UX Scotland
09-10 June 2027
UX Scotland is the UK's friendly conference for UX, user-centred design, human-centred design, service design and other digital specialisms, established in 2013 and drawing participants from across the UK and internationally to Edinburgh.
Advance 2 Day tickets £350 + VAT, price ends 4 September
Scotland's friendly, practitioner-led conference for UX and service design
Join us for the 12th edition of UX Scotland, running since 2013, held at the John McIntyre Conference Centre in Edinburgh, close to Arthur's Seat, making it easy for UK and international practitioners to participate.
Designed to spark ideas, share honest case studies and support real learning. Real work, real conversations. Join the mailing list to hear first when the programme is announced.
What is UX Scotland?
UX Scotland is a friendly, international conference for people working in UX, user-centred design, human-centred design, service design and related digital disciplines. Founded in 2013, it has brought together designers, researchers and other user-centred professionals ever since.
Around 300 practitioners took part in 2026, with speakers who present real work rather than just talk about it, sessions over the years have come from inside organisations including Bloomberg, Tesco Bank, Standard Life, Red Hat and Barclays, browse every programme back to 2013 and see for yourself. It's the perfect setting to meet fellow practitioners and hear directly from people solving these problems day to day.
The programme covers UX, research and service design practice, with hands-on workshops and discussions, evolving each year to reflect what practitioners are actually grappling with. Jeff Gothelf keynoted the very first UX Scotland in 2013, and returned to keynote again in 2024, eleven years later. Other past keynotes include Dan Mall, Jared Spool, Dana Chisnell, Cheryl Platz, Kat Zhou, Vicki Tan, Indi Young, Sara Wachter-Boettcher, Michael Kibedi, and Kim Goodwin.
CPD accredited and signed up to the Diversity Charter, with a published Code of Conduct. Organised by Software Acumen, who also run SDinGov, with over 20 years running technology conferences. The 2027 conference takes place on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 June.
Practitioner-led. Edinburgh-based. Worth two days.
No big egos
Speakers stay for the whole conference, not just their own slot. Whether it's your first UX Scotland or your fifth, you'll find your feet quickly and leave with connections that last.
Practical, not theoretical
Around 30 sessions across multiple tracks, built around real work by practitioners, for practitioners. CPD accredited, with a certificate to show for it.
A setting unlike any other
Two days at the John McIntyre Conference Centre, with an outdoor terrace looking out at Arthur's Seat. A conference you'll remember for more than the slides.
“Users are people. We are professionals. So the ability to tell compelling stories that build understanding, create empathy, and inspire action remains one of the most powerful tools we have. Technology evolves. Human connection doesn't.”
Scott Elder, Participant, UX Scotland 2026
Who comes to UX Scotland?
In 2026, around 300 practitioners took part. Most were UX, interaction and product designers or user researchers, alongside service designers, content designers, UI designers and design leads and managers.
A quarter travelled from Edinburgh itself, with just as many coming from Glasgow and London, and others from Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and Northern Ireland. International participants joined from France, Germany, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland and the US.
UX, Interaction and Product Designers
User Researchers
Design Managers & Leaders
Service Designers
Content Designers
UI and Visual Designers
Consultants and Freelancers
Strategic Designers
11 editions of practical, hands-on UX
Since 2013, UX Scotland has brought together practitioners from across the UX, service design and research communities. Every programme from 2013 to 2026 is in our conference archive - a record of eleven editions of practical talks, workshops and community.
2,723
Participants since 2013
433
Sessions
513
Speaker appearances
11
Editions
28
Conference days
Trusted by practitioners since 2013
12th edition
running since 2013
Practitioner-led
programme
Central Edinburgh
John McIntyre Conference Centre
CPD
officially record your hours
Organised by
Software Acumen, 20+ years of experience
Code of Conduct
& inclusive
What makes UX Scotland worth two days?
UX Scotland is built by practitioners, for practitioners. Every speaker is here because they have something genuinely worth sharing.
Real work, real organisations
Speakers have come from a large variety of organisations, like the BBC, The Guardian, Microsoft, Adobe, Skyscanner, Shopify, NHS Digital and the Scottish Government, people reporting on work they actually did, not theory from outside.
Design your own experience
Around 30 sessions across multiple tracks, talks, case studies and workshops, mix and match to build a two-day programme that works for you.
Workshops that are actually hands-on
Up to 90 minutes of doing, not watching. Recent workshops have tackled accessibility, trauma-informed design, digital sustainability and career navigation.
