Schedule
We are sooo excited! We are looking forward to two days of single track talks, two workshop days, and loads of side events.
For both the talks and the workshops, we have a good range of topics, varying from UX Design to Web Performance and from AI to Advanced CSS tips and tricks. All talks have this in common: brought to you by amazing speakers and practical takeaways everywhere!
Your conference or bundle ticket also gives you access to all our side events, from a city walk to morning runs, and — of course — our famous Smashing Party! If you’re joining us online, you get backstage interviews, online fun and networking.
Had an amazing couple of days at @smashingconf Freiburg, and learned so much! The best speakers, wonderful content, great audience, even the venue was beautiful. And of course, a huge thanks to the organizers! See you in NY!
Workshop Monday, 7th | Conference Tuesday, 8th | Conference Wednesday, 9th | Workshop Thursday, 10th
Monday, 7th – Workshops
Workshops
On Monday, we’re running three hands-on workshops. Our workshops offer the opportunity to get to grips with new ideas and techniques in real depth, with a full day spent on the topic of your choice.
It’s a great way to round off your conference experience, and lunch will be provided, too. Our doors open at 8:30 for a 9:00 start.
- Creating and Maintaining Successful Design Systems with Brad Frost. — Sold Out!
- Accessible Components from Design to Development with Carie Fisher — Sold Out!
- Designing For Complex UIs, 2024 Edition with Vitaly Friedman — Sold Out!
Jam Session
The night before the conference kicks off, we’re hosting a warm-up event with our dear friends from Figma, with drinks and talks from your fellow attendees.
We hope you’ll join us to connect ahead of the main event! We hope to see you at the Figma office for an evening of talks and meeting new people! Please register so we know you’re coming!
Tuesday, 8th – Conference
Morning Run 🏃♀️
On both conference days, join speakers and attendees for a 30–40 minutes run. All levels are welcome, we'll meet at 7 AM and run about 5k! We'll be meeting at the Maine Monument just off of Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park. Our finish will be the yoga, so you'll be able to join them afterwards if you like.
Morning Yoga in the Park 🧘
Have some mindful movement at the start of Smashing Day One! This outdoor yoga practice will be a perfect start to a busy day of new ideas and networking.
The beginner-friendly, 45-minute yoga class will be led by our Smashing Print Manager (and part-time yoga teacher), Ari. We'll meet at Sheep meadow, in Central Park.
Bring a towel or mat to practice on, and please sign up so we know you’re coming!
Doors Open
Welcome 🌄
We can’t wait to welcome you for two days of practical talks.
Is Atomic Design Dead?
Over the last decade, design systems have taken the world of digital design and development by storm, and Brad's helped dozens of organizations create and evolve their design systems. Along the way, he invented a methodology for creating design systems called Atomic Design. In this talk, Brad will reflect on the past, present, and future of design systems, sharing bumps, bruises, and best practices along the way.
Brad will also be running a workshop on Design Systems — Sold out.
How to Use AI to Build Accessible Products
Discover how AI can assist developers in writing more accessible code by identifying and suggesting fixes for common accessibility issues. This talk will showcase AI-driven tools and techniques that enhance code accessibility, streamline development processes, and enhance user experiences.
Carie will also discuss AI's limitations, such as potential biases, and emphasize the importance of manual checks to ensure comprehensive accessibility compliance. Explore best practices for integrating AI into your development workflow while maintaining human oversight to achieve genuinely inclusive digital experiences.
Carie will be giving a workshop on accessibility too — Sold Out!!
Coffee Break 🍵
Time for a little refresher! Of course, we are taking care of tea, coffee and snacks.
The New Rules of UX Writing
In the world of digital product design, good writing is a superpower. And the role of the writer has evolved. In this talk, Nick will explore the way today’s leading companies use words to shape the apps and websites we all use every day. Learn how to write more thoughtfully, build a world-class brand, and improve any digital product.
Moving from Execution to Strategy as a Designer
Designers often find themselves under pressure to create beautiful outputs rather than impact and outcomes. In this talk, Catt Small will share techniques to move herself from execution to a more strategic role over 14 years of in-house work at companies spanning various industries.
You’ll learn to add perspective to subjects including product strategy, growth, and monetization — showing the value of design at every part of the product development process. Before you know it, you’ll be your PM’s best work friend!
Lunch Break 🥗
Let's have lunch, find some new friends and have some great chats over lunch. What are you going to have? You can also join us for a catered lunch with Deque Systems on Accessibility tools and techniques, and SpeedCurve on Web Performance.
Smart Layout Patterns with Modern CSS
Modern CSS has opened up new possibilities in how we can author our stylesheets, yet many people are so used to the familiar patterns that we were forced into with the limitations of older features that they don't take full advantage of what the new features have to offer. In this talk Kevin dives into the new patterns he's been exploring, showing what's now possible thanks to modern CSS and hoping to inspire people to start breaking free of the old limitations we've lived with for so long.
How AI Ate My Website
The number of websites, articles, videos, images, PDFS and more has grown exponentially since the web started over 30 years ago. In order to use this volume of content, people generally search or browse it. However, the advances in artificial intelligence (AI) models now enable different ways of interacting with websites.
