When I talk about user experience (UX), I emphasize empathy, clarity, and connection. Those aren’t just design principles… they’re human principles I deeply believe in. Before my career in tech, I was interested in pursuing psychology and art. To me, user experience is an actionable combination of both.
Attending events and conferences like ESPC aren’t just about sessions and slides for me. They are a chance for me to practice and live those values in real time. Am I perfect at it? Absolutely not. Every event is a chance to grow and develop my skills or smooth over missteps from the past. With connection comes accountability and follow-through. This year at ESPC25 I will be focusing on:
Practicing what I present
UX is about meeting people where they are. At a conference, that means listening more than talking, asking better questions, and noticing friction points in conversations. It isn’t only about the technology and the interfaces. How can I contribute to a more open and inclusive community? Where do I have blind spots in my social interactions? As someone who struggles with social anxiety, I know I can sometimes seem distant or disinterested when, in reality…. I’m just incredibly nervous. True story: for my first few years of speaking I used to keep an airplane barf bag in my backpack to catch my pre-session jitters. It was my way of managing anxiety before I learned that preparation and empathy (important principles in UX) apply to speaking too.
I’m focused on improving how I show up and supporting others who may feel the same because creating better experiences starts with empathy, both online and in person.
Designing sessions like products
I have never enjoyed a conference session whose primary goal was to broadcast expertise. We get it. There are a ton of brilliant minds in our community and I respect the time you put in developing that knowledge and experience.
One way I pull myself out of those pre-session jitters is by shifting my focus to designing an experience for the audience. I think about cognitive load of content, flow between topics, and accessibility of the visuals I am present. At the end of the day a session is a product too.
At ESPC last year, I scrapped my rehearsed demo mid-session when I noticed people leaning back and checking their phones. The after-lunch slot is brutal with food comas and mental fatigue from a day of learning setting in quickly. That body language was my usability test in real time, snapping me out of autopilot and reminding me that good UX means adapting to the audience in front of you. I needed to slow the pace, change my delivery, and create more space for questions.
As an American who can speak at auctioneer speed and is wildly passionate about the sheer volume of content I want to share, I sometimes forget to pause and breathe which gives people time to internalize or ask timely questions. When someone walks out saying, “I can use this tomorrow,” that’s UX in action. That is my goal with every session.
Building trust through transparency
My involvement as an MVP isn’t about badges or the accolades (although it is a nice bonus). It’s about my responsibility to advocate for the end user and their real-world challenges directly to the Microsoft product teams. My favorite part of every event are the hallway conversations where speakers, attendees, and passionate technologists share with each other what works, what doesn’t, and why. I’ve had conversations where admitting, “I tried that approach and it failed,” sparked the most valuable exchange. That honesty builds trust which is the foundation of any good experience. Community thrives when we admit the messy parts and learn together. Conferences give me the chance to do that in person, not just behind a keyboard.
Authenticity in connections
Conferences are where theory meets practice. They’re messy, human, and unpredictable. Frankly, that’s the point and why I started 🌴M365 Miami to bring the same benefits to my local South Florida community. User experience has never been about perfection. It’s about iteration. Every conversation is a chance to test assumptions, uncover pain points, and spark ideas that make workflows better.
I used to think “networking” was superficial or sales-y but I’ve learned it’s really about shared understanding. Events are my living labs for the principles I care about (empathy, clarity, and connection) where I can practice living those principles through every interaction. My best long-term partnerships and friendships have come out of these interactions. Stepping outside that social anxiety, even for just a minute, has always been worth it. Over 5 years of speaking later, I am excited to say I don’t even need my airplane barf bag anymore 🤭
As I head into ESPC25 as a community reporter, my goal is simple: amplify user voices and spotlight what truly reduces friction and improves collaboration. If you’re attending, find me to talk about the challenges you face or the moments that make your work feel effortless. Your conversations are the reason I show up.
Emily Mancini 
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