The current state of UX professionals

Joe opened by naming the frustration many UX folks carry. “Designers, product designers, UXers feel marginalised to very different degrees,” he said. “They feel like there is a lone voice of sanity in a corporate organisation.” That isolation often comes from being left out of strategic discussions entirely, which quickly leads to a loss of confidence and power.

Joe also articulated the reality that “users did not decide to hire you. A business did.” Your role exists because the organisation needs you. Understanding this reality is the starting point for building influence inside any company.

Understanding the game and its rules

Joe compared corporate life to entering a game with its own logic. Some rules help you. Others block you. Either way, knowing how decisions are made, who holds power and what the business values gives UX professionals the context they need to operate effectively.

He encouraged attendees to look beyond their immediate UX tasks and pay attention to the organisation’s broader goals. He insisted, “If you care about the work you do… you’ve got to learn the rules of this game in order to transcend them.” For anyone aiming to thrive in UX, learning to navigate the corporate landscape is non-negotiable.

The importance of leadership and influence

Joe drew a clear line between authority and leadership. “A boss is up high going, you and you, go do this. A leader is down in the trenches with you.” He emphasised that true leadership emerges from collaboration, empathy, and shared effort rather than authority. Encouraging UX professionals to adopt a leadership mindset, Joe stated, “What I’m here to tell you is that that power does not come from title or position, it comes from influence.”

This concept of influence rather than authority is pivotal for UX professionals eager to be recognised in their organisations. Joe details specific actions that can help reclaim power: “Stop waiting for an invitation. Start inviting yourself.” He encouraged attendees to proactively seek out strategic discussions, navigating corporate structures rather than passively waiting for inclusion.

Celebrating accomplishments and building relationships

Joe reminded attendees that visibility rarely happens by accident. “If no one else is going to sing your praises, you have to.” He recommended hosting regular internal presentations, quick updates and clear summaries of results to help colleagues understand the value of UX. This is not self promotion for its own sake. It helps the business see what UX contributes.

Moreover, he stressed the importance of fostering relationships with stakeholders, urging professionals to “start talking about other people” rather than solely focusing on their own work. He stated, “You have to make it painfully obvious that you care about them and what they need.” This empathetic approach not only builds trust but also positions UX professionals as integral contributors to the wider team.

Talk business, not only UX

Throughout the session, Joe prompted attendees to reframe the way they communicate their work. “Stop pitching UX improvements. Start pitching business outcomes,” he advised. Sharing a relevant anecdote, Joe described a meeting in which two product designers failed to articulate how their proposed changes could lead to cost reductions. “They [were] saying all the right things… But the CFO… said, ‘I need you to tell me why I said give a single shit about anything you just said to me.'” The lesson here is clear: aligning UX efforts with measurable business outcomes is paramount.

Joe’s insights culminated in a call to action for all UX professionals to stop wishing for change to occur and to start embodying that change themselves. He summarised, “Deal with what is,” emphasising that self-empowerment lies in the hands of the individual.

Looking towards the future

Joe closed with a call to stay adaptable in a field that shifts constantly. He quoted Bruce Lee: “Be like water, making its way through the cracks.” Adaptability is not a personality trait. It is a deliberate approach to reclaiming power. UX professionals who stay flexible, intentional and proactive position themselves to lead rather than react.

Anyone who wants to relive Joe’s punchy presentation or pick up a few extra truth-bombs can find the video recording and slides below.

In today’s world, JavaScript projects can easily turn into a tangled skein of code and confusion. Carmen Huidobro’s WebExpo 2025 session, “Untangling Your Dependencies: A Pattern for a Well-Knit JavaScript Project,” delivered a fresh and funny look at how to manage complex dependencies without losing your sanity or your sense of humour. Through clever knitting analogies and sharp insights, Carmen unraveled the hidden chaos behind dependency management and showed developers how to build projects that stay clean, consistent, and maintainable.

The tangled web of JavaScript dependencies

“You know, I’m developing React, do I put that in dev dependencies?” Carmen kicked off by spotlighting a familiar pain point: the confusion between direct, dev, transitive and peer dependencies. She admitted she used to take dependencies for granted until one day her package-lock.json file ballooned to 18,000 lines. The result? A wake-up call about the complexity hidden beneath our everyday npm installs. Her key takeaway is simple: understanding how dependencies interconnect is the first step to keeping your project from spiralling into chaos.

One of Carmen’s biggest messages is about the power of community. “There’s a ton of tools out there that are helping us manage our dependencies in a way that really becomes a lot more manageable.”

By embracing community-built tools like yarn upgrade-interactive and npm-check-updates, developers can simplify maintenance, spot vulnerabilities early and keep their stacks secure. Carmen championed these tools as your allies in making upgrades less painful and much more predictable.

