Justin Dauer

Design Leadership (10 May 2023, 6-7:30pm, Chicago time, USA)

Justin is a multi-faceted, multi-pierced, multi-tattooed designer, author, and speaker with 23 years of experience (across agency, studio, and tech) from Chicago. His passions lie in building inclusive and diverse teams, fostering creative cultures, and advocating for design serving the human connection. 

You’ll find him often engaging with the AIGA’s speaking events, interviewed in Forbes magazine and Medium’s “Forge” publication, and penning articles for Aquent, CEO World Magazine, and A List Apart. He speaks internationally on culture and design (most recently via the ‘21 opening keynote at the UXPA International conference, and the ‘22 Leading Design conference). Justin is also the writer of the celebrated book “Creative Culture” and is the former VP of Design at bswift, a CVS Health company.

Geke Van Dijk

Comfortable with Uncertainty (14 June 2023, 1-230pm, UK, Netherlands time)

Geke (Pronounced “Hey-kuh”) is STBY’s jetpack. As STBY’s Strategy Director, she is well versed in steering research projects on challenging topics and leading us to explore fresh contexts with new clients. She is a pioneer in Service Design since she published her PhD on co-producing service experiences in 2007. Geke loves setting the right circumstances for highly collaborative teamwork with colleagues, clients and international partners, while also making sure to maintain a shared focus on meaningful change.

Geke clicks to focus on the big social and ecological issues of our time, and tries to make a difference by contributing to systemic change processes that are ultimately the focus of our projects at STBY. As a pioneer and seasoned design researcher, Geke is keen to help others flourish through mentoring and coaching. Developing toolkits and playbooks is also a way she likes to combine her pioneering spirit and passion for capacity building and knowledge sharing. 

When she is not driving the team forward, you can find Geke surging ahead in the swimming pool. If she wasn’t a design researcher, Geke would be a Gardener or a Ninja.

Andrea Resmini

Making Meaningful Spaces (15 Feb 2023, 1-2:30pm, Sweden time)

Andrea Resmini is associate professor of Experience Design and Information Architecture at the Department of Intelligent Systems and Digital Design at Halmstad University, Sweden, where he researches and teaches courses on IA and UX for blended experiences, digital / physical ecosystems, XR, and AI. An architect turned information architect, Andrea is a two–time past president of the Information Architecture Institute, a founding member of Architecta, the Italian Society for Information Architecture, the Editor–in–chief of the Journal of Information Architecture, and the author of “Pervasive Information Architecture” (2011), “Reframing Information Architecture” (2014), and “Advances in Information Architecture” (2021).

Susan J. Wolfe

UX Strategy (23 Mar 2023, 6-7:30pm Sydney, Australia time)

Susan has been involved in the UX field for close to 40 years, dividing her time between San Francisco and Sydney. In that time, she has practiced UX design, run consultancies, mentored project teams, and introduced UX design practices and cultures into organisations around the globe. Susan also shares her expertise as a teacher and mentor, directly driving the career transitions into UX for well over 500 professionals to date.

Greg Evans

Social and Emotional Learning (12 Jul 2023, 5-6:30pm, San Diego, USA)

An award-winning trainer, TEDX speaker, and storyteller, Greg Evans is experienced in training teachers, students, and parents. For 28 years he has delivered Seeds SEL programs in 16 countries around the world. He has worked closely with researchers, authors, and curriculum designers to develop a unique blend of accelerated, experiential and SEL training and knows how to make learning fun. Seeds programs are dynamic, fast-paced learning adventures that achieve staggering results in compressed time frames and consistently exceed expectations.

Kathryn E. Campbell

Building Trusting Cultures (23 Aug 2023, 5-6:30pm, Los Angeles, USA)

Kathryn is a research and strategy leader who has been trying to make technology more useful, accessible and intuitive for more than 20 years. Her work spans multiple industries, from automotive to cultural to entertainment. The common thread across her long and varied career is listening to users and creating a nurturing space for her team members to grow and learn.

Bas Raijmakers

Creating a Shared Sense of Direction (27 Sep 2023, UK, Netherlands, 1-2:30pm)

Bas is our tall pillar of wisdom. He is a pioneer in the more visual approaches to Design Research, having published his PhD on Design Documentaries. As STBY’s Creative Director, Bas always seeks to create compelling, highly visual narratives to support empathic understandings and conversations. He thrives in networks, and finds energy in making and fostering connections with people across the globe. As such, Bas is a lead player in the Reach Network and enjoys bringing researchers from around the world together to teach, learn and laugh.

Bas continues to push the boundaries of the field by developing more-than-human design and research. He cares deeply for the planet and its natural ecosystems, and feels that Design Researchers can play an impactful role in creating systemic change toward more sustainable ways of living.

When he is not day-dreaming at the studio, you can find him at an obscure film festival or doing Tai Chi. If he was not a Design Researcher, he would be an Architect or a Mage.

Keith Tam

Design Thinking: Shift Happens (19 Oct 2023, Hong Kong, 7-830pm)

Keith Tam is a communication designer and educator.

He has spent the past 17 years in higher education in Canada, UK and Hong Kong, across different types of learning environments at all levels, as teacher, researcher and academic leader.

Keith is passionate about what makes people motivated to learn and to grow, and the development of a designerly mindset.

Keith practices, consults, researches, teaches and writes about typography and information design, with particular interests in multilingual communication, document design, wayfinding and user experience. He is also an avid flâneur who roams around and observes the city, and is a typewriter collector and typist (nontxt.com).