Delta CX Hive 2025 Conference

We’ve heard for a while now about the value of data to UX teams, and it really should not be surprising that data would be useful. After all, the more we as UXers know about the products and services whose experiences we manage, the better stewardship we can exercise over them. However, simply identifying what data you need, why you need it, and who has it isn’t always enough. Sometimes data teams are skeptical of giving data to people in non-data or non-technical roles. Or, sometimes they can get you the data, but they can’t help you analyze it.

So, what do you do?

This presentation will share my journey going from being that person tasked with “getting more research done,” to one of the parties responsible for building the credibility of the UX team as a data-driven group. Some of the solutions presented will seem like common sense in terms of relationship building, while others will advocate for building up data literacy and technical skills for ourselves and our team members.

Her main focus this year is the growth of the UX analytics function on her team, which includes formalizing processes around the inclusion of analytics methods and mentorship of teammates interested in contributing to the effort.

Many design teams I’ve worked with have been relegated to tactical work. They execute on a specific task trying to improve a laser focused usability challenge without context for the larger objectives, strategies, or high-level goal. Within Agile…they are often stuck in “just in time design” cycles. This diminishes the value of the team and prevents them from providing value at the strategic level. In this presentation I’ll show that goals, strategies, and objectives tie directly to user segments and scenarios. When done properly, the impact of your work will drive better business outcomes and user experiences.

Coming soon.

In this session I will discuss how to find your own direction and rekindle your unique passion for UX in a world that expects UX designers to do it all without (always) valuing the individual skills of UX experts.

The session will help the audience to give themselves permission to be who they are as individuals outside of molds and perceived standards.

Ever been in a meeting that was too high level, too “big picture” – so much that it was kinda divorced from reality?

Or been in a meeting that went so far down into fine technical details that you lost track of what you were trying to do in the first place?

These are challenges of granularity. Different people feel more comfortable at different levels of granularity. You can’t make them prefer a different level. And you wouldn’t want to, because there’s value in every perspective.

Instead, you can use visual facilitation to connect all the levels. My favourite quick and easy tool for this is a Multiverse Map – a flexible blend of opportunity trees, user story maps, funnels and flywheels that’s simple to put together along with your team.

When you master Multiverse Maps, you’ll be able to:

• tether wild pie-in-the-sky ideas back to reality, making sense of confusing or non-existent goals
• zoom in to the details without losing track of the bigger picture
• clarify and align strategy and plans
• open the door to research, experiments and probes
• influence decisions, roadmaps and prioritisation
• spot experience gaps and technical problems before you start building
• expose critical risks, questions and puzzles

In this event, we’re going to practice Multiverse Mapping from scratch. I’ll introduce the tool, we’ll do group practice with some worked examples, and if we’re lucky there will be a few minutes for Q&A.

Tom has 25 years of experience as a leader in design, research and product. He’s co-founded two successful startups and worked both agency-side and in-house, coaching cross-functional teams to innovate.

Since running his first usability test in 1999, Tom has been obsessed with adaptive strategy for organisations: how do we continuously make sense of the world so we can act more effectively in it?

He is the author of Innovation Tactics, the deck of cards from Pip Decks that’s packed with pragmatic methods for making things people want. He’s also the creator of Pivot Triggers, a simple but powerful idea that’s helped hundreds of teams become more adaptive by doing discovery and delivery at the same time.

On the web tomkerwin.com
On LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/tomdkerwin

Companies sacrifice product, service, and experience quality to “just ship it” or be “fast.” Through cycles of opinions, guesses, and assumptions, we dress up as “hypotheses,” we slowly and inefficiently crawl towards something we claim is “good enough.” We celebrate repeated failures as “good product strategy” and “learning,” but we fail so often that we’re clearly not learning from failures.

We must use critical thinking, speak up, and help our teams shift toward cycles of success. We must help our teams refocus on how user-centricity (done well) will accomplish business goals. Great products and services that meet or exceed users’ needs are more likely to lead to increased conversions, revenue, and loyalty.

