Instructional Design

**Accessibility Allies monthly roundtable** 2nd Tuesday of each month Proudly supported by [Builure](https://www.linkedin.com/company/builure/posts/) **Topic for June: GAAD reflection over a hot drink** Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) was last month. Which events did you attend? Who did you meet? What did you learn? Wear your favourite warm scarf and join us for a chat over a warm drink. Meet accessibility professionals and advocates. * No presentations * Open discussion * Exchange ideas * Genuine connections **Tuesday 9 June 2026** **5:30 pm - 7:30 pm** Free Light refreshments provided (incl vegetarian and GF) **Location: WeWork** **120 Spencer Street, Melbourne** * Quiet exclusive space * Wheelchair access * Accessible toilet This is a secure building so **[registration via Humanitix](https://events.humanitix.com/a11y-allies-2026-06) is essential** Please contact us if you have any accessibility needs or questions about this event. **Building Entry** Enter via the entrance on Spencer or Little Collins Street after 5pm. Meet near the green chairs in the lobby. Post a message in this event if you're running late and need access to the event after 5:45pm.

Note: This is a notification only. Please register for the meetup on our Luma page here: **[https://luma.com/2ie8qq06](https://luma.com/2ie8qq06)** More details on the Luma page. ***PLEASE NOTE: Doors lock at 6pm so please try to get there prior. We will have someone downstairs to let others in but that will be for a short period.*** We are back folks! Back in Melbourne, with a new name and new mission but still focused on the tech. If you didn't know we are the former Aus DeFi Association but now focused on the broader digital economy umbrella so the change to the Aus Blockchain & AI Network makes sense. This event will cover both technologies with stories from builders, infrastructure providers and a whole lot of networking. Thanks to our friends at Mantel Group for this and to Andrew and Zach who are helping to lead our group down there. We'll see visits from our President, Mark Monfort and Community Lead, Lydia Ward, coming down from Sydney. More details to come as we sort out presenters but hope to see you there in early June. Here's our replay from our most recent event in April in Sydney if you missed it. **[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEIxbj4H1nw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fluma.com%2F](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEIxbj4H1nw&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fluma.com%2F)** Stay tuned as we announce guests and updates and you'll be able to get more info as a member of Aus Blockchain & AI Network. Check out the website and sign in to see the Events page which will have more details about speakers added as we update (see [www.ausblockai.network](https://www.ausblockai.network)). Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn from the best and brightest in the blockchain & AI community while expanding your network in a fun and relaxed environment. Register now and join us for an unforgettable evening! NOTICE OF FILMING. By entering this space and by your presence here, you consent to be photographed, filmed and/or otherwise recorded. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, filming, and/or recording and to any use of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever, including for marketing, advertising, and promotional purposes by Aus Blockchain & AI Network without compensation, in any and all media throughout the universe in perpetuity.

Come along and join in a relaxed evening of dev and tech talk, drinks and dinner. Special adhoc social night for WWDC!

Are you looking for an opportunity to learn more about Buddhism and meditation? Come and join us for our regular Buddhist meditation sessions every Tuesday. Every session will start with a short introductory and will be followed by a guided, 20 - 30 minute meditation. Feel free to join us after the session for some social time and questions and answers. The evening is free of charge, but donations are always welcome. More info can be found here: https://diamondway.org.au/centres/melbourne

How to take control of your subconscious and harness its power! 🎟️ FREE ADMISSION - [Book Here](https://unlockthepowerofthesubconsciousmindmelbourne.as.me/schedule/175b7acb?ref=fb_integration) We're looking forward to you joining us for an eye-opening lecture where the speaker will break down complex ideas in a clear and practical way. You'll gain insights into: ✅ The true definition of the subconscious ✅ How it generates unwanted emotions ✅ Its real purpose and function ✅ What determines the pressure it exerts on you But this isn't just another lecture where you sit and listen passively. It's interactive and engaging - you can ask questions at any time.

