I hate "It depends"! Organisations are complex but I believe that if you resort to it depends it means that you haven't explained it properly or you don't understand it. Having run UXDX for over 6 years I am using the knowledge from hundreds of case studies to create the UXDX model - an opinionated, principle-driven model that will help organisations change their ways of working without "It depends".
Upcoming Talks
11 May 2026
AI can now generate most of the code in a product, but speed comes with a risk: messy architecture, security gaps, and technical debt that makes teams slower over time.
In this workshop, Rory breaks down the architecture basics every non developer needs when building with AI.
You will learn how to think about modularisation, security and scale so that prompt built apps do not turn into brittle, non maintainable systems.
As designers and developers converge and single builders can ship full products, knowing what to protect, how to structure work, and where debt hides has become a core leadership skill.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Spot the most common architecture mistakes in AI generated products before they become expensive to fix
- Apply simple modularisation patterns that keep features decoupled and easier to change
- Define baseline security checks and guardrails for prompt to production workflows
- Ask better technical questions and review AI output with more confidence, even if you do not code
- Create a lightweight architecture checklist to keep fast shipping scalable over time
11 May 2026
AI can now generate most of the code in a product, but speed comes with a risk: messy architecture, security gaps, and technical debt that makes teams slower over time.
In this workshop, Rory breaks down the architecture basics every non developer needs when building with AI.
You will learn how to think about modularisation, security and scale so that prompt built apps do not turn into brittle, non maintainable systems.
As designers and developers converge and single builders can ship full products, knowing what to protect, how to structure work, and where debt hides has become a core leadership skill.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- Spot the most common architecture mistakes in AI generated products before they become expensive to fix
- Apply simple modularisation patterns that keep features decoupled and easier to change
- Define baseline security checks and guardrails for prompt to production workflows
- Ask better technical questions and review AI output with more confidence, even if you do not code
- Create a lightweight architecture checklist to keep fast shipping scalable over time
12 May 2026
For years, product teams have been structured around managing four core risks: desirability, usability, feasibility, and viability. We decomposed these risks across roles; product managers to define value, designers to ensure quality, engineers to deliver solutions, and leaders to manage trade-offs.
That model worked when execution was the bottleneck.
But AI has fundamentally changed the cost of building. Prototyping, designing, and developing are faster and more accessible than ever. The four risks haven’t disappeared, but they’ve become easier to address in isolation, and harder to align across.
The result is a new constraint: coordination.
- In this talk, Rory Madden explores how each of the four risks is evolving in the age of AI, why the systems we built to manage them are now holding us back, and what high-performing teams are doing differently.
- Because the teams that win won’t be the ones with the most AI.
- They’ll be the ones that removed the most coordination.
12 May 2026
28 May 2026
An overview of UXDX, the purpose of the conference and what to expect over the coming days.
28 May 2026
AI isn’t coming. It’s already reshaping how products are built.
It writes code, generates designs, synthesises research, and compresses workflows that used to span teams and weeks into minutes. It removes friction—and with it, many of the traditional boundaries between roles.
But it doesn’t just accelerate output. It exposes it.
When execution becomes abundant, the bottleneck shifts.
From building → to deciding what’s worth building.
From producing artefacts → to exercising judgment.
From process → to understanding.
This is not the end of product, design, or engineering.
But it is the end of operating at the surface.
In this session, we’ll examine what actually changes when AI becomes embedded in the way we work—not from a hype perspective, but from the realities teams are already facing.
We’ll explore how roles evolve when tools can do the work, where depth still matters, and what differentiates teams that get better with AI from those that simply move faster.
- Why AI exposes every discipline in product development
- Why both shallow generalists and narrow specialists are increasingly vulnerable
- How team structures shift when handoffs disappear and individuals can execute across domains
- What “depth” really means when output is cheap and instant
- How to rethink generalist vs specialist when AI fills capability gaps but not judgment
- Which skills, mental models, and fundamentals compound, and which decay
28 May 2026
Past Talks
19 May 2025
As product leaders transition into executive roles, the shift isn’t just about strategy—it’s about redefining influence, decision-making, and impact at scale.
Join Rhiannon White, CEO of Clue and former CPO, as she shares her journey from leading product to running the entire organization.
In this fireside chat, Rhiannon will explore how her perspective on product, leadership, and business outcomes has evolved, the unexpected challenges of stepping into the CEO role, and how product thinking shapes her approach to company-wide decision-making.
Whether you're a senior product leader eyeing the next step or curious about how product experience translates to broader leadership, this session will provide candid insights into navigating this career transition successfully.
19 May 2025
Have you spent week's pulling together the data to make a compelling case for changing your processes or adopting a new way of working. Your manager congratulates you on doing a great job and everyone is on board.
But then nothing happens.
It's clear that we will make more money or save more costs if we go for it but there are always competing priorities and deadlines that seem to trump your change.
We'll talk through why this is happening, and what you can do about it.
13 May 2025
Have you spent week's pulling together the data to make a compelling case for changing your processes or adopting a new way of working. Your manager congratulates you on doing a great job and everyone is on board.
But then nothing happens.
It's clear that we will make more money or save more costs if we go for it but there are always competing priorities and deadlines that seem to trump your change.
We'll talk through why this is happening, and what you can do about it.