The Future of Design Research

We're kicking off our first local NYC meetup by asking the oh-so-simple question "What's the future of design research?"

Inspired by a recent Fast Company article (https://www.fastcodesign.com/3063318/5-design-jobs-that-wont-exist-in-the-future) on the grim future of UI/UX and design research, we'll have a panel of designers and researchers from Microsoft, Uber, Buzzfeed, Google, and The New York Times to discuss:

• Do we agree with this way of thinking? Are our jobs really in danger of becoming irrelevant?

• How can we, or do we need to, evolve our skills to meet the needs of a changing workplace?

• How will our methodologies change and what will be prevalent in the next 10 years?

• The advantages and disadvantages of algorithms, machine learning, and virtual reality in designing for humans.

• The roles of design and research - do each have a clear role or is a hybrid of the two the future?

• And much more!

The details:

6:30-7pm - meet & greet (wine/beer/pizza provided)

7:00-8pm - panel followed by Q&A

8-8:30pm - wrap-up & more mingling

The panel:

Melissa Pak, Design Researcher @ Uber (UberEats)

Miles Fitzgerald, Senior Designer @ Microsoft (Outlook mobile)

Tom Harman, Design Manager @ Buzzfeed

Amanda Gelb, UX Researcher @ Google (Virtual Reality)

Juliette Melton, Director of User Insight + Strategy @ The New York Times

Moderated by:

Becca Hare, Design Researcher @ Microsoft (Outlook)