Speaking
In 2025, I decided to try something new — speaking. At the start of the year, I signed on for the inaugural edition of UX Camp (Western Canada's largest gathering of UX'ers), with a highly irreverent talk on the trend towards enshittification, and what it means for us as technology professionals.
The talk was a hit, and I soon found myself on an even bigger stage, under the bright lights at SocialWest, delivering a keynote address to an audience of 800+ . Once again, the feedback was tremendous.
In fact, in post-session feedback, it was rated as the #1 talk of the conference (Neil Patel was #2), receiving a 97% approval rating from the audience.
"...best presentation of the entire conference. So refreshing."
Clearly the topic struck a chord with people, giving the language to describe something we had all experienced, but couldn't quite put into words.
"Deeply human...it was nice having a UX perspective."
Even more noteworthy than the feedback (which was both humbling and gratifying), I discovered that the real value in giving a conference talk is the genuine connections that follow. Stepping onto the stage and sharing your point of view is truly the ultimate growth hack for networking — a shining beacon for like-minded individuals, a natural icebreaker, and opportunities to meet the other speakers as a peer.
In the fall, I went on to share a version of the talk at ProductBC's annual gathering of product managers, and found myself welcomed into a new tribe of technology professionals.
Currently: UX 🤝 Product
For 2026, I've prepared a new talk exploring the overlap between UX and Product roles on modern teams. It's about understanding the divide between strategy and delivery. I address the growing overlap between technology disciplines, my own identity crisis in design leadership, and how UX Designers got crowded out of strategic conversations.
The lines between UX and Product have never been thinner (or more contentious). What happens when both disciplines try to occupy the same space, and how do we manage the tension?
- How the UX–Product relationship evolved over time — and what that meant for strategy-oriented designers
The official subtitle of the talk is "bridging strategy and delivery," but it might just as accurately be characterized as "my identity crisis in design leadership." The talk discusses the rise of product management as a strategic function, how that impacted a generation of UX Designers, and what the path forward looks like from here.
If you'd like to explore this subject in more depth, I'd be thrilled to discuss it with you or your team. Get in touch here.
Andrew Turnbull
2026
Andrew Turnbull
2025
Andrew Turnbull
Andrew Turnbull