Netherlands
€335
The third annual UXinsight conference features the theme “Looking Ahead: explore the exciting future of UX research through three lenses: How, Why, Who?”. This event gives the community a chance to delve into the the long-term strategic importance of UX research.
Keynote speaker Steve Portigal will be speaking about helping teams plan strategically for user research. Additional speakers include Els Dragt, Trend Researcher at How to Research Trends, and Raz Schwartz, UX Research Manager at Facebook.
People Nerds
May 1, 2019
San Francisco, CA
Free
dscout’s first ever event is coming to San Francisco! This day-long conference features keynote speaker Sarah Koenig of NPR’s Serial podcast, as well as Danielle Krettek (founder, Google Empathy Lab), Aryel Cianflone (host, Mixed Methods podcast) and more.
Strive: The 2019 UX Research Conference
June 6–7, 2019
Toronto, Canada
$499 (main stage only) to $698 (main stage and tracks) (CAD)
This Canadian meetup-group-turned-conference is making big waves in the UX research community. Coming back for the second time in Toronto, #UXRConf is dedicated to “bringing together researchers, designers and product people for listening, learning, and conversation about UX research.” If you want to be in the thick of a fast-growing community, this is the conference for you!
Speakers include Vivianne Castillo (Salesforce, UX Research), Kate Towsey (Atlassian, Research Ops), and Christina Janzer (Director of Research & Analytics, Slack).
GOOD19
June 27, 2019
London, UK
£300 (£200 for early bird ticket)
GOOD19 aims to “bring together design researchers from around the world to share experiences and jointly reflect on organizations, economies and societies in transition — and particularly on the strategic roles design researchers play in helping to make these changes happen.” Come for a lively discussion, stay for User Research London the following day!
User Research London
June 28, 2019
London, UK
£300 (Super early bird ticket £150 through January 31)
“A conference by UX researchers for UX researchers” — this is the creme de la creme of conferences, and a top choice to attend if you want to listen to cutting edge UX research talks. Previous topics include the timely “making your research GDPR proof” and ever-important “is your research usable?”
Come see research legend Tomer Sharon speak (Head of Research & Metrics, Goldman Sachs), alongside Dalia El-Shimy (UX Research Lead, Shopify), Dave Hora (Principal at Dave’s Research Company), and Bill Albert (Executive Director of the UX Center at Bentley University).
User Research Atlanta
September 2020 (exact dates TBD)
Atlanta, Georgia
$cost
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Radical Research Summit
September 27, 2019
Vancouver, Canada
Price unknown
Radical Research Summit is a one-track day guaranteed to delight research professionals. Judd Antin, Director of Research at Airbnb which has over 100 researchers across functions, will kick off the day with his topic “To become a Research Leader, You Have to Stop Being a Researcher”. With other speakers from a variety of companies and industries, this is conference not to be missed!
The Human Insight Summit
October 29, 2019
San Francisco, California
Cost unknown
UserTesting.com is unveiling a new conference for the first time: THiS. Promised is “UserTesting’s first multi-city customer conference — bringing together UX pros, researchers, designers, product teams, digital teams, marketers, and executives focused on creating great experiences built on deep customer empathy and human insight.” Come one, come all!
EPIC2019
November 10–13, 2019
Rhode Island, US
Price $800; student discount available upon request
Coming to the east coast in Rhode Island, EPIC 2019 is “the premier international conference on ethnography in business”. With a variety of research to present, this conference is sure to pique the interest of any mixed methods researcher.
More conferences
The above list focuses on UX research-specific conferences. There are many other general UX conferences aimed at broader audiences around the world that include research speakers, topics and workshops.
Honorable mentions go to:
- interaction19, February 3–8, Seattle, Washington; $1500
- ConveyUX, March 13–19, Seattle, Washington; $1195
- CHI, May 4–9, Glasgow, Scotland; $400–$1400
- UXPA, June 25–27, Scottsdale, Arizona; $400–$3875
Is there a UX research-focused conference that was missed? Leave me a note in the comments.
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