Divide and conquer

For developers facing the challenges of a gargantuan project, Carmen offered a strategic solution: “It can be like a very, very tricky act of balance… It’s really about dividing and conquering.” Break your workload into digestible chunks. Run your iOS app before worrying about Android. Fix one dependency issue before tackling the next. Her approach helps teams make steady, visible progress instead of drowning in technical knots.

Tooling for success

No one-size-fits-all solution exists when it comes to tooling. Carmen compared Yarn, NPM and PNPM without taking sides, showing where each shines. She also highlighted utilities like KNIP and NPMY for cleaning up unused dependencies, keeping your projects lean. For those working across multiple repositories, she praised NX and Yarn Workspaces for their ability to keep shared dependencies well organised, like perfectly labelled skeins in your toolkit.

Keeping it current: The importance of bleeding edge branches

One of Carmen’s favourite ideas is the bleeding edge branch. She explained, “I love version control… the bleeding edge branch… make a big, big mess, nothing compiles.” This experimental branch lets developers test wild ideas safely. You can break everything, then trace back what works. It’s a method that celebrates curiosity and iteration, echoing Martin Fowler’s advice: “If it hurts, do it more often.”

Knowing when to stop

In the fast-paced world of software development, knowing when to stop is as vital as knowing when to act. Carmen’s experience highlights the need for discernment in selecting which packages to upgrade or remove and when to take those steps. “Especially when developing mobile applications on React Native, you’re depending on at least three entities,” she explains, urging developers to future-proof their projects by keeping them stable and updated. While acknowledging the human realities behind open-source contributions, Carmen offers a compassionate understanding of the ongoing work involved.

In fast-moving development cycles, it’s easy to over-optimise. Carmen reminded us that restraint matters too. Particularly in React Native projects, dependencies often come from multiple sources, and updating one can easily break another. Carmen advised developers to balance stability with innovation, keeping projects secure but not at the cost of peace of mind. She also emphasised us to stay empathetic toward the open-source maintainers who make our work possible.

Final thoughts

Carmen Huidobro’s talk at WebExpo 2025 is more than a tutorial on dependency management; it is an enlightening journey through the challenges and triumphs of modern software development. By blending technical insights with real-world anecdotes and whimsical humour, Carmen presented a framework for developers to untangle their dependencies, creating projects that are both functional and beautifully maintainable and yes, stitch by stitch.

For those interested in a deeper exploration of the talk, watch the video recording and slides here:

In today’s output-and-insight-driven business environment, understanding your industry landscape is crucial for product managers. During his talk at WebExpo 2025, Daniel Do demonstrated how modern product managers can leverage web scraping and AI to gather relevant competitive data in a fraction of the time traditionally required.

The challenge of industry research

Daniel began the session by addressing a common dilemma faced by product managers: “How much time do you think that it takes to prepare an industry research report for your product?” His candid response, “It takes weeks,” resonated with many in the audience who had dealt with the similar struggles. This lengthy research process can hinder decision-making and slow down the pace of innovation within organisations. The challenge lies in efficiently collecting and analysing data to make informed strategic choices.

Daniel recalled his own experience when he ventured into the realm of product management software. He shared, “It took me weeks (last year) when I was analysing the product management software industry, when I wanted to co-found a startup,” highlighting the arduous task that many professionals undertake. However, he assured attendees that with the right frameworks and tools, this time-consuming process could be streamlined dramatically.

Unveiling the new tools

Introducing a smarter approach, Daniel revealed how web scraping and AI can dramatically speed up the research time. “With the framework that I’m going to show you today, you will cut the time from weeks to mere hours,” he asserted. The focus of his talk was on industry insights, specifically utilising platforms like G2 to gather data on product management software through its user reviews and company profiles.

Daniel pointed out that G2 serves as a “goldmine of information,” where product managers can easily compare companies within a specific market. He explained the G2 grid, stating, “On the Y axis, we have the market presence. Then on the X axis, there is the satisfaction representing the reviews and also the general rating,” which helps identify market leaders and focuses on competitors that warrant attention.

By employing a web scraping tool such as Apify, Daniel illustrated how accessible data collection has become. “For those who don’t know what Apify is, it’s basically a web scraping and automation platform,” providing attendees a glimpse into a resource that could empower them in their research efforts.

The power of AI in analysis

With data in hand, the next step becomes leveraging AI for analysis, which is a significant part of Daniel’s presentation. He shared that the transition from raw data to actionable insights is an exciting part of this optimised workflow. “What we will use is ChatGPT,” he emphasised, showcasing how generative AI can simplify data interpretation.

One of the most notable moments from this talk was when Daniel urged the audience to consider breaking down their data into themes. “We want to know what the themes are within that product management software industry just to know what is going on,” he told attendees, stressing the necessity of understanding market trends and user sentiments.

He effectively mapped out how well-organised themes, such as “ease of use” and “sprint and task management,” arose from the extensive reviews analysed. In one example, the data showed “The main problem is really that the tool is unintuitive, it’s very complex,” he explained, revealing significant user pain points that could inform product development strategies.

