Summary
The speaker opens by reflecting on being labeled 'difficult' by her best friend and reclaims it as a positive and powerful identity, connecting herself with notable 'difficult' figures like Sylvia Plath and Agatha Christie. She emphasizes that difficult people provoke change by challenging the status quo and imagining better futures. Responding to Peter's question on the role of UX professionals, she rejects external definitions and encourages the community to self-define their value by treating people as humans rather than mere users, and by bringing truth to power. She outlines the lineup of speakers who will explore facets of this challenge: Victor will challenge conventional interviewing methods for equity and inclusion; Dane will highlight the body’s role in psychology; Savina will discuss truth at the intersection of identity; Nicole will explore AI’s impact on current and future truths; Miba will present visual frameworks to advocate insights effectively; and Nini, Andy, and Robin will share practical strategies for communicating with power. Finally, Steve will provide a historical perspective to inspire future courageous practice. The talk sets a tone of collective exploration into what 'bringing truth to power' means for their craft and community.
Key Insights
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Being 'difficult' is reframed as a courageous and necessary trait for driving change and innovation in UX.
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UX professionals should reject external narratives defining their roles and instead self-define their value and purpose.
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Treating people as humans, not users or utilities, is central to ethical and impactful design practice.
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Bringing truth to power involves revealing inconvenient realities and advocating for equity and inclusion.
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Victor challenges traditional interviewing, proposing a more equitable and inclusive way to reveal truth.
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Dane highlights the connection between psychology and the body, extending understanding beyond the mind.
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Savina draws attention to complex intersections of identity as sources of deeper truths in user research.
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Nicole explores how AI's evolving truths will influence present design decisions and ethical considerations.
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Miba suggests visual frameworks as powerful tools to communicate difficult insights to decision-makers.
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Historical awareness, as presented by Steve, helps guide how UX can continue to be brave and truthful in the future.
Notable Quotes
"Difficult people change things."
"Difficult people look at the world not as it is, but as they hope it could be and should be and can be and will be."
"I’m sick and tired of other people telling us what our role is."
"We need to treat people as people, not users."
"We are not a utility. We are not a commodity. And we are not disposable."
"By bringing truth to power is how we define our value, no matter how difficult that might be."
"Difficult people are courageous and think about things differently and are not afraid to say this is wrong or it could be better."
"Truth to power could be seeing the world how it is, not how we want it to be, and standing firm to make sure those voices are heard."
"It’s honestly like a sci-fi novel. It’s brilliant."
"We’re figuring it out together, starting that difficult conversation."
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