"Best conference content and experience in a very, very, very long time."
"Well-paced, engaging, and most importantly, a safe space."
"I'm ready to sign up for next year!"
"Exactly what we need more of in the world."
"What a much needed breath of fresh air."
"Definitely worth the price of admission!"
"I genuinely took something valuable away from every talk."
"Best conference content and experience in a very, very, very long time." "Well-paced, engaging, and most importantly, a safe space." "I'm ready to sign up for next year!" "Exactly what we need more of in the world." "What a much needed breath of fresh air." "Definitely worth the price of admission!" "I genuinely took something valuable away from every talk."
throughline 2026
conference archive
Throughline 2026 was our inaugural event: an online conference all about writing design’s next chapter. Held January 29-30, 2026.
2026 speakers
Two days. Zero nonsense. Our 2026 conference showcased brilliant speakers ready to get real about the chaos and contradictions of this moment in UX—and show you what happens when design steps up instead of shrinking back.
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![Headshot of Ìníolúwa Abíódún, a Black woman wearing a blue top and glasses with curly hair.]()
ÌníOlúwa Abíódún
Senior product designer, Intercom, and founder, Aivie
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![Headshot of Hang Xu, an Asian man wearing glasses and a checked shirt.]()
Hang XU
Designer, ex-design recruiter, and community builder
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![Headshot of Farai Madzima, a Black man wearing glasses and a black t-shirt standing against a white wall.]()
Farai Madzima
Design leader, coach, and speaker
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![Headshot of Lisa Woodley, a woman with light skin, pink hair, and glasses. She stands outside with leaves in the background.]()
Lisa Woodley
Design leader, educator, and advocate for ethical tech
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![Headshot of Erika Hall, a person with red hair pulled back wearing a camel-colored jacket and red turtleneck.]()
Erika Hall
Cofounder, Mule Design and author, Just Enough Research
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![Headshot of Candi Williams, a Black woman with long dark hair.]()
Candi Williams
Content and inclusive design leader, four-time author
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![Headshot of Pavel Samsonov, a white man wearing glasses, a white ballcap, and a gray t-shirt.]()
Pavel Samsonov
Principal experience designer, Justworks
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![Headshot of Amy Santee, a white woman in glasses wearing a patterned top.]()
Amy Santee
Career strategist and coach for UX professionals
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![Headshot of Catt Small, a Black woman with shoulder-length braids wearing a pink and blue top.]()
Catt Small
Staff product designer and author, The Staff Designer
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![Headshot of Margo Stern, a white woman with a light brown bob and wearing a black top.]()
Margo Stern
Staff content designer, Lyft, and author, Good Job
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![Headshot of Ron Bronson, a Black man wearing a pink collared shirt and smiling.]()
Ron Bronson
Assistant professor and former head of design at 18F
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![Headshot of Shawna Hein, a woman with blond hair wearing a gray sweater standing outside]()
Shawna Hein
Design and experience leader, coach, and consultant
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![Headshot of Ida Persson, a blond woman wearing glasses and a blue shirt.]()
Ida Persson
Freelance designer, storyteller, and dreamer
Save the date for throughline 2027
We’re doing it again on February 3-5!
2026 themes
Throughline 2026 focused on the topics designers told us were hanging them up most right now. Here’s what we covered.
understand the business, not just the buzzwords.
Understanding business isn’t about slinging around fancy words. It’s about getting clear on what your organization values—and what to do when business incentives are at odds with user-centered design. At Throughline, you’ll hear from designers who are experts at navigating this world while staying aligned with their values—and walk away with the confidence to bring a design POV into any business conversation.
Build the influence you’ve always dreamed of.
Afraid you’ll scream if you hear the words “navigate ambiguity” or “build influence without authority” one more time? Still feel pressure to “prove your value”? These talks are for you. Learn from people who’ve found success navigating their orgs and building authority as ICs. Build the skills you need to drive strategy with cross-functional partners. Walk away feeling more prepared to set direction, set boundaries… and set yourself up for success.
Take the dysfunction out of your design org.
Al and automation promise to speed design up—but when collaboration and communication skills are missing, they’ll actually slow you down. These talks will help you change that. Learn how to say the hard things that need to be said. Build healthier team cultures and better partnerships. And make design interviews more productive and less painful—whichever side of the table you’re on.
AI fervor. Political chaos. Economic roller coasters. Odds are good, something’s been keeping you up at night. So how do you stay connected to what matters in shaky times? Hear from designers who’ve been through some of the worst professional moments you can imagine—and come out the other side. Learn how to face hard moments without shutting down or numbing out. Walk away feeling more prepared for any curveball.
Stay brave in the face of uncertainty and change.
Brought to you by Active Voice
We’re Sara Wachter-Boettcher and Jen Dionisio, the team behind Active Voice—a tiny company on a big mission to make work better for people in design and tech.
We developed Throughline because we know it’s hard out there—and designers need spaces where people are willing to get real about it… without descending into doom and gloom. So we’re taking our years of experience running online workshops, group programs, and events, and pouring it all into one big, bad, totally untested (but guaranteed to be amazing!) conference… because we know this field is full of some of the most creative, compassionate, whipsmart people around. And we want to be part of whatever UX becomes next.