An actionable framework for product managers

As the talk progressed, Daniel shared how to identify an ideal customer profile (ICP) from the data gathered. “With the prompts that we used within this particular part, ChatGPT proposed to us that mid-market is way better than SMB,” he reflected, allowing attendees to understand the nuances of segmentation based on user feedback.

He zoomed in on competitors such as ClickUp, Asana, and Monday, walking through how to leverage the data to pinpoint where to focus marketing efforts. Additionally, he highlighted how switching reasons, as reported by users, can provide even more depth: “One that we identified is missing essential or advanced features,” he noted, painting a picture of the signals hidden within user feedback.

Towards the conclusion of his talk, Daniel insisted that this newfound capability to extract and analyse data does not merely enhance a product manager’s toolkit but transforms their role entirely. “You can basically right now with AI and web scraping do anything,” he affirmed, urging product managers to embrace these technologies as part of their skillset.

One of the most notable moments from this talk was when Daniel urged the audience to consider breaking down their data into themes. “We want to know what the themes are within that product management software industry just to know what is going on,” he told attendees, stressing the necessity of understanding market trends and user sentiments.

Cultivating insights for future success

Daniel’s call to action is quite simple: take advantage of the new capabilities offered by technology. He quipped, “There are unlimited possibilities of what you can do at that point,” encouraging the audience to envision innovative solutions they could develop by integrating web scraping and AI into their product management strategies.

For those seeking a deeper understanding, videos and slides from Daniel’s presentation are available below. The talk serves as a reminder that with the right tools, modern product management can be significantly enhanced, enabling agile, informed decision-making in today’s competitive landscape.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane.

And get a sweet little promo while you’re at it!

Stepping back to 2008, it was a very different time. Sites were responsive more by accident than by design, nested tables ruled supreme, and then there was Internet Explorer. MySpace was checking out, Facebook was becoming the hot thing. But the web was starting to mature. Bootstrap, jQuery, SVN, .NET, and self-hosting – if you were cool – were all the tools of the day. Event Flash worked! Amidst all this, the echoes of “Java is dead”, “PHP is dead”, and of course, “iPhones will never take off”.

Well, that’s where we started. Let’s have a little look-see at the evolution of the website over the years.

2008 – Going big from the beginning: We kicked off the first WebExpo with some of the great Czech names like Riki Fridrich, Michal Špaček, Jakub Nešetřil etc. at the campus of Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (ČZU). Most locals would agree it’s in the backwoods. But honestly, looking at our website, it really fits the time and place perfectly.

2009 – Speakers stepping up: With the second year of WebExpo, we were lucky enough to welcome on stage some of the big international names like Molly E. Holzschlag (R.I.P.) and Christian Heilmann.

2010 – On the road: The team organised a roadshow with Czech speakers stopping in big European cities like Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest to show what treasures we have in the technology field in the Czech Republic and spread the word about WebExpo.

2011 – New place, new face: WebExpo is moving a step closer to the city centre of Prague to the campus of the University of Economics (VŠE). And it’s also the moment when the history of Vitaly Friedman and WebExpo begins to be written.

2012 – Long live the (networ)king: Networking has always been one of the cornerstones of the conference. This year we hosted a workshop on this topic and then set our attendees free to practise the new skills through the Networ_king game app.

2013 – Global variables: After 5 years it was just about time to move to the next level. We decided to go global and switch the conference fully to English. This brave step was a pivotal moment in our history, and it actually encouraged a number of other professionals to start organising their conferences in English.

2014 – Catch them all: We admit it was a little crazy to have 7 different locations in the city centre of Prague but we believe it was an unforgettable experience for everyone who attended WebExpo 2014. It was like a little conference scavenger hunt. The bright side was that the minimum of 10,000 steps a day was definitely met.

2015 – The first lady: 2015 was the year of changes. Michal Illich became the new owner of WebExpo. And the first lady Šárka Štrossová fully overtook the organisation of the conference. By the way, she is the one to thank for moving all the venues under one roof of the Lucerna Palace.

2016 – Design comedy: Sometimes we agree with crazy ideas like hiring a student in the final year of graphic high school to design our website. And we all remember what happens after graduation – last crazy summer! So believe it or not Šárka had to make sketches of two speakers because we couldn’t reach him. This year we also started using the Conference mobile app Eventee.

2017 – Random encounters: While nomading in Bali, Šárka met a guy in the coworking space. He seemed quite normal but something was off. Then she noticed his iPhone 7, it had a 3.5mm jack! And that’s how Scotty Allen made it to the WebExpo stage with his talk about how he built his own iPhone.

2018 – Kids and ice cream: Hosting big names at the conference is amazing but what about the new generation? Not sure if there was any connection between Šárka’s roadshow with an ice cream truck promoting WebExpo and the new target group. But this year we successfully launched the kids workshops.