Hello everyone ,let me start by giving you one of my favourite quotes, "Success is an organised activity". Today we are going to be talking about Business Management . Business management at its core involves the actions of planning, organising, leadership and understanding the difference between good and bad control. We are going to be taking a look at these aspects and see how they fit into your business. An understanding and mastery of the concepts will give you an edge over others in your industry and set you up on the road to success. If for any reason you can not make it contact us on 0405 648 822, and we will organize a free one-on-one briefing with you I hope to see you there ! Cheers Tim and Pam

Learn to play pickleball with us! You'll learn the basics of pickleball; scoring, rallying, dinking and it'll be a great time overall! Sundays 9AM-10AM Wednesdays 12PM-1PM Tuesdays 6PM-7PM It's only $15 to join in, inclusive of paddle and ball hire! Lock in your spot via the link below! https://book.therallypickleball.com.au/programs/learn-to-play-pickleball-lvl-0-

🛸🛸 **The Hitchhiker's guide to redundancy: a 'mostly harmless' manual for surviving the professional void** 🛸🛸 What do you do when your career is unexpectedly demolished to make way for a corporate bypass? Too many professionals treat redundancy like the end of the universe, spiralling into the bureaucratic nebula of unemployment without a map. This session chronicles a six-month odyssey through the unknown, transforming a vulnerable period of professional upheaval into a practical, comedic survival guide. **What you’ll hear:** ✨ **How not to panic:** How to steady your ship when the corporate ground disappears beneath you ✨ **What to pack:** Cultivating the core resilience and mindsets needed to navigate sudden career transitions ✨ **Deploying your networking Babel Fish:** Translating your experience into a language the market actually understands ✨ **Navigating the bureaucratic nebula:** Managing the identity shift, the job search logistics, and the administrative void without losing your sanity ✨ **Embarking on your next chapter:** Turning an unexpected full stop into a launching pad for a career that actually fits your trajectory As long as you're packing resilience to brace the knocks (and your sense of humour), you’ll never truly be lost in space. A vulnerable, funny, and no-BS roadmap to surviving the void and finding your way back to solid ground. **👍🏼 The Speaker** ✨ **Alex Clarke** is a Product and UX designer with over 8 years of experience, who after spending years building a successful professional track record, found himself facing the ultimate corporate plot twist: sudden redundancy. Alex’s story is a highly common and relevant reality for many professionals today, as organisations face mounting economic pressures to cut costs and restructure. Alex speaks candidly, sharing raw, hilarious and deeply practical truths about what it takes to pivot after a setback. By turning his own unexpected transition into a survival guide for the current job market, Alex proves that losing a job doesn't mean losing your direction. Alex’s story has a happy ending too- as he’s happily found a new job as an Incubation Designer for Coles. Down, down, prices are down. Please. 🙏 📌 **The details:** * **Date:** 6 pm, 11 June * **Host:** Melbourne Design Thinking Meetup * **Special Guests:** Alex Clarke * **Refreshments included:** Pizza and fizz!

Too many kids as well as teenagers and adults have problems with study. Today's meetup will inform you about the basics in STUDY TECHNOLOGY that provides an understanding of the basics of learning and supplies exact ways to overcome all the pitfalls one can encounter during study. This is applicable to young children, teenagers (or their parents that are trying to help them) and adults alike. Study Technology shows how one studies in order to comprehend a subject so one can apply it. Laws on which learning is based and workable methods have also been discovered for anyone to apply for themselves or when teaching others. Too many students graduate from school and college unable to put to use what they’ve learned in school. It’s not that they’re stupid or that their teachers didn’t know how to teach. More than likely it traces back to the one thing missing from most educations—learning how to learn in the first place. We all went to school, yet isn’t it odd that no one taught us how to study? The information presented at this meetup can help anyone improve others or his own ability to learn. It is a practical tool that parents and teachers alike can use to enhance a child's study performance. You’ll learn the barriers that lie between your own or a child's education. And you will very quickly learn how to overcome them. This technology will enable you or a child to pursue any subject with skill and confidence. Teachers who have "hard to handle/distributive " or slow learners in class will absolutely love the amazing turn around most often seen in improved behaviour and student performance in class. If you or your child has difficulties at school (or learning new things at work or online) than this meetup is important to you. If you can not make it to our meetup than contact the organizer and arrange it to suit your time. This technology can if one was to live far away be taught online. (extension course) You may offcourse also opt to have this technology taught to your own child by experienced volunteeer staff or learn about this yourself and transfer this knowledge to those you want to have better grades. Yes it is possible to improve anyone's study performance. All it takes is just 5 steps. See you at this meetup. Pam