Let’s talk about how to have some of these tough conversations, especially when we’re experiencing frequent failures in our experiments, launches, and product-market fit.

Debbie Levitt, MBA, is the CXO of Delta CX. She’s a Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX) strategist and change agent who specializes in setting houses in order in record time. She has nearly thirty years of experience but has been advised to mention only fifteen years on her résumé and LinkedIn.

Debbie is an experienced leader with a track record of building and leading diverse research and design teams, shaping product vision, influencing strategies, and driving initiatives. She has many years of experience in CX and UX strategy, research, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, testing, and more.

Clients call her “Mary Poppins” because she flies in, improves everything she can, sings a few songs, and flies away to her next adventure.

Debbie is a career and life coach helping people with work and beyond. She loves being a catalyst, pushing boats out, and ensuring people know how to row them.

Debbie’s 2022 book, Customers Know You Suck, is the customer-centricity how-to manual. She’s proud of the book and knows it can help companies that care about improving quality, value, and business and customer outcomes. However, companies mostly want the business outcomes while skipping the quality, value, and customer satisfaction or delight that would get them there.

Debbie’s 2024 book, Life After Tech, is (possibly) the first book about leaving technology work. She addresses common career change emotions and fears through sensitivity, critical thinking, humor, and vulnerability. “What happened to tech jobs?” “What will I do next?” Life After Tech is your personal and proactive journey. Eighteen introspective exercises—plus templates and examples—make Life After Tech a guide and a workbook. Use the “Phoenix Flight Plan” to get grounded, plan, rise, and soar.

Outside of CX work, and sometimes during CX work, Debbie enjoys singing symphonic prog goth metal, opera, and New Wave.

As with any job there are challenges. But as a UX researcher or designer, sometimes we encounter some special “beasts” in our careers. Some days it feels like a struggle just to get our job done, let alone the dilemma of making an impact with our work, and encouraging our partners to implement our recommendations based on the research findings. In this talk I will explore the “5 S’s of UX Professionals” which are some of the biggest challenges that researchers face and the solutions. I will cover why these challenges are happening and what we can do to calm the “beasts” and make the world a better place.

We’ve all encountered difficult colleagues: the micromanaging boss, the dismissive product manager, colleagues who undermine our work. These experiences can be deeply frustrating, leaving us demoralized. However, within these challenges lie valuable lessons for growth. This talk shares three personal anecdotes of navigating difficult professional relationships, each offering unique lessons learned. The first story recounts my experience with a micromanaging manager, highlighting the importance of trust, autonomy, and clear communication. The second story delves into a conflict with a dominant teammate, emphasizing effective communication, active listening, and advocating for research value. Finally, the third story explores how a dismissive boss prompted me to reassess my priorities, identify my strengths, and pursue a more fulfilling career path. Through these shared experiences, I will demonstrate how seemingly negative interactions can be transformed into valuable learning opportunities. I will discuss practical strategies for navigating challenges with grace and resilience, such as active listening and empathetic communication. Furthermore, I will emphasize the importance of self-reflection and personal growth in overcoming adversity and emerging stronger. Ultimately, this talk will encourage attendees to view challenging professional relationships as opportunities for learning and development. By cultivating self-awareness, developing effective communication skills, and prioritizing personal and professional growth, we can navigate difficult situations with greater resilience and emerge as stronger, more empathetic, and more effective professionals.

When illness forced me to step away from my tech career, I had to confront a challenging truth: my self-worth was deeply entangled with my professional identity. Through this deeply personal talk, I’ll share how this unexpected journey taught me to build a new relationship with myself beyond productivity metrics and career achievements. We’ll explore practical strategies for developing a more resilient sense of self-worth that isn’t tied to professional success.

From Overwhelm to Alignment: Harnessing Your Unique Energy Blueprint is a transformative workshop that introduces participants to the power of understanding and leveraging their innate energy patterns. In this enlightening 90-minute session, attendees will discover how Human Design and Gene Keys can provide profound insights into their authentic selves, leading to more aligned decision-making and a deeper sense of purpose.