2019 – The coolest stage ever: Speaking on the WebExpo stage is already cool enough but when you have a talk in a fancy T3 Coupé tram riding around Prague’s city centre, that’s the next level. Another speciality of this year was the competition Code in the Dark by Avocode at one of the parties.

2020 – Let’s just say we had a virus…

2021 – Should I stay or should I go: Being able to organise a hybrid conference after 2020 was quite challenging but on the other hand such a reward – familiar faces after a long time no see, great atmosphere and the sparkle of hope everything be back to normal soon. The 2021 website reflected the 30 years anniversary of the first website going live.

2022 – Summer edition: In summer it’s really a challenge to make people sit in the conference hall, but for once, we wanted to try what it’s like to have a party on the boat or just chill after the conference in the park. The summer outdoor parties just hit the sweet spot.

2023 – Nothing will stop us: After a year of no conference and two years in hybrid mode, it’s so great to welcome everyone back in person. And because we didn’t want anything to stop our attendees from coming (not even their babies) we opened the kids’ corner with babysitters.

2024 – The only constant is change: Enhancing the WebExpo experience is an ongoing goal and this year we introduced new activities. While epic parties are still a program priority, early risers sold out our first Yoga class and this morning body update set the mood for the day. AI workshops for kids were a hit, and the grown-ups got their game face on for the Gamified Mentoring and gamification of our Eventee Conference App. Winners were grinners!

2025 – Optimise, polish, repeat: Consistency is key to delivering a great experience. We’re proud to maintain the same sleek graphic design for our website while continuously improving the UX to make it even more intuitive. We remain focused on delivering a diverse and excellent speaker line-up and continuing our new tradition of kicking off the summer with this vibrant event.

2026 – Turn the knobs, not the hype: We use AI where it helps and craft where it matters. Code gets sturdier, UX clearer, research sharper, data more trustworthy and products easier to launch for devs, designers, PMs and marketers.

We’d like to say thanks with this little gift.

Use the promo code WXBDAY for 15% off your Conference Ticket by this Friday to save 3,550 CZK.

Cheers to 17 WebExpo years and many more!

At his WebExpo 2025 talk, Tim Kadlec took the stage to address a pressing issue for developers and businesses alike: the evolving expectations of web performance. Tim opened with an engaging exercise, compelling everyone to perform a simple blink, grounding the audience with the shared instant of 100 to 150 milliseconds. That’s the typical duration of a blink. This seemingly insignificant measure sets the stage for a conversation about performance that goes far beyond mere speed.

Tim underscored the impact of web performance on business outcomes, referencing striking statistics: “Walmart years ago discovered that a 100-millisecond improvement in performance led to a 1% lift in revenue.” For web giants like Amazon, “100 milliseconds meant 1% increase in revenue.” Tim’s message was clear: when it comes to web performance, every millisecond counts.

The paradox of progress

Despite advancements in technology, Tim warned against complacency. “Our expectations are not constant. As technology improves, so does our expectation of what that technology should be capable of,” he noted. The talk touched on the Jevons Paradox, reminding us that while more powerful devices and faster networks emerge, they invariably fuel an increase in consumption. Tim further illustrated this through a personal story: his son’s frustration with a slow-loading page exemplified how rising standards can render current performance benchmarks insufficient.

Tim further explained the “hedonistic treadmill,” the cycle by which users’ perceptions of performance evolve. As users become accustomed to instantaneous responses in gaming or cutting-edge applications, the demand for similar responsiveness in all web experiences grows. Consequently, even minor delays can feel intolerable.

New standards for an instant web

In a landscape where performance must exceed expectations, Tim stressed the importance of emerging web standards. He delved into the exciting realm of Core Web Vitals, pointing out their centrality in today’s performance discussions. These metrics, he argued, should serve “as a starting point rather than a finish line”.

One of the standout features in Tim’s presentation was the demonstration of view transitions, a new method for crafting immersive web experiences with minimal effort. The ease of implementation, requiring “just a few lines of code,” signals a democratisation of powerful interactive features. This ability to unlock “a massive wave of innovation and opportunities” with simple techniques represents a fundamental shift for developers.

Tim also discussed speculation rules, a mechanism for pre-fetching and pre-rendering pages to anticipate user actions. This proactive approach helps reduce perceived delays, reflecting a critical trend in web development: preemptive resource loading. Citing Harry Roberts’ work, Tim showed how layering eagerness levels with actions can yield substantial improvements: “We actually see about 67 milliseconds improvement in Largest Contentful Paint now by doing that for subsequent pages.”

A return to the fundamentals

While new standards and tools provide fresh avenues for performance enhancements, Tim reminded the audience of the enduring relevance of foundational principles. His showcase highlighted how even with advanced techniques like speculation rules and view transitions, the basics, such as efficient use of external stylesheets, remain vital.

He emphasised the idea that true performance gains come from a “ruthless obsession for the user experience.” It’s about finding the balance between cutting-edge features and tried-and-tested methods, ensuring everything is trimmed and focused on an experience that goes beyond feeling quick and starts to feel instantaneous.