**Experience a different kind of Toastmasters club.** *Port Melbourne Toastmasters is built around **SpeakLabs**—experimental, high-impact learning environments designed to accelerate speaking growth through deliberate practice, real-time feedback, and guided experimentation.* This is not a traditional meeting format. It is a **speaking laboratory**, where ideas are tested, skills are refined in the moment, and speakers are developed through action rather than theory. Our **SpeakLab: The Experiment sessions** give prospective members a chance to experience this unique culture firsthand. You’ll observe members in action, see how feedback is delivered in real time, and experience our distinctive approach to speaker development inside a fast-paced, supportive environment. Whether you're new to public speaking or looking to elevate your speaking... Join us tonight at Port Melbourne Toastmasters to experience an innovative approach to propelling your speaking forward. *Guests, Meetup Group members, and visiting Toastmasters attend for free.* 🌐 [www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org](http://www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org) 📍 Where: Find directions [here](https://www.portmelbournetoastmasters.org/directions.html) ***Port Melbourne Toastmasters is a club for people who are serious about developing their speaking, leadership, and personal presence.*** We offer limited, curated guest sessions throughout the year for prospective members. These sessions allow you to experience our high-engagement, growth-focused environment firsthand — without open access to every meeting.

G'day! We have a 5-a-side kickoff happening **every Friday, from 6-7 pm at Rooftop Futsal @ ACU Fitzroy**! To join us, just download the Stranger Soccer app and register for free. If you're joining us for the first time, use the code **WELCOME** to book this game for free. Book your slot now and get involved. Cheers!

It's DDD but \***lightning**\*. The evening will be a hybrid event hosted by the DDD Melbourne crew and consist of short & sharp presentations of fifteen minutes in length on a dev related subject. Venue space is limited, we cannot accommodate more than **130 people**. First come first served! **ONLINE ATTENDANCE** You can join us online, we'll aim to get the call started somewhere around 6pm before we have our introductions and first speaker. Remote audience link --> [https://meet.google.com/pvg-uqer-pui](https://meet.google.com/pvg-uqer-pui) You can ask questions of our speakers via Slido. We'll try to ask your questions as they come through on Slido, but we may not get to all of them. **TALKS** **Rupesh, Quality Engineer Practice Lead at Fabric Group:** Validating AI Systems in a Probabilistic World Traditional software testing assumes deterministic behavior—the same input produces the same output every time. Modern AI systems, particularly LLMs and agentic workflows, behave differently. Responses can vary based on context, prompts, model state, and external dependencies, making conventional testing approaches insufficient. This presentation explores how organisations can establish confidence, quality, and governance for non-deterministic systems through new testing methodologies, evaluation frameworks, and observability practices. It will cover emerging tooling such as DeepEval and Botium, along with strategies for measuring accuracy, relevance, safety, hallucination risk, and user experience in AI-driven applications. **Leah Garrett** My Screen Moves Now: Notes From a Web Dev Building Robot UI I went from building web apps to building the face of a robot. In this talk I'll cover what changes when your UI has a body, from testing things you can't see in a browser to designing for a screen that won't stay still, and how AI tooling helped me get up to speed. **James Westall** No Idea What I’m Doing: Shipping Software Anyway I spent five years at uni, racked up a healthy HECS debt… and never actually graduated. I work in sales now, and my background is in Security and Windows Server infrastructure. I’ve never written a line of code anyone has paid for. Which for many, might disqualify me from building software. Apparently, not anymore. This talk is a mix of introspection and light comedy, walking through what happens when someone like me starts building and shipping with LLMs. It’s about capability vs. credibility, vibes vs. reality, and what we’re all supposed to do when the rules of “who gets to build” have quietly changed. **Gordon Chen** Building a Modern eCommerce Marketplace with AI As AI capabilities advance, what role is left for developers, and what skills should we prioritise? Drawing on over 20 years of experience in software engineering and data engineering, Gordon shares his thoughts from building a modern eCommerce marketplace with AI, tackling the shift toward spec-driven development and where human elements remain critical. **@tensorfish** "Ok claude, real-time transit map of melbourne. Make no mistakes." This talk walks through building MykiMap: a live, GPU-accelerated map of every tram, train, and bus moving across Melbourne’s transit network. Along the way, we’ll get into the agentic coding workflow: what it’s genuinely productive for, and what’s just hype.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ **CODE OF CONDUCT** All DDD events are subject to the DDD Code of Conduct available at [https://www.dddmelbourne.com/code-of-conduct/](https://www.dddmelbourne.com/code-of-conduct/) **VENUE AND FOOD SPONSOR** [Fabric Group](https://www.fabricgroup.com.au/) **FUTURE EVENTS** Are you interested in speaking at a future DDD by Night? That's awesome, we'd love to have you! We take speakers of all experience levels and offer training too. [Fill out this form](https://forms.office.com/r/12c0CvLwQk) and we'll be in touch. **FEEDBACK** Feedback, whether it's good or constructive, helps us grow and improve these events and so we'd love for you to fill out the form here --> [https://forms.office.com/r/MB8WGKv9Bi](https://forms.office.com/r/MB8WGKv9Bi)

