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
"Making the invisible visible makes things move forward and create alignments."
Ben Reason Aline Horta Majid Iqbal Fabiano LeoniMaking the system visible: The fastest path to better decisions
November 20, 2025
"Two-factor authentication accessibility improves when there are customizable options like text, email, or QR codes."
Sam ProulxMobile Accessibility: Why Moving Accessibility Beyond the Desktop is Critical in a Mobile-first World
March 10, 2022
"I thought it was really important to start closing the gap by collating monthly themes and sharing them with the wider team."
Anna Nguyen Emily BroganWhy Our Voice of the Customer is Better Than Yours
March 10, 2022
"A lot of these tools bring more noise into people’s day to day lives. It’s really hard to stay involved and still find time to get your own job done."
Abby Covert Tomer SharonPanel: Collaboration Tools
November 6, 2017
"Not all accessibility needs are obvious – even someone with vision changes related to aging develops needs over time."
Phil HeskethDesigning Accessible Research Workflows
September 29, 2021
"Employees creating content improved rapidly when centralized guidelines and editing were applied."
Irina Tikhonova Kari DietrichSmall Wins, Big Impact: Leveraging and Elevating User Engagement
December 9, 2021
"Finding others within your organization who share your sustainability passion is the way to build momentum."
Tim FrickThe journey of building a sustainable design practice
April 23, 2025
"No one really knows what to expect anyway, so failure goes largely unnoticed. It's better to be transparent about the mess."
Catherine DubutBridging Physical and Digital Spaces: Approaches to Retail Service Design
March 18, 2021
"Designers must mitigate risk for their projects, but they personally face bigger risks from failure."
Justin Entzminger Terrance Smith Tracy M. Colunga Mai-Ling GarciaRisk and Reward: How to Diversify the Field of Civic Innovators and Designers
November 17, 2022