We've highlighted some of the most highly-rated and best UX events as identified by our candidates and clients. Below you can find UX events in Europe, and why you should be attending! Earlier this year we looked at UI UX conferences in 2019 in the UK and Europe, but now we look ahead to UI UX Conferences 2020.
1. Interaction 20 - Milan, Italy
2–7 Feb 2020
What they say:
“Interaction 20 – A New Dawn. We are working in an era with ever-evolving contexts and boundaries. The results have far-reaching impact, unexpected benefits, and consequences. We will explore the meaning and evolution of interaction design by hearing from the brightest minds in design, as well as science, philosophy, psychology and even industry.”
What we say:
"Not just one of the best UX events in Europe, this week-long conference; comprising workshops and interactive talks, is situated in the Milano Convention Centre. This is part of an urban project including buildings and installations from the likes of Zaha Hadid, Daniel Libeskind, and Arata Isozaki, so you will be sure to garner inspiration from the event space."
2. The UX Conference 2020 - London, United Kingdom
2nd March 2020
What they say:
“The UX Conference 2020: Design conference that’s not about trends & buzzwords, but collaboration between designers. Whilst it’s popular to talk about the latest trends, our conferences have been focusing on what we think is the most challenging part of design – communication between each other: internal company politics, presenting the value of design and speaking the same language with different stakeholders.”
What we say:
"The impressive array of speakers and contributors makes this event one not to miss! With the theme set as “Collaboration between UX, UI & Content Designers”, and talks from Transport for London, OpenTable, Dyson, Nike, Airbnb, Shopify, InVision and others, this event offers an insight into the day-to-day workings of these companies concerning UX."
3. Customer + User Experience Expo - London, United Kingdom
8–19 Mar 2020
What they say:
"The ultimate destination to optimise your CX & UX strategy. The C&UX Expo is the hub for CX and UX professionals to discover the latest technologies, ideas, and strategies guiding the future of CX and UX. With CX becoming the main brand differentiator in the coming years, The C&UX Expo offers you the chance to meet innovative exhibitors, attend leading keynote seminars and network with thousands of other like-minded professionals.”
What we say:
“The integration between Customer and User Experience is addressed practically and interestingly. With several different types of visitors attending, this is set to be an informative conference, offering a broad spectrum of opinions. There will be CX Leaders, CTOs, UX Strategists, Content Managers, UX Designers, Analysts, Software Developers, and Engineers, etc.
4. UX Copenhagen 2020 - Copenhagen, Denmark
30–31 Mar 2020
What they say:
“What is “influence” in UX? This is the subject we have given our speakers for 2020: “Influence & Designing for Good”. Some of the subjects you will be hearing about are DesignOps, privilege, tech for social good, futures thinking, ethical OS, designing against domestic violence, and maybe even rocket science!”
What we say:
“A really positive angle with designers discussing the ethics behind their decision-making, designing for domestic abuse, designing for Good in Action and an interesting-sounding discussion on why designers should “STOP Evangelizing UX – And What to Do Instead”
5. Krupa UI/UX Conference - Kyiv, Ukraine
3–6 Apr 2020
What they say:
“The biggest interface design conference in Eastern Europe. Previous speakers include Alan Cooper, Don Norman, Vitaly Friedman, and others. This year organizers aim to outperform themselves, adding two days of professional activities, like hackathons, workshops, and meetups, on top of the main event. Lineup and price TBA.”
What we say:
“With relatively little information available online about the upcoming Krupa UX conference, we are not 100% on this one, but the promise of the additional “two days of professional activities, like hackathons, workshops, and meetups, on top of the main event”, this could be something exciting and different. We suggest you follow the event for more information.”
6. User-Centred Design Healthcare - Amsterdam, Netherlands
24-26th June 2020
What they say:
“User-Centred Design Healthcare Amsterdam aims to make a difference because a better design is needed in the healthcare industry. From clinicians, healthcare insurances to hospital equipment manufacturers - we aim to help healthcare across the world to implement the best user experiences possible. This conference will bring together designers, practitioners, clinicians, technologists and thought leaders linked by a common belief and a shared obsession.”
What we say:
“There is a range of perspectives from across various healthcare companies and various educational faculties, including the NHS, Blue Latitude Health, Diagnostic Robotics, SeaChange, Goldsmiths University, Melbourne School of Government, etc. This varied group will certainly give those in the field of Healthcare UX, an interesting and informative event.”
