Ever wonder what it’s really like to go from being a hands-on UX designer to leading a team in Big Tech? Or maybe you’re experiencing that “fear of missing out” when you see others chasing the “dream” design job?

In this talk, Tsvetelina will share an honest look at her journey from an Individual Contributor to a Design Manager, highlighting both the positives and the tougher parts you don’t always hear about.

We’ll explore:

• The realities of climbing the UX career ladder and transitioning into management.

• How FOMO shapes our perceptions of success - and what’s the reality of being part of Big Tech

• Honest comparisons of the UX work in startups, agencies, and Big Tech, so you can figure out which path might fit you best.

Come away with practical guidance, honest reflections, and actionable strategies—minus the industry hype. Whether you’re weighing your next career move or simply curious about what it means to lead in the ever-evolving UX field, this session will help you gain clarity on how to forge your own path to success.

The topics of design and crime have often been linked together. Leveraging the belief that design can impact human behavior, it is not a stretch to believe that design decisions can also impact criminal behavior. 

In this presentation, Peter Mintchev will expand thought process beyond the purely pragmatic aspects of design to consider “crime” within the domain of design. How is transgression defined within design? How does design manage transgression within its own domain? 

From Adolf Loos's notorious article "Ornament and Crime" to today’s definitions of design patterns, systems, and processes, design is preoccupied with boundaries and definitions of right and wrong. However, venturing into the “wrong” side of things has allowed design to innovate. As UX designers today, the challenge is not only to deliver on design but also to continuously redefine the discipline. Can “crime” be looked at for inspiration?

The options for front end web development in 2025 are expansive, offering powerful features to consider, like utilising client or server components, and diverse data fetching strategies. Yet, with so many options, it is easy to become overly focused on the architectural approach and risk losing sight of our fundamental goal - user experience. This talk examines the potential downsides of prioritising one architectural approach over another - or prioritising any at all - and poses the question: as we build with these modern frameworks, should the guiding principle be the approach we take, or the quality of the user experience we deliver?

React Native is increasingly supporting the web platform. From libraries to routing patterns, everything is moving toward a more unified approach to creating user interfaces for both web and mobile at the same time. But what is the real cost of trying to achieve this, and is it the right direction overall?