In his talk, Luke will show how these models influence UX behaviour, and what happened when AI ate his website.
Closing remarks
Awww, time to end the first day. We hope to see you at the Smashing Party!
After Party! 🎉
Ah, the legendary SmashingConf parties! Bring your team members, or make some new friends, and we’ll have a wonderful night of chats, networking and fun. We'll take care of the drinks and bites.
This party is only for Smashing attendees, please don’t forget to bring your badge
Wednesday, 9th – Conference
Morning Run 🏃♀️
On both conference days, join speakers and attendees for a 30–40 minutes run. On Wednesday, we'll meet at 7:30 AM and run 5k! We'll be meeting again at the Maine Monument just off of Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park.
Morning Yoga in the Park 🧘
Join us on the second conference day for an outdoor yoga session, the perfect way to kick off another day filled with fresh ideas and networking.
The beginner-friendly, 45-minute yoga class will be led by our Smashing Print Manager (and part-time yoga teacher), Ari. We'll meet at Sheep meadow, in Central Park.
Bring a towel or mat to practice on, and please sign up so we know you’re coming!
Doors Open
Welcome 🌅
A warm welcome to another day of talks and fun!
The Secret Mechanisms of CSS
CSS is a deceptively complex language: browsers do a bunch of stuff behind the scenes, translating our CSS rules into a live UI. This process can seem very mysterious, and if we don't have a clear mental model for what it’s doing, we'll struggle to really feel comfortable with CSS. In this talk, Josh wants to shine a light on some of the most important mechanisms within CSS.
Coffee Break 🧋
Pfew, we hope our first two talks woke you up? To help a little extra we have coffee, tea and more.
Generating the Future
With all the hype about generative AI, the question was how that would translate into future UI's. Well, we are entering that future now!
In his talk, Tejas will explore the intersection of building AI and UX through the lens of React Server Components: a mechanism that enables streaming components to users on-demand, similar to how Large Language Models (LLMs) stream text. Let's explore how this future will look like, together!
Tejas will also give a workshop on Fluent React.
Bridge the Gap between Design and Development, One Token at a Time
Ever felt like designers and developers speak different languages? Well, it’s time to bridge that gap! Join us as we dive into the world of design tokens. We’ll explore how design tokens can streamline workflows, ensure consistency, and make both sides of the creative spectrum sing in perfect harmony. Whether you’re a designer, developer, or somewhere in between, this talk will equip you with the knowledge and practical tips to create a seamless, collaborative process.
Lunch Break
Time for lunch! We hope you get to meet some new people, have great chats, and maybe visit our partner's booths?
Or join The Interledger Foundation for a Lunch Session on Web Monetization or join Storyblok for Edge Functions. We'll take care of the lunch for both sessions!
Managing Design Systems, from Features and Releases to Roadmaps and Backlogs
Making design system features is exciting. But what about managing assignments, tracking tasks, and discussing status? The momentum of emergent tokens and rapid Figma and code prototypes gives way to the dulling rigor of quality and collaboration across designers and developers wanting to operate independently. In order to earn trust and reach success, design systems need to sweat the details together. Managing the work need not be so daunting and tedious.
In this talk, Nathan will demonstrate the process he’s installed and evolved across the design system teams he’s led over the past ten years. Using tools like Asana and Jira, he’ll demonstrate how to organize design system work, record scope, assign and track tasks, and release features over time. Workflow challenges – repetitive reviews, quick tasks amid formal workflows, when to discuss requests – will season the tour. Whether you are a system practitioner considering how you fit or a manager refining a practice, you’ll leave inspired to refine the speed, precision and clarity of your design system process.
Nathan will also give a workshop on Design Systems.
Lost Found in the Details
Jessica Hische is a lettering artist specializing in work for logos, film and television, and books for clients like Fender Guitars, Wes Anderson, and Penguin Random House. One specialty she's particularly fond of is logo refresh work—helping modernize existing brands while maintaining much of the original DNA.
Jessica will walk through her process for this highly specialized work, and talk about why sometimes fretting over invisible details can really matter and how this kind of work can not only be rewarding for clients in quantifiable ways but also deeply rewarding for the creatives who perform it. In a culture in which we are asked to constantly streamline and automate, there is still room for slow and considered craftsmanship.
Closing ✨
Photo Walk 📸
Don't want your conference to end yet? Join our guides after the conference, where they'll be showing you around the neighborhood while sharing their best photo secrets. We'll be meeting for the photo walk at the entrance at 5:30 PM.
Brad’s Jam! 🥁🎸
When Brad Frost suggested to have a little Jam session with some cool people, we thought, let's make this happen! That was last year in Antwerp, and this year in New York, we are doing it again! If you play an instrument, or sing, join us for an evening of jamming and fun!
Thursday, 10th – Workshops
Workshops
On Thursday, we’re running another three hands-on workshops. Our workshops offer the opportunity to get to grips with new ideas and techniques in real depth, with a full day spent on the topic of your choice.
It’s a great way to round off your conference experience, and lunch will be provided, too. Our doors open at 8:30 for a 9:00 start.
- Design Token and UI Component Architecture with Nathan Curtis.
- Fluent React with Tejas Kumar.
- New Front-End Adventures, 2024 Edition with Vitaly Friedman.