UXcamp Europe 22: 400 UX professionals gathered in Berlin

On the first weekend in June, UX professionals from around the world gathered in Berlin to share their passion for UX through inspiring sessions, one-on-one conversations, live music, and a festive atmosphere. UXcamp Europe is the largest unconference for UX professionals in Europe. Unconference? Exactly! Lectures and monotonous presentations have no place here. At an unconference, every participant actively contributes and has the opportunity to pitch their own idea in 30 seconds. The other participants can vote by a show of hands to express their interest. This results in well-rounded sessions that everyone is genuinely excited about.

The UX&I team was represented by several speakers and presented exciting topics: UX mentor and product coach Hias Wrba organized a fishbowl session on the “UX love triangle” and ways to navigate it, as well as a presentation on why the best strategy is to have a strategy. Manuel Stieglitz-Hartmann, Senior UX/UIE Consultant, and Christian Korff, Senior UX Consultant, explained UX&I’s sociocratic circle-based organization to the participants. Senior UX Consultant Nikolaus Stemmer led a discussion on working with stakeholders and navigating management mindsets as a UX professional.

The weekend focused on the current state of the industry and UX trends. Another key theme that ran throughout UXcamp Europe 22 was people: Topics ranging from mental health in the workplace to inclusion were discussed, issues that extend far beyond UX. Here’s an overview.

The next level of empathy

How can we better understand our customers, and thus make the right decisions? While the topic of stakeholder mapping and management is not new, there is often a lack of the necessary depth and fundamental understanding, which is why these topics were of great interest.

Be positive instead of complaining

UX is often undervalued in companies. That’s just how it is. But instead of complaining about it, the young and up-and-coming field of UX should be brought “to the people” and show where the wheat is separated from the chaff: because not everyone can do UX, even though it may seem that way.

Self-respect

Mental health, burnout, depression: how has the pandemic affected us over the past two and a half years? UXcamp Europe 22 also served as a platform for open and personal discussions on mindfulness and the importance of recognizing warning signs of mental health issues in colleagues.

Same, but different

Inclusion, fairness, sustainability, and intercultural communication have become common themes at UX and product conferences in recent years and were also a major focus at UXcamp Europe 22. Special attention was given to the topic of sustainability, particularly through the 14-year-old activist Krish Ghosh from Berlin and his appeal regarding soil degradation: Our soil is turning into sand on a massive scale, which has a major impact on the global food supply.

Fourteen-year-old Berlin activist Krish Ghosh talks about soil degradation in front of a chalkboard reading “Save Soil by Krish Ghosh” at UXcamp Europe 2022 — 14-year-old activist Krish Ghosh from Berlin and his appeal regarding soil depletion

How do we want to work?

Everyone is talking about “New Work,” but what is it, really? People are increasingly thinking about what truly matters to them before accepting a job. Traditional incentives, such as a good salary, are taking a back seat, while hybrid work models and greater self-organization within companies are becoming more and more popular.

Christian Korff of UX&I explaining the sociocratic circle organization in front of a chalkboard with concentric circles at UXcamp Europe 22 — Christian Korff explains the sociocratic circle-based organization of UX&I

Next year, UXcamp Europe will take place from June 3, 2023, to June 4, 2023, and will once again feature discussions on the latest topics from the industry and society with UX enthusiasts from around the world. Participation is free. See you in Berlin!