A Fantastically Boring Conference (Ok la)

First day in Copenhagen

Zip zap, I’m back.

In and out of Scandinavia, just like that.

There’s too much to unpack for a single blog post but I’m going to try anyway.

So, Future Product Days. Verdict? Fantastically boring. I know, hold up – I’ll elaborate.

First impressions? Insanely crowded. Long lunch queues. Not every talk was worthwhile. In summary, time mattered in that space and it worked like a buffet: 5 major talks would happen on independent stages while 2 workshops would happen in the background. This is what the schedule looked like for the Main Day:

Future Product Days 2025, Main Day Schedule

If I could redo it, I’d register to as many workshops as early as possible because those filled up pretty quickly. That aside, I prefer practical experiences, but hey – that’s just me. As an ‘outsider’ peeking into the product design scene, each talk either piqued my interest or lost me entirely. The outcome between the two came down to one thing: presentation.

Some presenters were absolutely magnetic, it was clear to see that their stage presence was more radiant than the content. On the other hand, others had brilliant products but couldn’t connect – wrong timing (lunch hour), low confidence or too much jargon became an obstacle for mutual understanding. It reminded me that clarity and charisma are just as important as any bright idea. Speaking of bright ideas, Paraflow is worth checking out. They call themselves a ‘Product Design Agent’ which turns concepts into functioning ideas (apps). It’s kinda like Lovable but more thought-out – collaborative vibe-coding with structured flow.

That aside, the event turned out to be insightful in an unexpected way. Between talks about product workflows and UX frameworks, I found myself observing how people spoke on stage through their tone, posture, pacing and metaphors. The best of them used simple, inclusive language while others unintentionally gatekept behind industry acronyms like PRD (Product Requirements Document). Either way, a lot was happening and putting myself in a different design environment full of unfamiliar faces humbled me.

This was my favourite speaker from the event. Her name is Christina Boutrup and she was sharing about China’s digital landscape. As a SEA citizen, it’s nothing we haven’t heard about but her stage presence was admirable. She spoke with clarity and confidence, included context when needed, made everyone feel involved with questions and had a positively energetic attitude which made the crowd feel enthusiastic about the topic. I really enjoyed her talk.

On a more technical note, I learned that despite the rise of ML and AI, trust remains a core currency in the world of design. This is because if users trust a system, they become part of it. Apple’s ecosystem is a good example of this, and as long as users care about trust, so will stakeholders.

The two go hand-in-hand, and it’s something that machines can’t replace nor differentiate accurately. In Product Design, signals are often brought up – these are features or inputs that shape how a user experiences a product. The big 3 include: fairness, quality and speed. Yet, all of these can be manipulated by a machine, which makes them unreliable without human oversight (us, the creatives).

This was my workshop lecturer on the Main Day. His name is Konrad from Berlin – he worked in 15 companies for 15 years and this is him breaking down the ESI framework: Educational. Simple. Intriguing. He’s a knowledgeable man, I had a great start to the day by attending his workshop.

It sounded like fluff at first, and I had no idea what he meant until he brought up Spotify Wrapped applies the same principles. The whole experience is a prime example of the framework because we can educate ourselves through Spotify’s data, because it’s simple to understand, and intriguing to discover + experience. I’d also add that it’s fun, because you can engage with the data too (listening to it).

Even though the knowledge he shared was directed at digital products, I believe the knowledge will be applicable in other domains too. It’s just a matter of time before I figure it out.

Konrad’s workshop, group exercise

On that note, I’m going to end it there for the Main Day and leaving with nuggets of advice I collected throughout the day:

• Goodhart’s Law: when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

• “Best way to stay ahead of competitors is to solve your client’s problems faster and better than anyone else.”

• “It’s not about letting go of control, it’s changing what you control.”

• “A website is a rich distillation of your projects, make it look and feel that way.”

• “Design is telepathy. Creating an experience and influencing behaviour through cues.“

• “Make sure your employees are not afraid to tell you about the mistakes they make.”

Well, was it worth it? Yes, but not because of the Main Day. It was actually the Second Day that made it for me, and making time to explore added to the experience too. There’s much to talk about on Denmark’s religious cycling beliefs and Sweden’s dedication to protecting greenery.

I’ll talk about it in the coming blogs… or not – I’ll do my best. Much to write, so little time. Until then, thanks for reading!

25 Sep 2025: Me at the entrance of FPD, minutes before the human tsunami