UX + AI design conferences in 2024
A list of the best conferences for conversation designers
The best outcome from our current-day Gen AI frenzy is the sudden spotlight on “the UX of AI”. Yes, AI models are mystical and powerful, but they can also be sort of unpredictable. How do you design for that complexity? What kind of designers have been thinking about AI before ChatGPT and Midjourney? An answer: conversation designers. Conversation designers are part of the OG group of design thinkers who have been pioneering best practices and interaction guidelines for Machine Learning-based digital experiences, typically within a turn-by-turn format of a conversation.
Writer’s note: what is conversation design? Conversation design is a niche within UX design that specializes in defining interactions between humans and machines, e.g. chatbots or voice assistants. A conversation designer designs a conversational experience by making strategic choices on what the machine says, how it says it, and when it’s said. That response you hear from Siri? Yeah, a conversation designer designed that.
So why learn from conversation design? It’s all about efficiency. If you’re a UX designer in 2024, don’t fall behind the crowd by picking secondhand resources about AI and design. Go to the source. Find the designers who’ve been doing this stuff for years.
The following is a compilation of design conferences that I would wholeheartedly recommend to any designer, conversation or otherwise. It’s the 2nd year of Gen AI! We’re not going to see this trend go away anytime soon. Hope you can make it to at least one of these conferences this year! I know not everyone has an allocated education budget, so if nothing else— the one to watch would be Figma’s free online conference (Config).
Please note all prices (except where indicated) are in USD and reflect the prices available on the date of Jan 22, 2024.
🔥Register today or face a price-hike
AI User Conference
🔗Conference Page
When: Jan 30, 2024 “Designer day”
Where: In-person at San Francisco, CA
Price: F̶r̶e̶e̶ (visitor tickets sold out), $129 (increase to $350 after Jan 22)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Braden Ream— Build Conversational Bots With Voiceflow
• Ayesha Saleem— Enterprise Readiness: Best Practices Bringing a Chatbot to Production
Design Matters Mexico
🔗Conference Page
When: Jan 31-Feb 1, 2024
Where: In-person at Mexico City, MX or Online
Price: $349 (In-person), $179 (Online)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Pamela Armstrong, Fernanda Zuñiga & Carolina Sepulveda— AI and UX: Designing an Ethically Aware Future
• Ángel Longueira— The three crises of Artificial Intelligence. What role did behavioral sciences play in the design of new technologies?
• Abel Valdez— Co-designing solutions and prototypes with AI
Convey UX
🔗Conference Page
When: Feb 27–29, 2024
Where: In-person at Seattle, WA + Online
Price: $1,495 (In-person), $595 + $41.76 Fee (Online)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Sayena Majlesein— Culturally-Inclusive AI: Enhancing User Experience with Global Perspectives
• Susan Hura— Building Expertise into Generated Conversations
• Simonie Wilson— The UX of Advanced Voice Biometrics for Authentication
SXSW
🔗Conference Page
When: Mar 8–12, 2024
Where: In-person at Austin, TX
Price: $1,445 plus tax
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Brian Fletcher— Real-time UIs: The Future of Human-Computer Interactions
• Ioana Teleanu— AI + UX: Product Design for Intelligent Experiences
• Nur Yildirim & John Zimmerman— Designing Successful AI Products and Services
• Hjörtur Hilmarsson & Sarah Létourneau— Designing for AI
The European Chatbot & Conversational AI Summit
🔗Conference Page
When: Mar 12–14, 2024
Where: In-person at Edinburgh, Scotland + Online
Price: £200.00 + £17.39 Fee (In-person) + £150.00 + £13.22 Fee (Online)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Maaike Groenewege— The Content-Driven Interaction Design Process: A Practical Workflow for Making Your Documents Work for You
• Panel— Voice Recognition for Underserved Populations. Panel on AI and Human Interactions
• Xavier Portilla Edo & Alessia Sacchi— Generative AI is New and Exciting but Conversation Design Principles are Forever (based on the article by the same name)