This workshop goes beyond traditional personality assessments, offering a holistic approach to self-discovery and personal growth. Participants will learn to identify their unique energy type, understand their decision-making authority, and recognize the gifts and challenges inherent in their design. Through a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical exercises, attendees will gain tools to navigate life’s challenges with greater ease and authenticity.

Key areas covered include understanding your energy type and its impact on your life and work, recognizing and working with your decision-making authority, and leveraging your unique gifts while navigating potential pitfalls. Participants will also learn strategies for energy management, stress reduction, and cultivating greater self-awareness.

By the end of the session, attendees will have a personalized roadmap for living in alignment with their energy blueprint, setting the stage for reduced overwhelm, increased fulfillment, and a more authentic expression of their true selves.

Tired of productivity advice that assumes you’re a robot? This workshop throws out the “perfect schedule” myth and introduces time blocking for actual humans – with all our interruptions, energy fluctuations, and need for genuine rest. Through practical exercises, we’ll build personalized systems that honor both your goals and your humanity. Learn to create realistic schedules that flex with your life, incorporate genuine downtime, and help you find breathing room in your day without the guilt of “productivity failure.”

The tech sector has faced upheaval since 2020, with waves of layoffs impacting UXers across the industry. For many, these changes not only disrupt careers but also take a toll on mental health and self-confidence.

In this empowering 30-minute session, Roberta Dombrowski, Career Coach at Learn Mindfully will guide you through a transformative 5-step process to help you regain clarity, get confidence, and craft rethink your path forward.

Whether you’re re-entering the job market, exploring new industries, or considering freelance opportunities this talk will provide you with actionable insights to help you navigate this period with resilience and intention.

Roberta Dombrowski is a dynamic coach, mindfulness teacher, and founder of Learn Mindfully, dedicated to helping leaders thrive from the inside out.

Since launching Learn Mindfully in 2022, Roberta has helped leaders at all levels through transformative coaching, immersive workshops, and tailored training experiences. Her unique approach blends the wisdom of the head, heart, and body – guiding clients to rediscover joy, resilience, and connection in their work and lives.  By fostering deeper self-awareness and authentic leadership, Roberta helps individuals reshape how they relate to their careers, themselves, and their teams.

You can connect with Roberta on LinkedIn or learn more at learnmindfully.co

Common advice about side incomes can include “passive income,” the idea that something requiring little or no effort brings in steady money. 

You might hear that you should sell stock photos, write and sell courses, self-publish a book, open a drop shipping business, or be a YouTuber. Sounds good, right? 

These are all far from easy. Debbie will discuss common forms of passive income and the true effort they require… so you can make better-informed decisions.

Debbie Levitt, MBA, is the CXO of Delta CX. She’s a Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX) strategist and change agent who specializes in setting houses in order in record time. She has nearly thirty years of experience but has been advised to mention only fifteen years on her résumé and LinkedIn.

Debbie is an experienced leader with a track record of building and leading diverse research and design teams, shaping product vision, influencing strategies, and driving initiatives. She has many years of experience in CX and UX strategy, research, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, testing, and more.

Clients call her “Mary Poppins” because she flies in, improves everything she can, sings a few songs, and flies away to her next adventure.

Debbie is a career and life coach helping people with work and beyond. She loves being a catalyst, pushing boats out, and ensuring people know how to row them.

Debbie’s 2022 book, Customers Know You Suck, is the customer-centricity how-to manual. She’s proud of the book and knows it can help companies that care about improving quality, value, and business and customer outcomes. However, companies mostly want the business outcomes while skipping the quality, value, and customer satisfaction or delight that would get them there.

