Preaching radical common sense — getting to the heart of experience design
People. Connection. Communitas. Those are the three unifying elements to Ronnie Battista — his history, his journey, and his thoughts on the UX STRAT conference he’ll be emcee’ing in Boulder, Colorado next week. He’s a dynamic human with a distinct passion for creating seamless, purposeful experiences for users, whoever they might be. A pioneer in his current role, Ronnie heads up experience design for our Northeast region, including Slalom’s offices in Hartford, Philadelphia, and New York. We sat down with him recently to get his perspective on experience design and UX STRAT in preparation for the conference.
Ronnie’s journey with experience design began nearly two decades ago when he was given the opportunity to make a career shift and head up a usability lab. In the era of convenience store security-camera quality footage and old school focus groups, it was a step in the right direction toward the technology-enabled and empowered environment of today. A uniting factor across the years? There’s still a significant gap between business and the experiences individuals — both internal and external — have with business. And that’s why, according to Ronnie, conferences like UX STRAT are so important. They bring together practitioners — with a speaker line up packed with experts from born-digital companies who are on the front lines of experience design daily — within an increasingly important industry and provide them the time and space to connect, ideate, and learn.
A UX STRAT veteran, Ronnie first attended the conference in 2013, intrigued by an event that seemed to be uniquely structured to allow for experience, as a practice, to have a seat at the C-level table. Since then, he’s attended every year and been on the agenda four times, focusing primarily on empowering individuals and teams within experience. His personal speaking style and commitment to communitas, that transformative togetherness of people being in the same space, at the same time, experiencing the same thing, bring a levity to his presentations that audience members are sure to feel in spades throughout this year’s event. He’s committed to bringing an energy level that will permeate through the conference — even in those tough after-lunch or end-of-day time slots.
Togetherness and opportunity are two elements Ronnie is clearly passionate about. His advice for both newcomers and veteran UX STRAT attendees? Connect. Connect with others, don’t just consume information. Be an active participant and find your colleagues, clients, and community. Challenge yourself to not just reconnect with the folks you’ve met before, but to find new voices and perspectives to add to your tribe. The value in connection cannot be understated, and UX STRAT creates an unparalleled environment in which opportunity can thrive. Don’t waste it. Of that first conference he attended, Ronnie said, “When we went out for drinks after that event in 2013, I was impressed by the level of conversation. I had met my tribe. I’ve been back to UX STRAT, either in the US or in Europe, every year. I find the conversations had and connections made arm me to be both a better experience designer and leader.”
After all, connection can be transformative for your career. It was the immediate connection, and respect, Ronnie felt after meeting Chris McGrath (GM, Slalom New York) and David Uhler (Director of R&D) that brought him to Slalom in 2011. It didn’t hurt that our core values resonated with him on a personal level, particularly our commitment to “Do what is right, always”. Today, he’s a champion for both experience and our values in daily conversations with teams across his region, prospects, and our clients. He views Slalom as “the consulting company for grown-ups”, with unique opportunities for growth and connection born of our commitment to one another and our clients.
This year’s UX STRAT looks to be a standout event. The agenda promises conversations about product design and experience’s role in influencing and shaping how it evolves, agility through experience development, and how leaders within experience design can tackle conversations that affect change within the brands they work for and with. And don’t forget to continue the conversation after hours — that’s where you, like Ronnie, might find the greatest value. That’s also where you might find Ronnie himself; if you do, feel free to bring him a bourbon, preferably Basil Hayden’s.
Slalom Denver is proud to be a gold sponsor of UX STRAT. Find us on site in Boulder next week.
