Hippo is delighted to sponsor Ladies that UX: October Lightning Talks. This month we’re bringing you lightning talks from four awesome people in the UCD space! This is a chance for the brilliant people in our community to practice speaking, and for our lovely attendees to learn something new.

Speakers

We cannot wait to introduce you to our fantastic speakers and for you to enjoy their talks. Each lightning talk will last 10 minutes and there will be a couple of minutes for each speaker to answer your questions.

Sophie Watkins – User Researcher, Etc. Health at BT Group
Changing careers into UXR: Taking a leap of faith and not sticking to the plan

Join Sophie as she recounts her experience of the journey from Marketer to User Researcher, including the leaps of faith, lifestyle adjustments, and invaluable lessons learnt along the way from communities and mentors. Expect practical tips, resources, and reassurance, perfect for anyone considering a career switch or to get a foot in the UX door.

Jade Hanley – Lead Product Manager, Co-op
From LOLs to Results: Improv as a Team Superpower

Discover how the principles of improvisational comedy can transform your team’s collaboration. Jade will share her personal journey into improv—why she took the leap and the unexpected ways it helped her to build her confidence. We’ll also dive into a simple and fun improv exercise that you can use to boost collaboration, creativity, and connection with your team. Get ready to unleash a new superpower!

Faria Khokhar – User Researcher, Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government
Listen, Care, Protect – Safeguarding Research from the Inside Out

In this lightning talk, Faria will discuss the critical role of safeguarding and wellbeing in user research, focusing on the importance of listening, caring and protecting both participants and researchers. She’ll share trauma-informed and inclusive research strategies, and will provide insights into protecting researchers from emotional fatigue. Whether you’re an introvert, an empath, or someone interested in ethical research, this talk will offer practical takeaways for creating safer research environments.