Building for tomorrow’s web

In concluding the talk, Tim reinforced the significance of betting on the browser as the pathway to lasting success. By integrating web standards and browser capabilities, developers can push the boundaries of what’s possible. With collaborative innovation between frameworks and browsers, “the best abstractions are the ones that will start to slowly fade away” as they become part of the fundamental web toolkit.

The presentation, punctuated by insights with practical examples, led to a compelling call to action: to embrace these new tools and standards as part of a broader strategy to remain one step ahead in the race for instantaneous web performance. For more in-depth insights and technical details from Tim’s talk, the video recording and slides are available below.

Surveys have long been a popular tool for gathering user insights in UX research, but they come with inherent risks that can easily skew results and mislead decision-makers. In her WebExpo 2025 talk, Lead UX Researcher Zsuzsa Kovács focused on the critical dangers associated with surveys and offered practical advice on when and how to employ them effectively.

The allure and risks of surveys

Zsuzsa began by acknowledging the pervasive presence of surveys, noting their ease of access and low cost, which make them attractive to companies seeking quick feedback. However, she warned that “you might be thinking you are doing research when in fact you might be only confirming your preconceptions without getting real insights from users.” This highlights the dangers of using surveys without the necessary rigour or understanding, potentially leading to biased results that reinforce false assumptions.

Challenges with survey data

A significant concern raised by Zsuzsa is the challenge of obtaining a representative sample of respondents. She explained that “fans and haters are the most likely to answer,” referring to individuals who either love or despise the product or service. Such extreme responses often drown out valuable, objective feedback from more neutral users. Furthermore, respondents may not thoroughly read or consider the survey questions, leading to superficial or inaccurate data collection.

Zsuzsa also pointed out several cognitive biases that can affect surveys, including satisficing, where respondents choose the first seemingly adequate answer rather than the best one. She described, “It’s very easy to put together a survey that will only bring you back the things you wanted to hear,” underscoring the pitfalls of poorly constructed survey questions.

Designing better surveys

Despite her critique, Zsuzsa does not dismiss surveys altogether. Instead, she shared ways to make them work:

• Add open questions which help expose blind spots
• Keep wording and response options simple
• Use them to quantify attitudes, not behaviours, since people are unreliable at reporting what they actually do

And one golden rule: “Never start discovery with surveys. That’s a very, very bad thing to do!” For behavioural insight, usability tests will always beat self-reporting.

The trap of leading questions

To prove her point, Zsuzsa ran a live poll during her talk. She asked: “The climate catastrophe is defining our world. Do you try to use your car less to save the environment?” The audience quickly saw how such wording nudges people toward a “correct” answer. “It’s leading and you know which answer is expected,” she said.

Smarter alternatives

Instead of traditional surveys, Zsuzsa suggested contextual micro-surveys. Ask about an experience right after it happens. For example, “Registration process? Ask about it right after they complete it,” she suggested. This approach minimises recall biases and enhances the reliability of the data collected.

She also took aim at the beloved Net Promoter Score (NPS), labelling it as “totally worthless” because of cultural bias and reliance on hypotheticals. Instead, Zsuzsa advocated for creating surveys with specific goals in mind and mixing in other research methods for a fuller picture.

Expert advice and further learning

For anyone looking to deepen their practice, Zsuzsa recommended Erika Hall and Caroline Jarrett, both ex-WebExpo speakers and long-time champions of better research. Their books and articles are packed with practical wisdom.

She closed with advice worth sticking above your desk: “Read articles, get feedback from peers, and always iterate on your surveys.”

Want to hear it straight from Zsuzsa? Watch the full recording along with her slides right here:

Speakers play a big part in creating this atmosphere, but it is not about who has the loudest voice or the slickest slides. It is about people who want to share real experiences, lessons learned and stories that matter. Some are seasoned presenters. Others are stepping into the spotlight for the very first time.

With our Call for Papers now open until 31 October, this is your invitation to throw your hat in the ring. Whether you’re an experienced speaker or someone who’s never set foot on stage before, WebExpo is built to help you succeed. With multiple stages at various sizes, we’ve got a platform for your presentation – we just need to know about it!

Why Apply?

1. Because your voice matters

The web does not move forward only through white papers or big tech announcements. It moves forward because people like you solve real problems every day. Maybe you have cracked a tricky scaling issue. Maybe you redesigned a process that saved your team weeks of work. Maybe you learned something the hard way and now want to spare others the same pain. Those are exactly the kinds of insights our audience wants to hear.

2. Because first-time speakers need their platform

We’ve had dozens of speakers over the years who had never presented at a major event before stepping onto a WebExpo stage. Many of them started out nervous, unsure if their idea was “good enough.” By the end of the process, they not only gave a talk, but they delivered a memorable session that they can be proud of.

