UX Design, Design Thinking and taking extra measures to put users first are skills and methodologies that can make-or-break products and services, and significantly widen the competitive gap between one company and its competition.

If this is case, than why are so many large companies lagging behind on infusing this mindset into their organization?

Focusing on Hong Kong, this panel has been carefully curated to host speakers who are ushering in a new era of UX-centric innovation across all of the long standing giants of industry in a part of the world that many consider to be “10 years behind” the West.

What we’ll cover:

• The reality of where UX is in Hong Kong today

• Where it’s going and how fast

• Opportunities for those looking to get into UX

• Opportunities for those already in UX but looking to shake things up

• What execs and decision makers need to know about UX and Design Thinking

Who should attend:

• Anyone looking to break into UX

• Anyone in UX and looking to penetrate large organizations

• Decision makers, managers and HR looking to implement change within

• As always, anyone looking to enjoy a fascinating panel discussion

Panelists:

Michael Tam - Chief Creative Catalyst, IBM

An optimist who believes everyone can be creative and we can design a brighter future together.

As the Chief Creative Catalyst at IBM iX Hong Kong, Michael’s transcultural and transdisciplinary background fuel his work and help places HUMAN at the centre of WHY and HOW businesses should think, act, and operate.

Michael is an experienced IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Coach, a regular speaker, and mentor for the design & startup communities.

April Yu - Product Owner, Standard Chartered

7 years of experience in product management and UX building mobile and web e-commerce and payment products. She utilises various research methods and UX techniques every day to create and improve products she built. She is currently working in a world class financial institution team as Head of Journeys.

Ada Yuen - Senior Design Research Consultant, Coolgranite

Ada has more than 15 years’ experience in UX research, spanning every stage of technology development. As a senior UX researcher she regularly manages the design and delivery of the research and testing components of complex projects.

She is equally adept in working on agile or waterfall projects, for startups or multinationals, and in Cantonese or English. Ada is also skilled in choosing and adapting her research methods for different processes and budgets without compromising on the quality of the research.

Ada shares her knowledge and her skills through training, speaking and mentoring and is a long-time member and organizer of the Interaction Design Association, Hong Kong Chapter (IxDAHK). She is also a member of the UXPA and of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (SIGCHI).

Nickey Khemchandani - Chief Product Officer / Co-Founder, BSD Academy

Nickey is now recognised as an expert in Asia for infusing technology and digital solutions into businesses across a range industries as well as developing teams in large organisations to create sustainable and effective solutions themselves.

Nickey heads up innovation projects to evolve products and services using a combination of Design, Development, UX and Marketing skills. In 2015 Nickey was recognised as a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum.

Homaxi Irani - Head of Design, SEEK Asia

Homaxi has worked in the field of HCD for over 18 years, yielding a unique understanding of experience design capabilities and characteristics among different types of organizations. She enjoys the delicate balance of working with teams and stakeholders at their level of readiness while nudging and coaching for change towards a more design-thinking and human-centered mode of product/service development. With her practitioner grounding in the formative end of the design value chain, Homaxi has spent the last 10 years as a design leader with experience in building and elevating UX and CX capabilities within organizations.

With a deep motivation to share her experience and help others within the industry, Homaxi enjoys spending time coaching and training. She is energized about creating and implementing results-oriented approaches to solving problems and delivering solutions that are viable for the organization, and don't compromise the human experience.

Homaxi has worked in various countries across the APAC region (predominantly Australia and Hong Kong), on brands including ANZ, QBE, SunLife, Union Bank, Australia Post, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Jetstar, and Yellow Page