New york city + live conference
Shift UX 2026
Sept 23 - 25, 2026
Roles disappear. But the work matters more than ever.
Shift UX 2026 is a new two-day, hybrid conference (plus an optional day of workshops) for people who care deeply about how products and services actually work in the world.
Hosted by Rosenfeld Media , it brings together professionals who currently work as designers, researchers, product managers, content designers, data scientists, and adjacent practitioners who know UX is more important than ever—even as traditional UX roles blur or disappear.
Why a new conference on UX in 2026?
The world has always needed people who take responsibility for humanizing systems, services, products, and technologies—and that need is exploding (and demand will inevitably catch up). Whether you’re a veteran UX practitioner or someone who simply wants to improve experiences, the future has a place for you—even if it may not seem to be the case today.
Instead of treating UX as a job title, Shift UX 2026 frames UX as a powerful toolkit for everyone to use to solve complex problems in any setting, ranging from finance and healthcare to education and transportation. We’ll explore four practice pillars that define the future of UX work:
Systems-level thinking
Panning back from the UI to “big picture” thinking and practices—service design, systems thinking, information architecture, knowledge management—that can’t be commodified.
Research as strategy
Positioning user research as high-value sense-making and leadership, rather than as a cost center that cranks out reports.
Human-centered tooling
UX thinking and skills are critical to determining how powerful new technologies make humans more constructively impactful, not just more efficient. Think “AI in the loop,” not humans on the sidelines.
Operations as orchestration
New demands and new complexity requires an ever greater level of coordination, and DesignOps, ResearchOps, ProductOps, and program management skills are needed to align people, tools, policies, and organizations.
We’ll also incorporate throughlines that are critical to how UX will be practiced in the years to come: the impact of blurring roles, championing ethical practices, greater emphasis on people skills, the merging of digital and physical design, and the challenges of doing good UX work inside complex, distributed organizations.
What's coming Sept 23 - 25 , 2026
Join designers figuring this out together and attend Shift UX this September 23-25, 2026 in New York City. Limited-time pricing ends soon.
Sessions announced on a rolling basis. Sign up to hear first.
Discounts available for select groups including students, government/education/non-profit workers, as well as currently unemployed UX professionals. Visit our registration page for more info.
Who is putting on this event and how was it programmed?
Llewyn Paine, Principal of Innovation Strategy at Llewyn Paine Consulting, is our program curator. She’s supported by Lou Rosenfeld and the Rosenfeld Media team, which has been making sure that attendees, speakers, and sponsors enjoy great conference experiences for over a decade.
The Rosenfeld Media team produces the Shift UX Conference, making sure our attendees, speakers, and sponsors enjoy a great conference experience.
Will I be able to ask speakers questions?
Yes, all sessions will include live Q&A opportunities. Virtual attendees can submit questions via our conference platform, and in-person attendees can ask questions directly from the floor during designated times.
What other content will be provided?
In addition to main stage presentations, you will receive access to session recordings, downloadable resources, speaker slide decks, and access to our exclusive online community platform to connect with other attendees.
How will I access the virtual conference?
Virtual attendees will receive a personalized login link to our conference platform prior to the event. The platform will host live streams of all sessions, interactive Q&A, and networking spaces.
What is the official time zone for the conference?
The conference will run on Eastern Time (ET) as it is hosted live in New York City. Detailed schedule times will be published in ET.
Will the conference be recorded?
Yes, all main stage sessions will be recorded. Recorded content will be made available to registered attendees shortly after the live broadcast.
Can I just purchase the recordings?
Yes, we will offer a recordings-only pass for purchase after the conference, but registering for the live event provides the best value and access to live networking and Q&A.
Will I be able to share my access with others?
No, tickets are individual and access credentials cannot be shared. Group discounts are available if you would like to register multiple members of your team.