Slava Shestopalov

Speaking

I enjoy contributing to the design community, and speaking at events is one of the ways to do that. My talks usually explore practical aspects of design leadership and revisit evergreen, foundational UX topics.

Conferences

Slava Shestopalov speaking on stage at Hatch Conference 2024 in Berlin

Hatch Conference 2024 · Berlin, Germany

Talk: “Moving from hands-on work as a design leader.” The difference between designers’ and managers’ value and ways to lead without competing with your team in design craft.

Slava on stage at Refresh Conference 2024 in Tartu, in front of a slide with a design skills chart

Refresh Conference 2024 · Tartu, Estonia

Talk: “Bringing value as a design leader without getting hands-on.” The challenges of transitioning into leadership and hands-off project ideas for newbie managers.

Slava Shestopalov’s speaker badge at Smashing Conference 2023 in Freiburg

Smashing Conference 2023 · Freiburg, Germany

Talk: “Accessibility testing with blind users.” An end-to-end cheatsheet from recruiting participants to conducting the sessions.

Slava speaking on a theatre stage at Touch Digital Summit 2022 in Tbilisi

Touch Digital Summit 2022 · Tbilisi, Georgia

Talk: “From a hands-on designer to a manager.” Sharing five bitter truths about this career transition.

Slava speaking at Front Conference 2022 in Zurich

Front Conference 2022 · Zurich, Switzerland

Talk: “Human eye vs. math in user interfaces.” Applying optical alignment and visual balance to user interfaces.

Slava presenting at the Product Design Get-Together 2020 in Berlin

Product Design Get-Together 2020 · Berlin, Germany

Talk: “Sustainable information sharing in product teams.” Creating a knowledge base that suits different team roles and their needs.

Laptop showing the speaker lineup of the online Product Design Marathon 2020

Product Design Marathon 2020 · online

Talk: “Using team workshops to build business processes.” Tips and tricks on organizing productive collaborative sessions with executives.

Slava speaking with a microphone at Krupa Design Conference 2018 in Kyiv

Krupa Design Conference 2018 · Kyiv, Ukraine

Talk: “Handling heavyweight data visualization.” Harmful design trends and the challenges of visualizing complex engineering information in the oil and gas domain.

Courses

Smashing Conferences page for the Design Management Masterclass hosted by Slava

Design Management Masterclass · 2023

Four online workshops with practical exercises for newbie design leaders and senior designers. Hosted by Smashing Conferences.

Diia Osvita page for the Inclusive Web Design course, showing its two authors

Inclusive Web Design · 2022

Video lectures with quizzes for everyone new to accessibility. Published on the Ukrainian governmental portal for digital education “Diia Osvita.”

Slava recording a video lecture in a studio with cameras and lights

Discovery and Workshops · 2021

Five practical video lectures for designers working at agencies and consultancies. Published on Youtube channel “Rist.”

Slava taking a selfie with computer science students at an accessibility workshop at HTW Berlin

Intro to Web Accessibility · 2021

Two 3-hour workshops for computer sciences students in collaboration with the German Association of the Blind. Hosted by HTW Berlin (Berlin University of Applied Sciences).

Group photo of designers holding red folders after the presales workshop at Apollo Design Center

Designer’s Role in Presales · 2020

A full-day workshop for designers working at agencies and consultancies. Hosted by Apollo Design Center.

Designers working in groups around tables during a UX workshop at Projector Institute

UX Workshops & Strategy · 2019

Eight 2-day modules with projects for real clients for experienced designers. Hosted by Projector Creative & Tech Institute.

Meetups

Slava presenting at Amsterdam UX Meetup in front of a slide with portrait photos

Amsterdam UX Meetup · 2025

Talk: “How advanced journey mapping can save your ass in the AI world.” Sharing the way of translating customer insights into ideas for agentic AI innovation.

Slava speaking at a lectern at The Hague University Speakers’ Corner

The Hague University Speakers’ Corner · 2025

Talk: “How to find your way as a designer in 2025?” Overview of technology advancements and how enshittification is slowly eroding digital products.

Audience watching a presentation in a dark room at the Dysarium special event

Dysarium Special Event · 2025

Talk: “Using non-AI methods in the age of AI.” How to adapt classical UX tools, such as personas and customer journeys, to AI innovation in enterprise and B2B contexts.

Audience watching a talk at the UXDX Amsterdam meetup

UXDX Amsterdam Meetup · 2024

Talk: “How advanced journey mapping can save your ass in the AI world.” Sharing the way of translating customer insights into ideas for agentic AI innovation.

Slava and Don Norman on a video call during the Design for a Better World book presentation

Design for a Better World · 2023

Facilitating the presentation of Don Norman’s new book “Design for a Better World” and discussing designers’ responsibility and influence on strategic decisions.

Packed room of attendees at the Projector Lviv meetup in 2020

Projector Lviv Meetup · 2020

Talk: “What designers should think about in 2020.” Overview of recent advancements in technology and how design keeps on moving from pixels to business.

Audience at the Projector Lviv meetup in 2018 during a talk on the ROI of design

Projector Lviv Meetup · 2018

Talk: “ROI of design.” Overview of studies on design value and how to calculate design’s return on investment.

Slava presenting to a full room at the Projector Lviv meetup in 2017

Projector Lviv Meetup · 2017

Talk: “Design documentation without bullsh*t.” Recommendations on composing documentation that the team will actually read and benefit from.

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