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Summary
Climate change demands action, but many UX professionals feel stuck between deep climate concern and uncertainty about making meaningful impact in their current roles. At this session, UXer Sara Conklin will share how she transformed from climate-anxious and feeling “climate-stuck” at work to driving climate impact through industry credibility without changing jobs. Key insight: UX skills alone aren't enough. You need technical climate knowledge to add real value. Sara will share the strategies she used to shift from climate-stuck to focused contributor, plus concrete tools to build climate clarity, confidence, credibility, and contributions whether or not you stay in your current role.
Key Insights
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UX professionals often feel unsure about how to address climate issues in their work.
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Specificity is crucial when defining the problems to tackle within climate action.
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Using frameworks like the climate Venn diagram can help clarify personal passions and skills in the context of climate work.
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Self-directed learning and networking are key components of building expertise and confidence in climate-related fields.
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Finding the right niche can open pathways to meaningful contributions in climate tech and sustainability.
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Engaging with ESG reports and other resources helps bridge gaps in knowledge relating to corporate climate goals.
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Identifying what one's unique skills can bring to addressing climate issues is vital for focused action.
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Networking should involve connecting with individuals who know slightly more than you on a topic, facilitating effective two-way conversations.
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Iterating and converging on ideas is often necessary to land on the most impactful problem to solve within the climate space.
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The journey of learning about climate can be long but is essential for making a real impact.
Notable Quotes
"I felt a lot of climate anxiety and felt like I wasn’t contributing to the problem that I felt strongly about."
"When I realized I needed to be specific about my problem, my strategy started to work."
"It’s super important to get super specific about the problems you want to solve."
"I had to go to my ESG report to understand how I can impact climate from within my company."
"The sooner you can get a specific statement about what problem needs solving, the sooner you can actually take action."
"I chose to focus on climate tech’s adoption barriers, and that clarity opened up opportunities."
"Every time I learned something new, it raised questions I needed to take on to keep moving forward."
"I did not get into freelancing for income; I wanted to practice doing things in the climate space."
"Networking isn’t just about jobs; it’s about building a community that can help address problems."
"This journey of learning is continuous, and I’m still focused on expanding my understanding of electrification."
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