ITX Product + Design Conference 2025
Thanks for being part of the conversation—here’s what’s resonating in product, design, and the broader creative community.
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LOOKING BACK
Inside the 2025 Experience
The 4th Annual ITX Product + Design Conference brought together a global community of thinkers and makers to explore what’s next in product development. Across keynotes and workshops, speakers shared insights on everything from the evolving role of AI in user experience to strategies for aligning teams and building products that drive real impact.
MEET THE 2025 SPEAKERS
Ioana Teleanu
Ioana Teleanu is an experienced design leader specializing in AI-powered products. She shaped the experience of Miro AI as their Lead Product Designer for AI. Previously, she worked at UiPath on Clipboard AI, which was granted Time Magazine’s ‘Best Invention of 2023’ award.
Ioana is the creator and instructor of AI for Designers, one of the most successful courses launched on Interaction Design Foundation.
Matt LeMay
Matt LeMay is a product leader, consultant, and author with over a decade of experience. He has worked on acquisitions by Google and Intuit, advised Spotify, and built product teams for startups now worth hundreds of millions. He also held key product roles at Songza (acquired by Google) and Bitly.
Matt is the author of three books, including his new release, Impact-First Product Teams: Define Success. Do Work That Matters. Be Indispensable. He also created the One Page / One Hour Pledge that aims to boost efficiency by encouraging quick sharing and collaboration.
Sophia Prater
Sophia Prater is the founder and lead UX designer at Rewired, and chief evangelist of Object-Oriented UX (OOUX.) Sophia has advised companies including Facebook, Google, Uber, HelloFresh, Atlassian, Autodesk, Delta Airlines, Microsoft, Adobe and more on best OOUX practices.
Sophia teaches her OOUX methodologies at conferences, within companies, and through her OOUX Certification Program. She is the host of OOUX Happy Hour and the OOUX Podcast.
Usha Iyer
Usha Iyer is Hivebrite’s Chief Customer and Growth Officer, leading go-to-market, customer success, and revenue strategy for a global SaaS platform powering over a thousand online communities.
Starting as a coder and product manager, she transitioned to growth and revenue leadership, bringing a product mindset to the customer journey. Usha connects user needs with product teams, driving business outcomes through early experimentation and clear, useful feature design.
Vitaly Friedman
Vitaly Friedman co-founded Smashing Magazine in 2006, a leading online magazine for designers and developers. He leads UX at Smashing Magazine and brings a wealth of experience in interface design, performance optimization, and accessibility. As a front-end/UX expert, he consults for various organizations, including the European Parliament.
Vitaly authors Smashing Books and offers engaging UX training through Measure UX and Smart Interface Design Patterns.
Luke Stiles
Luke Stiles is a product advisor and consultant with extensive experience in launching startups, building new products, and transforming businesses in the product and engineering industries since the early days of the web.
Currently, Luke consults on growth and product development, focusing on the widespread adoption of generative AI (GenAI). He also writes about GenAI, examining its impact on business and customer experience.
BELSITO RETURNS AS MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Mike Belsito was back as our Emcee for the fourth year in a row. He leads the charge in creating immersive, industry-defining events for product people worldwide, including Pendomonium, Mind the Product’s #MTPCON, and INDUSTRY: The Product Conference.
His businesses and products have been featured in national media outlets such as the New York Times, The Atlantic, CNN, and NPR. Mike is also the author of Startup Seed Funding for the Rest of Us, a top startup books on Amazon.
Speakers in Action
WHAT WE EXPERIENCED
#ITXCON2025
Real-time thoughts from conference attendees.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Workshops – Wednesday, June 25
Sophia Prater led a hands-on session focused on tackling complexity through Object-Oriented UX. Participants explored how asking the right questions early in a project—of users, stakeholders, and developers—can surface critical context and reduce rework. Through structured, collaborative exercises, they practiced new facilitation techniques and walked away with practical frameworks for designing with clarity and confidence.
Matt LeMay guided attendees through the principles of building impact-first product teams. Drawing from his latest book, he shared real-world strategies for setting meaningful team goals and connecting everyday product work to broader business outcomes. The session offered a grounded, actionable approach to navigating today’s fast-moving product landscape.
In a workshop led by Vitaly Friedman, participants explored how to design more effective AI interfaces. Rather than relying on generic conversational UIs, the session focused on practical design patterns that help users express intent more clearly and get more value from AI systems. It was a deep dive into designing for AI—not with it.
Luke Stiles introduced the concept of vibe coding, an AI-powered approach to rapid prototyping. Through hands-on exercises, attendees learned how to quickly bring ideas to life, align stakeholders, and accelerate product impact. The session emphasized how AI tools can reduce friction from concept to delivery, making prototyping faster, more intuitive, and more collaborative.
Keynotes – Thursday, June 26
Usha Iyer explored how product leaders can better connect their work to growth by shifting their perspective to the full customer journey. Her session emphasized the power of aligning with go-to-market teams and supporting key touchpoints across the lifecycle—offering a more holistic, outside-in approach to product strategy and collaboration.