Welcome to WWDC Week! As is tradition, Apple has scheduled WWDC to coincide with our June monthly presentation night, so join us this Thursday for the post-WWDC discussions. Thanks to Mantel Group for hosting us again this month. If you're coming in person we're there with food and drinks from 6pm. We will be live streaming the presentations as usual from 6:30pm at [http://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/live](http://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/live) \-\-\- **Agenda** \| 6:00pm \| Food \+ Networking \| \| 6:30pm \| Event begins\. Introductions \| \| 6:40pm \| WWDC Recap \| \| 6:50pm \| Luke Tupper – Supercharging multi platform development \| \| 7:20pm \| Panel discussion on the announcements at WWDC \| \| 7:55pm \| Wrap up \+ social time at a nearby venue \| \* All times are approximate. Presentation order will be confirmed on the night. \-\-\-\- We are always looking for speakers and believe everyone has an interesting talk hiding inside themselves. If you are interested in letting that talk out at a future event you can get in touch on the website [https://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/talks](https://www.melbournecocoaheads.com/talks) or on Slack.

**The Behavior Gap: Where Products Win or Lose** Teams today have more data than ever, and yet many still struggle to understand why customers adopt, engage with, or abandon their products. Teams sprint, ship faster, and chase more signals… all while metrics stall and confidence drops. The missing piece isn’t more data. It’s often the behavioral insight between the metrics, explaining why the numbers move in the first place. Dashboards can tell you what customers did, but understanding why they did it (and how to influence what they do next) requires a deeper blend of insights. This session is about closing that gap. Drawing from real-world experience designing and scaling products as [ZoCo Design](https://zocodesign.com/)’s CEO, [Lacey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) will share how to cut through the noise and identify the insights that actually change behavior—moving people, and moving metrics. You’ll learn: * Why understanding customer behavior is a quant and qual challenge * How to spot the signals that actually predict behavior change * Where AI accelerates insight, and where it creates distraction * How to get meaningfully closer to customers, without adding more tools This talk reframes how to evaluate performance and identify what levers actually improve it, helping your team to make smarter bets with greater confidence. Every meaningful outcome is driven by behavior change. And when you know how to design for behavior, you stop guessing, and start building things that work. **About Our Speaker** [Lacey Picazo](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laceypicazo/) is the Founder and CEO of ZoCo, a healthcare product studio that turns complex, high-stakes ideas into products that drive real-world adoption. She partners with healthcare organizations to uncover critical care delivery insights, focus product strategy through behavior design, and build solutions that patients and providers actually use. Thanks to our 2026 sponsors: [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)

