Upstream of the Machine
How Designers Evolve Beyond Execution Before It’s Too Late
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 @ 19:00 Central European Summer Time・see the event time in your time zone
What will be in this masterclass
The corporate dream of a magical design machine that anyone can operate is, fortunately, still a dream. But how long until the frontend of design is automated?
Now is the time to change how we think about our design work. This talk will show you that the future belongs to designers who are advisors, orchestrators, and visioneers.
In this webinar, you'll get real-world examples of this new type of designer.
You will learn the upstream moves that help you:
Prototype the future
Inspire the roadmap
Build moats around your design practice
Who should join this live online event?
✅ Senior UX, Product, or Service Designers…who feel like they're executing faster but not thinking deeper.
✅ Design Leads…who want to form opinions about the future, not just manage the day-to-day.
✅ Designers exploring career transitions…who want to move into business, product, or leadership roles.
❌ Not for beginners…this session is for experienced practitioners who already know craft and are ready to evolve beyond it.
Discover the designer’s new advantage.
We will look at changing roles outside of design in order to discover new superpowers.
This session will cover:
Which design skills can help you in advisory & consulting roles
How to make the design team the one that sees the future
How to become the one on your team who is leading change
Limited to 200 seats in the call. Join early to guarantee a spot!
Meet Your Speaker
Jeff Humble
Hey, I’m Jeff, and I’ve been teaching strategic design since 2021. I’ve helped coach dozens of senior designers through their first strategy in companies like Miro, Babbel, and Vinted.
I’ve helped product designers, leads, and heads of UX move from tactical roles to strategic leadership. My work spans startups, agencies, and orgs where design needed a clearer voice.
I hope this session will give you a glimpse into the power that I see in strategic thinking, one of the most important skills of this decade.
🧠 Join the 10th cohort of Defining UX Strategy (Oct 16 - Mar 30) and learn to think strategically, not just execute faster.