• Sonia Talati— Responsible Conversational AI & Ethics
• Panel— The Devastating Impact of LLMs as Search Engines: How AI, Algorithms, and LLMs Perpetuate Biases Based on User Prompts
Designing with AI Deep Dive 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: April 3–4, 2024
Where: Online
Price: N/A — open to IDSA members
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Information Architecture Conference 2024
🔗Conference Page
Theme: IA in the Age of AI: Designing Intelligent Information Landscapes
When: Apr 9–13, 2024
Where: In-person at Seattle, WA
Price: $1,445 plus tax
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Guillermo Galdamez & Chris Marino— Designing IA for AI. From Design to Implementation: Practical Tips to Ensure the Success of your IA
• Bob Kasenchak— If You Say “We’re Integrating LLMs” One More Time So Help Me I’m Going to Turn This Car Around (🏆 best talk title award)
• Sherrard Glaittli & Erik Lee— Beware of Glorbo: A Use Case and Survey of the Fight Against LLMs Disseminating Misinformation
Conversational AI and Customer Experience Summit
4th International Edition | 1st time in India
🔗Conference Page
When: Apr 18–19, 2024
Where: In-person at Bengaluru, India
Price: approx. $181–290 (ticket prices are in INR)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Kritika Yadav as a distinguished speaker
• Full agenda is not available yet
🕊️Still too early for an agenda
Beyond Boundaries Global Festival
🔗Conference Page
When: Apr 25–26, 2024
Where: In-person at Barcelona, Spain
Price: early-bird $149.50 + fees (discount courtesy of Botrepreneurs)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
• Speaker line-up includes Greg Bennett and Elizabeth Stokoe
[Design Buddies] Designing the Future Conference
🔗Conference Page
When: May 20, 2024
Where: In-person in San Francisco, CA + Online
Price: $199 (In-person), Free (Online)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Designing with AI 2024 By Rosenfeld
🔗Conference Page
Theme: Aligning the potential of AI with the humanism of UX
When: Jun 4–5, 2024
Where: Online
Price: N/A
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Unparsed Conference
🔗Conference Page
When: Jun 17–19, 2024
Where: In-person at London, UK + Online
Price: N/A
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
UX London 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: Jun 19, 2024 “Product design day”
Where: In-person at London, UK
Price: early-bird £595 + fees
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Config 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: Jun 26–27, 2024
Where: In-person at San Francisco, CA + Online
Price: early-bird $349.50 + fees, Free (Online)
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
• Bonus✨ Elaine (the writer of this listicle) will be attending this conference and will be hosting a CxD meetup! Details to follow.
UX Day
🔗Conference Page
When: ETA Jul 2024
Where: In-person (last year @ Buenos Aires, AR)
Price: N/A
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
UX+ Conference 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: ETA Sep 2024
Where: In-person (prev. years @ Singapore, Manila)
Price: last year @ $87
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
UX India 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: ETA Sep 2024
Where: In-person (last year @ Bengaluru, IN)
Price: N/A
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Button Conference 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: Sep 26–27, 2024
Where: In-person at Seattle, WA
Price: early-bird $895
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
Voice & AI 2024
🔗Conference Page
When: Oct 28–30, 2024
Where: In-person at Arlington, VA
Price: early-bird $495
Can’t Miss Talks for CxD:
• Agenda is not available yet
About the author
Elaine Anzaldo is a seasoned Conversation Designer, having worked on voice technologies at companies such as Meta, NLX, Apple, and SRI International. As a designer for both influential voice assistants and the customer self-service industry, she has created natural conversational artifacts for voice, chat, and multimodal interfaces. Elaine is deeply passionate about designing for AI and exploring the benefits and implications of this cutting-edge technology.
To learn more about Elaine or her work, visit her LinkedIn or Instagram.
