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
"We’ve got Tim Gilligan, Meredith Blackbrand, and Bria Alexander on a panel about the future of design ops."
Alana WashingtonTheme 3 Intro
October 1, 2021
"Every project and initiative we launched has been a Trojan horse navigating through dark matter."
Sofía Delsordo Kassim VeraPublic Policy for Jalisco's Designers to Make Design Matter
December 8, 2021
"Operational excellence means making everything easy — for your team, your customers, and others to understand your value."
Crystal PhilcoxThe Many Faces of Operations
November 6, 2017
"When you press a button like an upvote, it’s the developer’s job to make sure the visual state is communicated via ARIA landmarks."
Sam ProulxDesigning For Screen Readers: Understanding the Mental Models and Techniques of Real Users
December 10, 2021
"We think about research as the magnetic field that attracts every part of the business into alignment around the customer."
Sofia QuinteroThe Product Philosophy Behind EnjoyHQ
March 10, 2021
"Professional development budgets get cut first in tough times, yet skill building is more important than ever."
Doug PowellDesignOps and the Next Frontier: Leading Through Unpredictable Change
September 11, 2025
"Research was completely evaluative and tactical, positioned as serving design by validating wireframes and high fidelity prototypes."
Johanna KollmannInsights-Driven Product Strategy: Get your Research to Count
December 6, 2022
"AI development is often uninformed and hurried, resulting in deployments that don’t operate well in the real world."
Joel BranchHumanizing AI: Filling the Gaps with Multi-faceted Research
March 11, 2021
"The promise of an LLM assistant requires users to build new mental models while using it."
Katie JohnsonDisrupting generative AI products with just-in-time consumer insights
June 4, 2024
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How does owning your design data in formats like JSON impact AI integration and future-proofing?
How does AI involvement improve the quality and relevance of questions asked during SME review sessions?
In what ways does role fluidity impact collaboration, and how should expertise be respected across domains?