Event Summary:
From Interfaces to Relationships What the Future of Technology Means for UX Design
As technology becomes more adaptive and ever-present, UX design is shifting from building interfaces to shaping ongoing relationships between people and technology. This looks beyond specific tools or trends to explore what this change means for trust, intention and emotional connection, and how UX designers can create experiences that feel elegant, empathetic and human as technology increasingly fades into the background.
***This is a free, in-person event***
Speaker Details:
Richard Hughes is a design leader exploring how our relationship with technology is changing. He leads Digital UX/UI design initiatives at Volvo Group North America, working across connected vehicles, service platforms, and the broader digital experiences that surround them.
In earlier work, he created interactive experiences in the entertainment industry connected to film and music. That background introduced a different design question, not just whether something worked, but how it felt, shaping his interest in emotion, immersion, and engagement as core parts of interaction.
He later led design efforts for early connected physical products and their companion mobile applications @ Whirlpool Corporation, helping define how physical products and software could function as one continuous experience. This introduced another shift, designing for products that didn’t stop at the interface, but became part of people’s routines and everyday decisions.
Today his focus has moved beyond individual screens to experiences that unfold over time, how technology responds, adapts, and quietly participates in human activity. Alongside his professional work, he explores physical and technology-based experiences through hands-on prototyping, experimenting with connected devices and emerging technologies to better understand how digital behavior manifests in the real world.
Date/time: Thursday, March 19th 5:45pm-8:00pm
Location: Brooks Hall @ NCSU. Networking to follow @ W XYZ Rooftop in Aloft Raleigh Hotel - 2100 Hillsborough St, Raleigh, NC 27607
***Regarding Brooks building accessibility, the main floor (2nd floor) side entrance is open until 10 pm on Thursdays. The Rotunda is on the 3rd floor, and the exterior entrance on that floor locks at 5 pm.
Parking Instructions: Free after 5pm. Visitor Parking | Transportation
Schedule
Waitlist If the event fills up, you can join the waitlist. Two days before the event if there are spots available, we'll notify those on the waitlist. Any available spots will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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