I've been giving talks on digital development, design, accessibility and ethics for more than two decades. My passion is generating aha!-moments, squashing truisms and providing practical thoughts, examples and tools that are immediately useful to audience members.

For workshops, visit Teaching.

Topics

These talks are ready to go. I am happy to tailor them to fit with audience experience, preferences and engagement levels. I often speak in front of international audiences and take care to use language that is accessible and inclusive.

1) 💘 Compassion as a Driver of Innovation

The power we wield as digital creators is significant, as is the potential for harm. By taking responsibility for our power we can not only mitigate negative impact but also build knowledge for advancing our digital services in novel and caring ways. Using examples from AI, deepfakes and digital gone wrong (and right), I show how impact can be assessed, and how an ethical mindset can uncover insights that build healthy organisations… and people!

2) 👾 Demystifying AI for Designers

In a fast-paced world of technology designers have an opportunity to be a guiding voice of reason. To do this right we need an awareness of the benefits and threats of tools modelled on machine learning and foundational models so that we can bring the appropriate designs to life in our efforts to embrace wellbeing and goal fulfilment. In this talk you will learn how to gauge and communicate trustworthiness using language and user interfaces. You will mitigate harm and help more people control artifical intelligence in ways that better help themselves and their communities.

3) 💌 Building Good and Responsible Machines

Digital enablement, smart computing, AI and virtual realities are all praised for the problems they solve, while the problems they create are swept under the rug. Organisations are less willing to acknowledge any of their injurious contributions, instead choosing to argue that their intent is always benevolent. Harm is especially evident for the already vulnerable, overlooked, underserved and disenfranchised. Denial and avoidance will only exacerbate negative impact and Per is determined to raise general awareness and promote more balanced and honest conversations about possible, plausible and preferable human futures.

More topics…

My experience and curiosity within digital is broad and deep. Let me know what you are looking for. Here are some more ideas that spring to mind: Prototype Coding for Designers, Producing Explainer Videos, Making and Executing a Communication Plan, How to Run a Workshop, Managing the Elements of Digital Ethics.

Get in touch

I'm just an email away if you're looking to help yourself or your team get inspired, ahead and more knowledgeable about digital design for improved wellbeing.

If you already have set specific details about the event you are hosting, you can also fill out this form for asking me on as a speaker.

Are you interested in attending a talk? You can sign up to get notified.

Want to see some of my work first? My Speaker page contains links to videos and slidedecks.

Speaker Rider

A speaker rider contains topics and clarifications that help both you and me feel good about the collaboration.

I'm assuming here you have some knowledge about me and my expertise in digital ethics and design. If not I recommend you familiarize yourself with my passions through my blog. You will also find slides and video from a selection of my talks on speaker.axbom.com.

Prerequisites for my participation

• We are in agreement about payment for the engagement. I do not give talks for free except under certain circumstances for charity events and non-profit organizations. If you don't know what my knowledge and participation is worth for you, let's talk. 😊

A general guide is €3,800 for a keynote address*, €2,500 for an inspirational lecture and €1,700 for smaller events. These prices are for around 45-90 minutes. I like to be generous with Q&A sessions as the benefit and value I can bring participants is important to me.

*keynote often means being the poster name and opening or closing an event with several speakers. I place extra emphasis on connecting to the theme of the event/organization, underscore lessons learned and crucial takeaways, as well as describe how the different speakers' presentations interconnect.

• We are in agreement about the topic area. I am always grounded in digital ethics and responsible innovation, but I can lean on examples and topics that are especially important to the target audience: for example: accessibility, design, futurism, equality or abuse.
• Any required travel and accommodation is reimbursed.
• Participation in the conference is included (if this is a conference with multiple speakers).
• If more than two speakers there is a clear and communicated diversity effort on display. I reserve the right to withdraw my participation if there is an obvious tilt where mostly privileged people such as myself are on stage. Efforts to engage first-time speakers are also appreciated.

Online talks

• I can give talks online when needed and have my own studio, with good lighting, that I can broadcast from.
• At some conferences I have contributed a pre-recorded talk, and participated live as part of a Q&A session. I appreciate how this relieves stress over tech issues and also allows closed captions to be prepared beforehand.

About inclusion and sustainability

I am always curious about your attention to these issues and when you can tell me more (where relevant) I am always very thankful.

• Are the premises adapted for easy access for people with mobility constraints?
• Is there support to access the content (for example speaker system, hearing loop, sign language, live captioning)
• Have you taken into account sensory impact to reduce audiovisual overload and/or provide a calm space for quiet recovery?
• Is there clear signage so that one can easily wayfind without having to find someone to ask?
• Is there a clearly designated person and/or channel to report experienced discomfort if this occurs (harassment, prejudice, etc.)?
• Is there a clearly designated person and/or channel to opt out of photography and sound recording, or sharing of contact information? What does the routine look like for honoring these requests?
• Have you taken into account food allergies and fragrance sensitivity?
• Is there a strategy to minimize climate impact?
• Have you received professional guidance on inclusion and sustainability?

Other info

• The price can be affected by the number of participants (this is good information up front) and any wish to record. If a talk is recorded my opportunity of revisits and new contacts can be impaired. But sometimes it's the other way around. Context will decide in the end.
• I invoice through my company and apply VAT where applicable.

Material

• Any required photos and bio information can be found in my press kit. I will happily provide a talk description when we are discussing arrangements and topic details. I always provide slides from my talks in PDF format for distribution to participants, after the presentation. Some slides may be omitted for integrity reasons.

If you already have set specific details about the event you are hosting, you can also fill out this form for asking me on as a speaker.

Audience reactions

Here are some quotes from the audience, shared on Twitter, after I gave my first talk on ethics and friction in design – Fairytale UX – at UXLx in Lisbon in 2016.

Thx for the awesome reminder that friction is not always bad! #supersmoothpresentation – Uli Sigmeier

Hearing lots of whispers about how amazing @axbom's talk is :) […] This talk was so good! Make sure you look at the slides. – Melissa Perri

Your talk was my favourite. Try to catch up more of your fresh thoughts in the future. #fairytaleux – David Blum

Interesting..."friction can provide guidance." AND "You don't want to catch everyone." Need to sit by the river and think now. #uxlx@axbom – Sophia Prater

@axbom just gave the best talk today @uxlx #amazing #inspiration – Fabiano Bernardo

thanks for the great speech!!! @axbom – Anna Grigoryan

Amazing talk by @axbom – João Telo

@axbom how refreshing... #uxlx – Mónica Abdurehaman

@axbom That was truly inspiring. My brain has had a fantastic workout thinking about your talk. The illustrations were awesome too. #uxlx – Adam Bruzon

If you are looking for inspiration for your own rider or guidelines, you are welcome to copy and remix the content here. Also have a look at Tatiana Mac's brilliant speaker rider which may give you more ideas on what to include.

To learn more about the inspirational talks and keynotes I do, see Speaking. For workshops and courses, see Teaching.