
June 17 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm CDT
What this is
Unpolished: UX Office Hours is a monthly, in-person gathering for UX designers and researchers of all experience levels. There’s no formal speaker and no slides — just a light theme, optional co-working, and space to talk through real work with other UX folks in Austin.
This month’s theme is Stakeholder Reality Check.
What we’ll focus on
UX work doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Research gets questioned. Design gets revised. Priorities shift.
Stakeholder Reality Check is a space to talk honestly about the human dynamics of UX work, including:
- When research is ignored
- When design decisions get overridden
- Navigating AI enthusiasm (or resistance) from leadership
- Influencing without formal authority
- Managing competing priorities
No venting-for-the-sake-of-venting. Just thoughtful conversation about what works, what doesn’t, and how we handle it.
What to expect
- Co-working time to settle in
- Office hours–style conversations in small groups
- Optional share-out for insights or lessons learned
Bring a situation you’re navigating — or just listen and contribute where you can.
Who should come
- Designers and researchers at any level
- UX leads and managers
- Anyone working with stakeholders (so… all of us)
Why “Unpolished”?
Because stakeholder dynamics are rarely tidy. This is a space to talk about the real-world context of UX work — not the polished version.