QA or the Highway is a one-day, affordable, regional, professional conference featuring real-world experience and thought leadership in the QA and testing industry. This is a ticketed event please register here: https://www.qaorthehwy.com/ Featured Keynote Speakers: **Matthew-Hope Eland** **(Wizard at Leading EDJE)** \- An AI Specialist and Wizard at Leading EDJE who is known to teach software engineering\, AI\, and data science concepts in the most ridiculous ways possible\. Matt has used machine learning to settle debates over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie\, reinforcement learning to drive the behavior of digital squirrels\, data analytics to suggest improvements to his favorite TV show\, and AI agents to play board games and create an AI agent with the personality of a dog\. Matt is the author of "Data Science in \.NET with Polyglot Notebooks" and "Refactoring with C\#" as well as several LinkedIn Learning courses\. Matt helps organize the Central Ohio \.NET Developer Group\, runs several blogs and a YouTube channel\, has a Master’s of Science in Data Analytics\, and is a current Microsoft MVP in AI and \.NET\. **Tatyana Arbouzova** **(CEO at Innovate QA)** \- Tatyana Arbouzova is an engineering and business leader with a strong background in Quality Engineering across multiple industries\, including Big Tech\, Healthcare\, and Entertainment\. She has held leadership roles at world\-class companies such as Microsoft\, VMware\, Disney\, and The Pokémon Company International\, where she focused on building quality\-driven cultures and scaling teams to deliver high\-impact products\. With decades of experience\, Tatyana has helped organizations transform their quality practices so teams can deliver software efficiently\, confidently\, and with measurable business outcomes\. Today\, Tatyana advises software companies on adopting AI to optimize quality practices and improve how software is delivered at scale\. She is also a passionate community builder and the founder of Innovate QA\, a thriving Seattle\-based community and conference for quality professionals\.

## 🤝 Host Information A co-hosted event by ProductTank Columbus & Women in Product Columbus 💡 About the Workshop AI adoption is stalling across organizations — not because of a lack of motivation or tools, but because it's fundamentally a behavior design challenge. This hands-on workshop applies proven Behavior Design models and methods to help you move from a vague organizational wish to boost AI adoption to 3-5 concrete, testable interventions you can act on starting tomorrow. Whether you're a product manager, on a product team, or just someone trying to get AI to actually stick at work, you'll leave with a clear picture of what's worth focusing on, what to ignore, and how to drive real, sustained adoption — no guesswork required. 🛠️ What to Bring Laptop: Fully charged and ready to go. AI Assistant: Have your favorite AI assistant pulled up. (Dom will be using Claude, but feel free to use whichever assistant you prefer!) 🍕 Logistics & Perks Food & Drink: Pizza and drinks provided! Parking: Plenty of free spaces available on-site. ###

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Customize the IDE: Building Extensions for Visual Studio Code* Visual Studio Code is one of the most widely used development environments today, and much of its flexibility comes from its extension ecosystem. Extensions allow developers to customize the editor with new features, integrations, and workflow improvements tailored to their needs. In this session, we’ll cover what extensions are and the different types available, including full extensions written in TypeScript or JavaScript, along with lighter-weight extensions such as color themes, language packs, language support, code snippets, and keymaps. We’ll also look at practical reasons a developer might create an extension, from automating repetitive tasks to adding custom tooling. The session includes a hands-on walkthrough of creating a new extension, testing it locally, and understanding the basic project structure. We’ll close with a brief overview of how extensions are packaged and published to the Visual Studio Marketplace and other distribution options. **YouTube Link** TBD

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

We are bringing Microsoft Build sessions to Columbus Ohio! The Central Ohio Azure Meetup and Central Ohio .NET Developer's Group (CONDG) are coming together to bring some of the labs and breakouts from Microsoft Build to your backyard. In this free, 1 day event, you are going to Build stuff with us! And yes, there will be free food. Please RSVP via [Microsoft Build //localhost:columbus | Microsoft Reactor](https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/reactor/events/27247/).

**TBA**