Opening Remarks
Summary
Bria Alexander warmly welcomes participants to Day 2 of Advancing Research 2023, introducing the day’s focus on researchers as agents of organizational change. She recaps the previous day’s theme on research as a transformational force and sets expectations for the current and following days. Bria explains logistical details including the conference’s official Pacific Time zone and the flexible option to adjust for attendees worldwide. She highlights plentiful breaks between sessions to reduce scheduling conflicts and encourages active participation via the dedicated Slack workspace, emphasizing it as the main venue for discussion and Q&A. The presence of high-quality, free sponsor sessions running parallel to the main program is noted, with encouragement to attend these Zoom-based events that offer engaging, non-sales content and social activities. Bria gives a shoutout to sponsors like Megabyte, Dovetail, Fable, and more, underlining their essential role in the conference's success. She also promotes the digital swag bag filled with special offers and encourages attendees to take advantage of it. Attendees are reassured that all session materials including slide decks, resources, and sketch notes by David Nicholson will be promptly available online, relieving pressure to take detailed notes live. Finally, she underlines the importance of the community’s code of conduct to ensure a respectful and welcoming environment, offering multiple ways to report discomfort or issues, and invites everyone to fully engage with the conference community.
Key Insights
-
•
The theme of Day 2 focuses on researchers as catalysts for organizational change.
-
•
Conference timing is anchored in Pacific Daylight Time, but attendees can adjust to their local zones.
-
•
Slack is the primary platform for Q&A, community interaction, and networking during the event.
-
•
Sponsor sessions run during breaks, offer high-quality content, and are free for anyone interested.
-
•
Sponsors are vital partners, contributing sessions and resources beyond financial support.
-
•
The digital swag bag contains various sponsor offers accessible via QR code or URL.
-
•
Session recordings, slide decks, and sketch notes are provided promptly post-session for easy access.
-
•
David Nicholson provides live sketch notes, alleviating attendees from taking detailed notes.
-
•
A clear code of conduct is emphasized to maintain a respectful and safe community environment.
-
•
Multiple support channels exist, including Slack help desk and email, to ensure a smooth conference experience.
Notable Quotes
"Today we’re gonna be talking about researchers as organizational change makers."
"The official conference time zone is Pacific Daylight Time, but you can adjust it based on where you are."
"Slack is the way you ask questions to the speakers, and it’s where most of the community interaction happens."
"Sponsor sessions are not sales pitches, they’re incredibly high quality and free to attend."
"You can invite anyone in your family to attend the sponsor sessions for free even if they’re not registered."
"All the content, including slide decks and sketch notes, will be posted promptly after each session."
"David Nicholson is our in-house scribe who produces wonderful sketch notes throughout the conference."
"Please respect our code of conduct to ensure a welcoming and safe space for all attendees."
"If you feel uncomfortable or see bullying, please let us know. We absolutely do not tolerate it."
"We could not do this conference without our incredible sponsors who spend a lot of effort thinking about ways to enrich our programming."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"All three themes and all speakers you’ll hear came together through inclusive collaboration and insightful perspectives."
Bria AlexanderTheme Two Intro
October 3, 2023
"Creating space to name what we’re experiencing without guilt allowed us to unload some of that emotional weight."
Ariba JahanTeam Resiliency Through a Pandemic
January 8, 2024
"Many big companies now have roles related to ecosystem design like VP or senior managers of ecosystem."
Cornelius RachieruHandling Complexity: Framing a Scale of Design
June 9, 2021
"WCAG does not apply to native mobile apps, which is how slow progress can be on this topic."
Megan Clegg Michael Haggerty-Villa Alexis MorinSpace for Everyone: Reframing Accessibility Through a Wider Lens
June 10, 2021
"Who works here anyways? I knew about immediate teams but beyond that, it was a fog."
Saara Kamppari-MillerCartography for Design Communities
September 10, 2025
"Design ideas come back around again and again, waiting for leadership or new contexts to take root."
Kara KaneTheme One Intro
November 16, 2022
"Producers create a care plan for every project — they’re far more than project managers."
Natalia RadywylCo-Designing New Power in Australia's Public Sector
November 16, 2022
"If you put garbage in, garbage comes out – AI reflects the biases in its training data."
Nancy DouyonWe'll Figure That Out in the Next Launch: Enterprise Tech's Nobility Complex
June 15, 2018
"We should feel okay to throw away old assumptions and tooling and invent new techniques for this new world."
Peter Van DijckBuilding the Rosenbot
June 4, 2024
