EmbraceUX (@EmbraceUX) will bring together web and technology professionals in the Southern Ontario region to get excited and informed about user-centric design, share their experiences, and network with fellow practitioners. EmbraceUX is a two-day event with talks, discussions, and a UX masterclass on Saturday and a chance to flex your UX skills during the design charette on Sunday!

When: Saturday February 28th and Sunday March 1st

Where: The Pearl Company @ 16 Steven Street, Hamilton, Ontario

Organizers: Martin Kuplens-Ewart and Kevin Browne

Website: EmbraceUX.com

Cost: Only $60

A truly excellent value in comparison to other regional UX Conferences – e.g. Waterloo region’s Fluxible ($445 for 2 days), UX Day Toronto ($495 for 1 day). Any left over funds from event costs will be rolled over into next year’s conference.

Big thanks to sponsor Innovation Factory!

Speaker Line-up

Jon Lax

President and Co-Founder @ Teehan+Lax

Jon (@jlax) is the President and Co-Founder of Teehan+Lax. He is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operation of the company. Since starting Teehan+Lax in 2002 Jon has worked with clients like Beatport, Corcoran, Medium, Google, and Bell. He is responsible for establishing TL Labs and making Teehan+Lax one of the most respected companies in the digital industry.

Verne Ho

Director of Design @ Shopify

Verne Ho (@verneho) is the Director of Design at Shopify. Previously, he was the co-founder and Creative Director at Jet Cooper, a product design studio that was acquired by Shopify in 2013. Based in Toronto, Verne often writes and speaks about practical advice on building resilient design practices and teams.

Erin Dunham

CEO @ The Other Bird

Erin Dunham (@erindunham22) was born in, lives in and bleeds Hamilton.

As an undergraduate, Erin studied English and writing at Western University in London, Ont., before returning to Hamilton to do her MBA at McMaster University.

A published author, Erin also teaches communication skills to media students at London’s Fanshawe College.

As the CEO of The Other Bird, Erin is one half of the creative team behind a group of restaurants designed to enthrall the tastebuds of diners seeking different and interesting culinary experiences. The Other Bird’s distinct family of Hamilton locations includes the acclaimed Rapscallion Rogue Eatery, Two Black Sheep cocktail and oyster bar, and the Black Sheep Snack Bar as well as The Alex in Burlington.

She is a painter, who loves to sit back with a big fat red wine and a cigar.

David Crow

Director of Business Development @ OMERS Ventures

In his role as Director of Business Development at OMERS Ventures, David Crow (@davidcrow) is responsible for advocating OMERS Ventures within the technology community, assist in running OMERS Ventures related programs and initiatives, and participate in technical and business due diligence.

Prior to joining OMERS Ventures, David has held roles in product development and more recently in marketing & business development. David has extensive experience working with growth technology companies to acquire early customers, refine product designs and search for a scalable business model.

David is the Editor and Community Animator for StartupNorth, which he founded with Jonas Brandon and Jevon MacDonald. David currently serves on the board of Lymbix, and is an advisor to Hacker You, Bunch, PrintChomp and TribeHR.

David was named Toronto’s Best Web and Tech Evangelist in 2008. He has a Master’s degree, Human-Computer Interaction from the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s of Science from the University of Waterloo.

Matthew Milan

CEO and Co-founder @ Normative

Matthew (@mmilan) is the CoFounder and CEO of Normative, a software design firm headquartered in Toronto. Matthew is a design leader with 15 years of experience in the domain of emerging technologies, specializing in software design, innovation and product development. A veteran of startups in the areas of knowledge management, geospatial visualization and machine learning, Matthew excels at helping collaborators turn complex ideas and information into compelling and engaging user experiences.

Chris Ferguson

CEO @ Bridgeable

Chris (@chrisferg) leads strategy and design projects with some of the world’s largest and most innovative organizations. His work with the team at Bridgeable has been honored with numerous awards and he writes and presents regularly about the intersection between human-centered design and business strategy. He holds degrees in Biology and Entrepreneurship.

Chris will be joined by Spencer Beacock, Associate at Bridgeable.

Kevin Wong Co-founder and COO @ Nulogy

Kevin (@knwong) is the co-founder and COO of Nulogy. Kevin has over a decade of experience building disruptive products using lean strategies to take Nulogy from a living room to an award-winning company with exceptional annual growth and Fortune 500 customers around the world. Kevin provides the leadership for the Agile UX and Product Management activities at Nulogy.