Convince your boss!

Get your Interaction 23 budget approved

Interaction 23 is the interaction design conference to go to… especially this upcoming one: hosted in Zürich, there is an amazing program lined up, and meaningful topics that drive it. Topics, if we may say so ourselves, make for a good conference and a truly inspiring week.

We know it, you know it … but your boss might not know it. And with budgets under scrutiny, you need to be armed with a good business case. We’ve been there and completely empathize. We want to see you in Zürich — or have you join us online — so to make your life easier, here is a fresh update on Interaction talking points to convince your boss to make the investment.

1) Build your skillset

Whether you work with hard or soft skills, Interaction 23 is sure to offer fresh perspectives. Born in 2003 as the first of its kind to address the needs of the then-emergent field of interaction design, IxDA has grown into a global community of over 200 local groups and more than 130,000 individuals. Over the years, we’ve contributed as our practice has grown, and showcased that work at Interaction, helping shape the worldwide recognition of interaction design’s value in the creation of great products.

We’re a community that comes together to connect and advance our professional craft and to improve our shared human condition through that effort. If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that we need to be resilient, adaptable, and ready to take on new technologies that will change the way we all work.

2023 is the year to redefine and redesign the ways we work, build connections and create value. Through our talks and workshops, Interaction 23 will take you to the top of your game with new skills, knowledge, and methodologies.

2) Inspiration begets inspiration

Get inspired so you can inspire. Watching talks on your own is one thing, but being able to share the experience and highlights with your team takes learning to a new level. You’ll bring back new insights for your team and be able to present those throughout your company. By learning from top innovators, product designers, and user experience professionals, you can help your organization be the best it can be — more effective, innovative, and successful (we’re talking 💰 here).

It isn’t just the conference that will inspire you. You’ll also find out why Zürich is a leading destination for tech workers in Europe. You may know us as a fintech destination, but artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and biotech are all here. Maybe that’s why we ranked as the world’s #1 innovation economy in 2022.

We’re not saying Swiss air is going to make you a more innovative designer … but we’re also not not saying it.

3) Make connections — help fill those open positions in your team

No matter the industry, product, or specialization, all Interaction conference-goers have one common goal: creating a positive impact for the end user.

We’ll sound like we’re bragging, but it’s for this reason that the best designers around the globe attend year in, year out. If your company wants to attract the right people and boost its brand recognition, then this is the place to be.

Through informal conversations, you’ll also be able to spread the word about how great it is to work where you do — and you might just recruit some great talent while you’re at it.

4) Make even better products

Interaction Week is more than just a conference. It’s a curated mishmash of events aimed at evolving the knowledge, thoughts, and desires of an entire industry.

But what if my boss doesn’t consider me a designer? If your boss thinks you aren’t a designer because your role doesn’t have the word “designer” in it, he or she should consider this: designers aren’t strictly Figma pros. Anyone who has ever mapped out a product or solution that involves human interaction is, for better or worse, an interaction designer.

When bosses and decision-makers help enrich employee knowledge and experience in interaction design, it inevitably leads to better products. Which not only keeps clients happy but also brings in more of them.

5) Get exposed to different perspectives — future-proof you (and your team)

Interaction designers now design almost anything for anywhere and anyone. In a world where contexts are increasingly evolving and boundaries blurring, this puts us at the forefront of decisions that impact the user. And that’s a significant responsibility for designers.

At Interaction 23, we’ll explore these very implications by breaking down echo chambers, cutting out filter bubbles, and transposing social cues into design blueprints.

We’re a strictly no pay-to-play conference — the same reason why we’ve labored long and hard at whittling the speaker submissions down (through blind reviewing) from more than 500 submissions to just over 100 speakers and workshop leaders. This highly curated program asks us to undesign the defined and/or to design the undefined from every possible angle. So if your company intends to stick around, it’s not something they’ll want you to miss.

We made sure to handpick our content based on the diversity of the industry as well as what each talk had to offer in terms of perspective, approach, and substance. Whatever it is you’re looking for as a designer, you can be sure the week is jam-packed with value for attendees from all walks of life and professions.

Learn more about our speaker lineup here.

Whether to join us in Zürich, or take part online, we’re looking forward to having you as part of the conversation in March! See you there!

This story is an update to this version, written by Amanda Lim for the Interaction 20 team.