Opening Remarks
Summary
Bria Alexander hosts the second day of the Design at Scale 2021 conference, setting the tone for a day focused on tools for success in enterprise design, led by Kit Unger. She acknowledges the contributions of speakers, facilitators, and audience feedback in shaping the event. Bria provides detailed guidance on how attendees can navigate the conference website, make use of time zone conversions, and engage with optional, high-quality sponsor sessions from companies like Adobe, Fable, and Shopify. She highlights the importance of participation in Slack channels for live discussions, speaker Q&A, and cohort interactions. To support attendees, Bria explains the availability of recording, decks, and sketch notes created by David Nicholson and MJ Broadben, reducing the need for note-taking. Lastly, she underscores the community’s code of conduct to ensure respectful and safe participation.
Key Insights
-
•
The conference theme shifts from scaling craft to providing tools for success in enterprise design, curated by Kit Unger.
-
•
Sponsor sessions are optional but high-quality and run during conference breaks, with no sales pitches.
-
•
Time zone conversions are integrated into the conference website to help global participants.
-
•
Community interaction via Slack channels, including specific help and cohort channels, is a key pillar of the event.
-
•
Recording, deck downloads, and professional sketch notes by David Nicholson and MJ Broadben are provided quickly after talks.
-
•
A digital swag bag offers attendees exclusive sponsor deals, accessible through a QR code or URL.
-
•
The code of conduct emphasizes kindness, respect, and creating a safe environment despite the virtual format.
-
•
Event organizers monitor Slack and email channels actively to support participants throughout the conference.
-
•
Cohort facilitation receives high praise from attendees as a standout feature of the conference experience.
-
•
Sponsors range from tech giants like JP Morgan, Verizon, and Adobe to UX-specific companies like Optimal Workshop and Muriel.
Notable Quotes
"Yesterday was a lot of fun, but today is going to be even more fun."
"All of this content would not have been possible without your support and your feedback."
"If you want to take notes during this presentation, there’s really no need — we’ve got you covered."
"Sponsor sessions are incredibly high quality but completely optional; there’s no sales pitch."
"If you are not on Slack, you are missing out on one of the biggest and most interactive parts of our conference."
"Please be nice, respect each other, and carry yourself as if you were at your day job."
"We have many breaks, and sponsor sessions usually take place during those."
"The official time zone of this conference is Pacific time."
"Our cohort facilitation sessions are one of the best parts of this conference."
"You can access our digital swag bag by scanning the QR code or visiting app.everthere.co/e/d-a-s."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Google Docs is not a web page; it’s a web app that requires handling many keyboard shortcuts and focus management."
Sam ProulxEverything You Ever Wanted to Know About Screen Readers
June 11, 2021
"If anything's going wrong on your end, please reach out to help-customer-desk-service in Slack for tech help."
Bria AlexanderOpening Remarks
November 17, 2022
"Negotiating severance is absolutely possible; consider legal advice or coaching when doing so."
Corey Nelson Amy SanteeLayoffs
November 15, 2022
"Enterprises are basically people pursuing outcomes, doing activities, and using objects—this simple theory underpins the language of Edgy."
Milan GuentherA Shared Language for Co-Creating Ambitious Endeavours
June 6, 2023
"Without releasing control, democratizing research won’t scale. We have to empower people even if some things won’t be perfect."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"Getting accessibility integrated into all company processes is essential because accessibility is a culture change."
Sam ProulxUnderstanding Screen Readers on Mobile: How And Why to Learn from Native Users
June 6, 2023
"AI can’t yet fully replace bespoke and careful proposal building, though it helps junior researchers draft the first outlines."
Mujtaba HameedThe new horizon of ethnography: using AI to unlock the full potential of in-person research
March 11, 2026
"When something of massive consequence happens that no one predicted, it usually means we have failed to point our imagination in the right direction."
Ilana LipsettAnticipating Risk, Regulating Tech: A Playbook for Ethical Technology Governance
December 10, 2021
"You own the design system, which gives you the unique ability to integrate that accessibility thinking into all of your components."
Samuel ProulxFrom Standards to Innovation: Why Inclusive Design Wins
September 10, 2025
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
In what ways does storytelling help insights cut through corporate and organizational noise?
What does a successful healthcare UX career look like in terms of accumulating influence and aligning with clinical/business goals?
How should designers prepare for AI-driven cognitive agents that understand emotional personas?