Why? Because we invest in them. Every accepted speaker gets coaching, feedback, and multiple rounds of support. It’s not unusual for us to have multiple meetings to refine a talk with a first-time speaker. The result is that you go on stage confident, prepared, and ready to make an impact. We’re never steering the session, but there are structural tricks we can help with to make your slides shine. 

If you’ve ever thought “maybe I could do this, but I don’t know how”, you should know WebExpo is the right place to try.

3. Because different experiences result in stronger ideas

We make a deliberate effort to ensure that WebExpo represents a wide range of voices: across gender, culture, geography, and professional background. We know that when a conference only reflects a narrow slice of the industry, everyone loses.

That’s why we encourage people from underrepresented groups to apply. If you’re worried you don’t fit the traditional mould of “tech speaker,” that might be the very reason we need you.

What makes a strong proposal?

If you are thinking about applying, do not feel like you must tick every box. If you have a talk you truly believe in, submit it. Here are a few tips that can help your proposal stand out:

1. Practical over inspirational. Our attendees want takeaways they can use the next day. Case studies are gold.
2. Specific over broad. “How we scaled our backend to handle 5M users” is stronger than “The Future of Scaling”.
3. Clear audience value. Ask yourself: what can someone do differently on Monday morning after hearing my talk?
4. Enthusiasm matters. If you are excited about your idea, we will feel it too.
5. Perfection is not required. Your application is a starting point, not the final product.
   

How we’ll support you

Submitting a talk is only the first step. After our internal review, a few things can happen. Sometimes a proposal shines right away. Other times, we see potential that could use some refining. And yes, we often see the same popular topic submitted many times.

That is why we schedule follow-up calls with a big group of applicants. For several weeks, we spend most days talking to speakers, often around ten calls a day. These conversations let us go deeper than the written application and understand how an idea could come to life on stage. It is an intense time for us, but every call brings us closer to finding great talks.

• Coaching & brainstorming. We’ll meet to have an introduction and say hello. Depending on the submission, thoughts on how to refine your talk, punch up the key themes and make sure your story is clear.
  
• Peer feedback. Another key part of the process is our Feedback Sessions. You will join other speakers and mentors to share ideas and experiences in a supportive environment. These behind-the-scenes sessions are a gold mine of insights. You will walk away with clear, actionable feedback for your own talk and the chance to learn from the questions and experiences of others. It is a genuine give-and-get atmosphere, and many speakers say it is one of the most valuable parts of preparing for WebExpo.
  
• Logistical help. We talk through travel, accommodation and timing so you can focus on your talk. If your company can cover some costs, that’s a massive help, but it’s no deal-breaker. We set aside a significant part of our budget for flights, hotels and taxis.
  
• The social program. WebExpo is much more than a 20 or 40-minute talk on stage. There is a full line-up of activities designed to bring people together. From the speakers’ dinner to three nights of parties, plus a Prague tour and lunch for those visiting from abroad, there are plenty of chances to connect. We do our best to create a welcoming mix of passionate people who genuinely love what they do.
  
• A welcoming stage. Our audiences come from all over, and they are here for you and your ideas. You will be speaking to peers who want you to succeed, on a historic stage in the beautiful Lucerna Palace in the centre of Prague. Along the way, you will have plenty of moments to connect with people who share your enthusiasm.

Why WebExpo is different

Our driving motivation is 100% about people. We’re not putting on a conference as a lead-gen strategy for some product or job recruitment. We’re doing it because of the feeling of getting amazing people together. Lots of conferences open a call for papers. But at WebExpo, we treat it as more than a submission box. For us, it’s an invitation to collaborate. We don’t just select talks, we pick people. 

That’s why many of our speakers return year after year, and why so many first-timers go on to speak at other international events. WebExpo isn’t just about filling a schedule; it’s about building a community of voices that carry forward.

Ready to Apply?

The Call for Papers for WebExpo 2026 is open until 31st October 2025. If you’ve ever thought about sharing your story, this is your moment.

• Don’t wait until you feel “ready.” Nobody ever feels 100% ready.
• Don’t assume your idea isn’t good enough. We’ll help you shape your talk if you want it.
• Don’t let self-doubt keep you off the stage.

WebExpo has always thrived because people take a chance. On themselves, on their ideas and on the community. There is a special pride in watching someone who was unsure at first step onto the stage and shine. These moments are why we do this.

If you’re reading this, you have a story worth telling. WebExpo 2026 is your opportunity to tell it.

So go ahead and apply today.

We can’t wait to see what you bring.

Embracing utility-first CSS for layout design

Shruti opened her presentation by advocating for the use of Tailwind CSS as a collection of “building blocks” for web design, likening them to “little Lego blocks that are readily available.” This analogy highlighted Tailwind’s strength in simplifying the layout creation process, providing developers with the necessary tools to easily assemble components without starting from scratch. She emphasised the accessibility of creating layouts through Tailwind’s utility classes, stating that “if something doesn’t fit, you just take it out… if you want something better, you take another piece, you fit that in.”

