8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Arrival & Registration with Coffee!
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Opening Welcome
The voices that set the lens and carry the thread — anchoring where we begin, connecting every session, speaker, and story as we move from reflection into reimagination.
Niketa Jhaveri
Curator, Nivan
Senior Manager, UX, Amazon
Carlos Manalo
Master of Ceremonies (MC), Nivan
Co-CEO, The Office of Experience
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM
Back to the Future: Where Eras Converge
The systems we inherit shape the systems we build. From legacy data to future-scale decisions, this session connects history, judgment, and direction into one continuous arc.
Nick Allen
Keynote Speaker
Former Head of Design, Fidelity Investments
Reflect on the Past
Learning from what shaped us.
Scale vs. Craft
9:45 AM - 10:15 AM
Debating whether expansion strengthens or dilutes meaningful design.
Noel Childs
SVP Group Experience Design Director, Digitas
vs.
David Kazaryan
Senior Product Design Manager, United Airlines
The Tools That Shaped Us
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM
The essential approaches innovators rely on to navigate complexity and create change.
Bob Nesbitt
Former Director of Portfolio Strategy, AbbVie
Former Director of Advanced Development, Eli Lilly and Company
Patterns That Refuse to Disappear
10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Rapid perspectives on defining decisions that reshaped the field.
Linnea Hagen
Consumer Insights Manager, Netflix
10:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Morning Coffee Break
Realize the Present
Designing and building in today’s reality.
Lightning Talk: The Present
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
The choices we make with AI today define what comes next across industries.
Gavin Lew
Managing Partner, Bold Insight
The Ecological, Relational, Emotional, and Cultural Lenses for AI Transformation
11:30 AM - 11:45 AM
Exploring the future through 4 core lenses.
Suzanne Currie
Director of AI/UX Research, Geico
Human Judgment vs. AI Assistance
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM
Examining where human intuition and machine intelligence intersect.
Bennett Hornbostel
Principal UX Researcher, Amazon
vs.
Varun Kapoor
Lead Product Designer, Microsoft
Decisions at the Speed of Now
12:15 PM - 12:30 PM
Real-time judgment inside accelerating workflows, where digital decisions carry impact.
Casey Hudetz
Senior Product Design Manager, Docusign
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Networking + Lunch Break
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM
Interactive Workshop
Identifying early signals within complexity and noise.
Tony Bynum
Associate Professor & Director, Institute of Design Executive Academy
Reimagine the Future
Shaping what comes next.
The Future Won’t Design Itself
2:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Why North Stars matter more than roadmaps.
Ben Shown
Head of Design, Blink UX
Designing the Next Chicago
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Insights into the future of Chicago and its urban landscape.
Kyle Schulz
Deputy of Strategic Advancement, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Personalization vs. Privacy
2:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Where should we draw the line between meaningful personalization and personal privacy?
Sarah Wallace
Customer Experience Strategist, Proprietary Insights
vs.
Eric Smallwood
Former Director of Design, Walmart
Lightning Talk: The Future
3:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Progress is inevitable. Direction is not. What future are we choosing to create?
Matthew Alverson
Partner, IA Collaborative
Designing the AI Continuum
3:30 PM - 3:45 PM
Fast-moving insights weaving trust and innovation into the patient journey.
Kevin Yuda
Senior Director, UX, GE Healthcare
Your Data Can’t See the Future: The Hidden Risk in Modern Product Decisions
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
How design leaders influence strategy long before outcomes are visible.
Ashley Craig
VP, Research & Product Strategy, AnswerLab
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Afternooon Coffee Break
4:30 PM - 5:00 PM
From Hindsight to Foresight: The Continuum Is You
Hindsight gave perspective. Insight challenged thinking. Foresight demands action. Your Time Capsule captured a moment. The pattern reveal shows the direction. The future continues with you.
Carlos Manalo
MC, Nivan
Niketa Jhaveri
Curator, Nivan
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Cocktails & Connections
Wind down the day with a glass in hand and good company around you. Meet the speakers, fellow attendees, and collaborators you've been meaning to. No agenda, just good conversation and great people.