Keynotes worth travelling for
Our call for sessions for 2027 opens soon, and our keynotes will be announced first, ahead of the full programme, join the mailing list to be told first.
An event that takes wellbeing seriously
A quiet room and an outdoor terrace with views of Arthur's Seat, Lego and interaction stickers that make it easy to see who's up for a chat, and an evening social both nights.
CPD credits included
Officially record your hours and demonstrate commitment to learning. Every ticket comes with CPD accreditation so you can meet mandatory and reflective CPD requirements.
A community that keeps giving
Running since 2013, with many participants returning year after year, some for five years running. Whether you're a first-timer or a regular, you'll leave with new connections.
Edinburgh in June
The John McIntyre Conference Centre sits close to Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park, easy walking distance from the city, with the whole of Edinburgh on your doorstep.
Don't just take our word for it
From the 2026 feedback wall
"Lego lanyard is superb" · "Thought provoking keynote" · "First timer, learnt a lot" · "Accessibility talk was amazing" · "Educated and enlightened" · "Great food and massages" · "Yummy Food" · "Thanks UX Scotland Very Informative lot to takeaway GR8" · "The Ducks"
"A fantastically organised conference. Lovely venue, relaxed vibe, full of interesting people, workshops and talks."
Adrian Westlake, Product and Service Design Leader, Participant, 2026
"I enjoyed the calmness of the conference, not salesy or commercial. Lots of genuine speakers who cared about topics, not vanity and egos. More stickers please, and loved the massages."
Participant, UX Scotland 2026
"Really enjoyed reconnecting and meeting new people. Loved running our session and the great, insightful engagement."
Barbara Mertlova, Speaker, UX Scotland 2025
"This one was probably the best yet. You and the team did an amazing job, and it was a brilliant balance of formal sessions and networking opportunities."
Participant, UX Scotland 2024
The social evening
Each evening of UX Scotland, we bring participants together on the outdoor terrace, with its view out to Arthur's Seat, for food, drinks and conversation. In 2026 that meant a mezze spread, a choice of cocktails and, for those who fancied it, a spot of garden games. A relaxed way to unwind and keep talking once the day's sessions are done.
Sponsor UX Scotland
Want to get your organisation in front of around 300 UX, research and service design practitioners? UX Scotland offers a friendly, focused environment where people are genuinely paying attention. Sponsors have included Tesco Bank, Border Crossing UX and QWAN.
We offer sponsorship packages at various price points, and are always happy to tailor a package to your needs.
Get in touchCommunity groups
Are you a meetup organiser, or a member of a user group in the UX or design space? Community is at the heart of UX Scotland, and we provide discounts for groups that help promote the conference to their members.
If you organise, or are a member of, a user group and would like more information, please get in touch.
Contact usReady to join us?
UX Scotland 2027
Prices rise as the event gets closer, the earlier you book, the less you pay.
UX Scotland is a practitioner-led conference for UX, user-centred design, human-centred design and service design, held annually in Edinburgh, Scotland, running since 2013 and now approaching its 12th edition in June 2027, with a pause between 2020 and 2022. Around 200 to 300 practitioners attend each year, including UX, interaction and product designers, user researchers, service designers, content designers, UI and visual designers, strategic designers, and managers, heads of and C-level design leaders. Across its editions, UX Scotland keynote speakers have included Jeff Gothelf (Gothelf.co), Jared Spool (Center Centre), Vitaly Friedman (Smashing Magazine), Cennydd Bowles (Cennydd Ltd), Kim Goodwin (PatientsLikeMe), Kate Tarling (Fly UX Ltd), Dana Chisnell (Center for Civic Design), Rolf Molich (DialogDesign), Cheryl Platz (Ideaplatz LLC), Gerry Scullion (Humana Design), Dan Mall (Design System University), Sara Wachter-Boettcher (Active Voice) and Michael Kibedi (First and Fifteenth). Speakers have presented real case studies from inside organisations including the BBC, The Guardian, NHS Digital, Lloyds Banking Group, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Work and Pensions, JetBrains and the Scottish Government. Across its history the programme has covered user experience design, user research, service design, accessibility and inclusive design, content design, information architecture, interaction design, design leadership, usability testing, behavioural science and AI in design, in talks, case studies and hands-on workshops of up to three hours. UX Scotland is organised by Software Acumen, which also runs SDinGov, and has run technology conferences for over 22 years. The full programme archive from 2013 onwards is published at uxscotland.net/archive.