Additionally, Shruti characterised Tailwind’s component libraries as a vital resource for developers. With libraries such as FlowBite, DaisyUI, and Catalyst by Tailwind, “you can simply go to one of these component libraries” and easily find components styled with Tailwind CSS utility classes. This feature alleviates the burden of having to craft multiple utility classes from the ground up.

The productivity impact of understanding Flexbox and Grid layouts

Diving deeper into layout techniques, Shruti framed the presentation around five commonly encountered layouts, in both everyday web design and responsive environments. She underscored the significance of understanding both Flexbox and Grid systems as foundations for successful layout design. With practical demonstrations, she illustrated how knowledge of grid properties and flex algorithms can help to produce sleek and modern designs.

Advanced layout techniques for responsive design

As the talk progressed, Shruti presented a series of advanced techniques applicable to responsive design. She reminded the audience of the necessity to create user experiences that accommodate mobile devices, stating, “more than 50% I’m sure they use the mobile layout, so (focus on) the smaller devices.” This demographic is a key consideration, and her responsiveness-focused strategies provided valuable guidance on tailoring designs accordingly.

One of the strong examples was her explanation of handling a hero section layout effectively. Using utility classes like grid-cols-2 for a two-column layout, she highlighted the importance of responsive adjustments using breakpoints. Shruti cleverly demonstrated how the responsive behaviour could be improved by modifying the markup for a mobile-first approach and employing the display: contents CSS property, which allows for more fluid rearrangements of elements: “The moment you set the display of this div to contents, what happens is it disappears.”

Conquering complex layouts and unexpected challenges

Throughout the session, Shruti illuminated several common challenges developers face while building layouts. She pointed out the nuances that can arise when working with variable content that influences alignment, specifically in sections like pricing tables and footers. “How do we deal with layouts like this?” she queried, inviting her audience to reflect on practical solutions.

The introduction of advanced concepts such as subgrid was delivered with enthusiasm, as it allows developers to keep track of row and column alignments across parent and child grid items. By employing subgrid, as she noted, the layout could be aligned flawlessly even amidst shifting content: “It is not so trivial… subgrid is the only way to do this.” This innovation presents a powerful solution that allows for coherent visual output, regardless of unpredictable changes in content.

Simplifying the process of creating masonry layouts

Another key highlight was Shruti’s exploration of masonry layouts, a holy-grail design often associated with more complex JavaScript solutions. In a fluid and informative manner, she unveiled a CSS-only solution facilitated by Tailwind. “There’s a very simple way of doing this in CSS and Tailwind using columns,” Shruti explained. Through her use of utility classes like columns and breaks inside, she demonstrated how to easily achieve a clean masonry design without additional scripting, showing the potential of Tailwind’s CSS performance capabilities in the process.

Crafting flexible and modern designs efficiently

In a fast-paced development environment, Shruti’s talk emphasised the necessity of efficiency in design. With a focus on Tailwind’s dynamic utility classes, she encouraged developers to streamline their processes. “You can create responsive grid layouts with a single utility class,” she explained, introducing a tailor-made utility class that allows for customisable fractional values, thus removing the hassle of repetitive media queries.

Through skilled use of Tailwind’s features, Shruti illustrated a future where design could be not only functional but also striking and user-friendly. Her passion for the subject matter and her engaging approach provided insight into the balance of aesthetic and practical applications within modern web design.

To go further into her demos and examples, see the video recording of the session, along with slides for some rich detail. It contains a wealth of knowledge ideal for any developer seeking to refine their layout design skills with Tailwind CSS.

Understanding dark patterns

Karel opened his talk with a clear and concise definition that resonated with everyone in attendance: “A dark pattern is a UI element that tricks or manipulates a user to do something that wasn’t originally his or her purpose.” This definition not only summarises the concept but also underscores its prevalence in everyday digital experiences.

He elaborated with relatable examples, illustrating how users often fall prey to deceptive design choices. Karel described a common scenario: “You are hungry and you just want the food as soon as possible. And just before you click the biggest button, order food, you see it: the hidden fee. And it wasn’t there before. But it’s too late. You fell for the dark pattern.” This example clearly delineates the urgency and emotional state of users, making it easier to understand how dark patterns take advantage of human psychology.

Types of illegal dark patterns across the EU

As Karel dove deeper into the concept of dark patterns, he identified several types that fall on the wrong side of legality within the European Union context. He explained that hidden fees, misleading cookie consent banners, and even fake time-limited offers could lead to serious violations of regulations like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD).

Karel pointed out a classic dark pattern: “There is something missing. This ‘time-limited offer’ doesn’t state whether it ends in an hour, a day, a week, or a month.” Such vagueness isn’t just misleading under EU law; it can cost companies dearly, with fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of global annual turnover.

Throughout his talk, Karel paired crisp legal interpretations with practical design advice, showing how the law lives not only in written text but also in the way information is visually presented. His goal was clear: to equip both designers and marketers with the knowledge to create experiences that are persuasive without crossing into deception.