Debbie’s 2024 book, Life After Tech, is (possibly) the first book about leaving technology work. She addresses common career change emotions and fears through sensitivity, critical thinking, humor, and vulnerability. “What happened to tech jobs?” “What will I do next?” Life After Tech is your personal and proactive journey. Eighteen introspective exercises—plus templates and examples—make Life After Tech a guide and a workbook. Use the “Phoenix Flight Plan” to get grounded, plan, rise, and soar.

Outside of CX work, and sometimes during CX work, Debbie enjoys singing symphonic prog goth metal, opera, and New Wave.

Thomas Wilson is an award-winning, UX, CX, EX, Service Designer, Organizational Designer and Design Director. He currently provides Journey management and Strategic leadership in Healthcare. Thomas has moved the needle at 53 startups, and has innovated and transformed clients like: United Healthcare, Optum, BCBS, Tenet, HCA, AIG, Disney, Experian, AWS, NASA, and Kroger as well as a host of tech startups, SMBs and Fortune 5s-500s in AI, Big Data, Fintech, healthcare, retail, and security.

Thomas has been recognized in Inc. 500 twice and his work/client was listed in Forbes ‘Best of the Web.’ He’s been written about in 5 trade related design and communications books. His degrees and certifications include; BS in Organizational Psychology & Leadership,  Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) Masters, in Research and UX Management, Six Sigma Greenbelt, SDN Service Design Master Trainer and Harvard Business School’s Leadership and Management 8 course certificate.

Ricardo is a Business Strategist and Mentor to first-time solopreneurs. He has worn many hats—illustrator, designer, product strategist, innovator and even a failed filmmaker. Each role has added a new layer to his toolkit, built on real-world experience, resilience, and a passion for doing work that matters.

Having built a business from scratch and faced the sleepless nights, doubts, and hard-earned victories that come with it, Ricardo is fully committed to helping aspiring solopreneurs navigate the strategic, emotional and practical challenges of solopreneurship.

The work you’re doing now may or may not carry you into your retirement years. Things are changing fast, and many of us wonder how much longer we can stay in our current careers… or if we even want to stay.

Using some of the content from her new Life After Tech book, Debbie will discuss planning “what’s next.” That might be:

• Work you start on the side while employed.
• Work you plan on doing after your next layoff or burnout.
• Work you transition into now, more full-time.

But you’ll need a plan. Smart, strategic, problem finders and solvers need a plan, maybe more than one.

Debbie will lead you through interactive exercises to help you start brainstorming possible jobs and work areas for your present and future.

The book is not required for this workshop, but you’re welcome to buy one!

Debbie Levitt, MBA, is the CXO of Delta CX. She’s a Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX) strategist and change agent who specializes in setting houses in order in record time. She has nearly thirty years of experience but has been advised to mention only fifteen years on her résumé and LinkedIn.

Debbie is an experienced leader with a track record of building and leading diverse research and design teams, shaping product vision, influencing strategies, and driving initiatives. She has many years of experience in CX and UX strategy, research, information architecture, interaction design, prototyping, testing, and more.

Clients call her “Mary Poppins” because she flies in, improves everything she can, sings a few songs, and flies away to her next adventure.

Debbie is a career and life coach helping people with work and beyond. She loves being a catalyst, pushing boats out, and ensuring people know how to row them.

Debbie’s 2022 book, Customers Know You Suck, is the customer-centricity how-to manual. She’s proud of the book and knows it can help companies that care about improving quality, value, and business and customer outcomes. However, companies mostly want the business outcomes while skipping the quality, value, and customer satisfaction or delight that would get them there.

Debbie’s 2024 book, Life After Tech, is (possibly) the first book about leaving technology work. She addresses common career change emotions and fears through sensitivity, critical thinking, humor, and vulnerability. “What happened to tech jobs?” “What will I do next?” Life After Tech is your personal and proactive journey. Eighteen introspective exercises—plus templates and examples—make Life After Tech a guide and a workbook. Use the “Phoenix Flight Plan” to get grounded, plan, rise, and soar.

Outside of CX work, and sometimes during CX work, Debbie enjoys singing symphonic prog goth metal, opera, and New Wave.