Ioana Teleanu took the stage to reflect on the evolving relationship between AI and UX design. She challenged attendees to think critically about how AI is integrated into their work, highlighting both the opportunities and ethical responsibilities that come with designing intelligent experiences. Her keynote encouraged designers to consider the broader impact of their decisions in shaping the future.
Sophia Prater returned to share a fresh perspective on intuitive design. Drawing from her experience in Object-Oriented UX, she introduced the “Four Ancient Truths” as a framework for identifying and articulating design issues. Her talk offered practical techniques for giving constructive feedback and showed how user research can strengthen design critiques and decision-making.
Matt LeMay closed out the speaker lineup with a keynote on impact-first product leadership. He addressed the challenges of shifting priorities and organizational noise, offering tools to help leaders bring clarity, focus, and momentum to their teams. His talk resonated with anyone looking to lead with purpose and drive meaningful outcomes.
AGENDA
Workshop Day – June 25
07:30 AM – 08:30 AM. Registration + Breakfast
08:30 AM – 12:00 PM Workshop Session 1
12:30 PM – 01:00 PM Lunch
01:00 PM – 04:30 PM Workshop Session 2
04:30 PM – 05:00 PM. Event Closes
Keynote Day – June 26
08:00 AM – 09:00 AM Registration + Breakfast
09:00 AM – 09:10 AM Opening Remarks
09:10 AM – 09:50 AM Keynote 1: Usha Iyer – “Beyond the Build: Connecting the Dots from Product to Growth”
09:50 AM – 10:15 AM Break
10:15 AM – 11:00 AM Live Podcast Recording with Usha Iyer – Spotlight Session: Fireside Chat with Vitaly Friedman, hosted by Mike Belsito
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM Break
11:15 AM – 11:55 AM Keynote 2: Ioana Teleanu – “AI + UX – Product Design for Intelligent Experiences”
12:00 PM – 01:00 PM Lunch
01:00 PM – 01:45 PM Live Podcast Recording with Ioana Teleanu – Spotlight Session: Fireside Chat with Luke Stiles, hosted by Mike Belsito
01:45 PM – 02:00 PM Break
02:00 PM – 02:40 PM Keynote 3: Sophia Prater – “The Four Ancient Truths of Intuitive Design”
02:40 PM – 03:00 PM Break
03:00 PM – 03:45 PM Live Podcast Recording with Matt LeMay – Spotlight Session: Case Study with RIT “Skunk Works: Innovating in the Age of Generative AI”, moderated by Paul Gebel (Vice President of Delivery, ITX)
03:45 PM – 04:00 PM Break
04:00 PM – 04:40 PM Keynote 4: Matt LeMay – “Impact-First Product Leadership”
04:40 PM – 05:00 PM Closing Remarks
05:00 PM – 06:30 PM Cocktail Reception
PRODUCT MOMENTUM LIVE!
Live Podcast Recordings with Keynote Speakers
On Keynote Day, June 26, the Product Momentum team hosted live podcast recordings with select keynote speakers. Usha Iyer, Ioana Teleanu, and Matt LeMay gave attendees a front-row seat to thoughtful, unscripted conversations with some of the industry’s leading voices. Subscribe to the Product Momentum YouTube channel to be the first to know when those episodes drop!
SPOTLIGHT SESSIONS
Real Stories, Real Insights
The Spotlight Sessions brought a conversational, fireside chat-style format to the conference, creating space for open dialogue between keynote speakers, guests, and hosts. This year featured two engaging chats with Vitaly Friedman and Luke Stiles, along with a compelling case study presented by guests from Rochester Institute of Technology on how they used a startup mindset and GenAI Hack-a-Thon to spark innovation and fearless experimentation. These sessions offered a candid look at how ideas evolve and left attendees with insights they could take back to their own work.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES?
5 Reasons To Attend the 2026 Product + Design Conference.
1. Exclusive access to industry experts
We bring the brightest minds shaping the product and design communities. And this year’s lineup is sure to impress – Ioana Teleanu, Matt LeMay, Sophia Prater, and others will take to the stage and share insights gained from their years of experience.
2. Connect with fellow P + D professionals.
Here’s your chance to meet 300 like-minded product people. Make new friends – maybe reconnect with lost contacts – from Rochester or across the country. The best part? Every conference attendee is looking for new ways to create business value. Plenty of opportunities to talk shop and ignite that fire.
3. The best of both worlds.
Today’s software development space brings product and design together like never before. The P + D Conference creates a safe space for us to learn and grow together. Dig into focused skill development on Workshop Day and use Keynote Day to build strong ties with your peers.
4. Leveling up your abilities.
Return to your team equipped with fresh, new skills that enhance your daily tasks. Whether it’s learning how to understand the big picture or honing everyday abilities, you’ll find new ways of working that help you move faster and drive positive outcomes for your teams and clients.
5. Rochester in summer.
June in Rochester is beautiful – with comfortable temperatures, flowers in bloom and so much to do! Visit High Falls, located in downtown Rochester for a stunning city view. Try a local late-night Rochester specialty, Nick Tahou’s Garbage Plate. Catch a live performance during the Rochester International JazzFest.