7. UXLX: User Experience - Lisbon, Portugal
19–22 May 2020
What they say:
"Europe’s greatest training event.
UXLx is Europe’s greatest training event, jam-packed with 22 hands-on workshops and 10 inspirational talks from world-class industry speakers. Get together with 500 people from all around the world in sunny Lisbon to boost your skills, be inspired and share new ideas. Join us for an amazing learning experience!”
What we say:
“You can gain relevant takeaways from workshops across Design, Research and Strategy; such as “Strategic Writing for UX”, “When Research Meets Reality”, and “Information Architecture of Artificial Intelligence”. The focus is on practical, actionable information, so this could really shape your day-to-day work.
8. UXcamp Europe - Berlin, Germany
30–31 May 2020
What they say:
“We are one of the largest BarCamps for User Experience Professionals with 500+ active participants from all over the world and meet in Berlin once a year. The event is held since 2009, planned by a team of local UX enthusiasts and run during the weekend by all our participants.”
What we say:
“This UX conference is different from other UX events or conferences in its intense approach but some people only learn by doing, so this will be great for those willing to be active participants.”
9. UX STRAT Europe 2020 - Amsterdam, Netherlands
29 Jun – 1 Jul 2020
What they say:
“UX STRAT is a user experience design conference that brings together design leaders, strategists, user researchers, design-focused data scientists, product managers, and experienced design professionals from many nations for presentations and workshops about the latest trends at the intersection of business strategy, user experience, product design, and service design. UX STRAT Europe 2020 will take place in Amsterdam on June 29 - July 1, 2020.”
What we say:
“With some of the workshops hosted by Miriam Elsst, an expert in LEGO® Serious Play® methodologies, Game-Based Learning and a master in Group Facilitation Processes, this UX conference will inspire new thinking. Her workshop is described as “using 3D modeling to visualize abstract ideas...being very powerful. Especially the conversations that happen during the process.” Other speakers come from the likes of VMWare, Google, Informatica, etc.”
10. User Research - London, United Kingdom
26th June 2020
What they say:
“Created by UX Researchers for UX Researchers.” Tipped as one of the best UX Research conferences in 2019, this research-specific event offers a varied range of perspectives for any UX Researcher to garner value from." For more information about what’s coming up, sign up to the mailing list here.
What we say:
“Take a look at last year’s set up. This UX Research event focuses on how UX Research integrates with the rest of the company and operationalising research”
11. ProductCamp 2020 - Gdynia, Poland
17–20 Jun 2020
What they say:
“ProductCamp 2020 is the biggest Product & UX Conference in Central & Eastern Europe, taking place in the beautiful city of Gdynia on the Polish seaside. We focus on all facets of digital product design & management. We started as a local initiative in 2014 and grew into one of the most important product design events in the region.”
What we say:
“Historically, there has been an impressive line-up of speakers, including Frog, Revolut, Lego, Zalando, Minecraft, Dropbox, UEFA, Fjord, Accenture, Adobe, and Sketch, and the structure is such that you can decide on how much you want to contribute, with the talks on the 17th June, Workshops on the 18th and BarCamp presentations on the 19th June.”
12. Car HMI Europe - Berlin, Germany
22–23 Jun 2020
What they say:
“The Annual Car HMI Europe is a well-established international knowledge exchange platform bringing together all stakeholders playing an active role in the technical and design field for automotive HMI and UX development. In 2.5 days you will get the chance to discuss opportunities as well as challenges in HMI and UX development that lie ahead of the automotive industry. The event provides you with precise insights into new business use cases, concepts, technical challenges, and innovations while offering you the chance to discuss specific roadmaps for “Future HMIs & UX Redefined”.
What we say:
“Not for every UX Designer, but if you are in the world of automotive user experience & human-machine interaction development, this is an insightful and varied event, including “matchmaker” networking, live project analysis, benchmarking, a keynote speaker and awards.”
As UX recruiters, we make it our business to know our markets in great detail.
We’ve identified user experience research and design events and conferences which will include full days of talks, workshops, live project analyses, BarCamps, etc.
We’d love to hear more about what you deem to be the best UX events and conferences, so leave a comment below to let us know and we’ll add it to the list.