Legal insights for designers

Karel’s dual background uniquely positioned him to bridge the gap between design and legal implications. He proposed a new approach to thinking about design, one that integrates a legal mindset at the very outset of the creative process. “Activate your legal mode from the beginning already in Figma files and think about dark patterns throughout all your design process,” he advised the audience.

To help give more detail throughout the presentation, Karel introduced his concept of “legal layers,” pop-up boxes when ‘legal mode is on’ to summarise why a dark pattern is illegal, what regulation it infringes, and potential fines. “For those of you who prefer written text, I prepared these pop-up windows or boxes,” he explained. This innovative format serves to reinforce crucial legal principles without overwhelming designers with jargon. And there’s no shortage of these examples in his weighty talk delivered with a light tone. 

The future of dark patterns

Karel concluded his session by exploring the future landscape of digital design and its potential vulnerabilities. With the rise of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), he foresees a new frontier for dark patterns. “I imagine that we will experience the digital world in full width through VR or AR glasses,” Karel predicted, foreshadowing the possible complexities that these immersive environments could introduce.

He also drew attention to current trends in advertising where designers and marketers deliberately manipulate our peripheral vision with flickering, moving banner ads. These tactics undermine user autonomy and remain a persistent challenge.

Fundamental questions for responsible design

As a practical takeaway for attendees, Karel provided five key questions that help teams check whether their designs meet both ethical and legal standards. They act as a simple diagnostic tool for guiding more responsible design decisions:

• Is it clear what happens after clicking the button?
• Are we offering real choice or just an illusion?
• Can the user easily say no?
• Are all key details easily visible, like price, fees, etc.?
• Are we honest about how and why we use personal data?

Karel Navrátil’s presentation at WebExpo highlighted a critical intersection of law and design, providing a roadmap to identify and avoid illegal manipulation in user experiences. For the full picture, complete with case examples, see his recording and slides below.

The intricacies of concurrency

Ariel commenced the discussion with a crucial distinction: the difference between concurrency and parallelism. “Parallelism is when you are doing stuff at the same time,” she asserted, illustrating this with a forever-relevant reference to SpongeBob SquarePants cleaning his house (you have to see her recording below). However, concurrency, she explained, is about designing workflows that allow for efficient task management, even with limited resources. This conceptual understanding is vital for front-end developers working within the JavaScript environment.

Using the historical example of McDonald’s in the 1940s, Ariel elaborated on how concurrency was used to streamline fast food operations: “The McDonald’s brothers would call this the speedy system. I call this concurrency.” This analogy not only captured the essence of how effective resource distribution can lead to continuous output but also set the stage for exploring React concurrency.

Understanding limitations in front-end development

Ariel then tackled the formidable limitations faced by front-end developers, particularly those stemming from JavaScript’s single-threaded nature. She labelled these limitations as JS, FPS, and UPR—where JS refers to JavaScript’s single-threaded execution, FPS stands for frames per second, and UPR stands for Users Patience Rates, a term she coined to encapsulate user expectations during interaction.

“Users are toddlers,” Ariel quipped, highlighting the varying levels of user patience during interactions. She pointed out that while users can tolerate slight delays, they demand responsiveness when engaged in intensive interactions like typing or dragging. This broad analysis of user experience made it clear why concurrency is not just an abstract concept but a practical necessity in contemporary web development.

The evolution of React: Past and present

Transitioning into the evolution of React, Ariel drew attention to the framework’s inadequacies prior to the introduction of the concurrent model in React 18. Before this update, rendering was synchronous, meaning that if a user typed into an input box while the application was rendering results, they would often experience delays or dropped frames. “This time difference is long. This creates frame dropping. Frame dropping creates sad users. Sad users create sad developers,” she remarked, stressing the cascading effects of poor user experience.

The introduction of the fibre reconciler in React 16 marked a turning point, allowing for the splitting of work into smaller units. This shift enabled React to operate more efficiently, positioning it to leverage the capabilities of concurrency as a scheduler. Ariel noted, “React is a scheduler,” which indicates that state updates are not executed immediately but are scheduled for optimal performance.

Innovations in concurrency with React 18

With React 18, Ariel illustrated how developers can now communicate more effectively with the framework regarding task prioritisation. She discussed the new APIs that facilitate non-blocking rendering and the ability to distribute work more strategically. One notable enhancement is the suspense component, which helps developers manage “smaller stacks” of rendering work effectively, thereby improving the user experience.

While exploring the hooks useTransition and useDeferredValue, Ariel expressed her reservations about these convoluted names. However, she acknowledged their utility in solving problems that stem from rendering delays. “What if rendering this result set takes a really long time?… we can respond and be responsive to user interaction,” she explained, demonstrating how these hooks allow for background rendering that does not interfere with user input.

A paradigm shift: Server components

Toward the end of her presentation, Ariel examined the concept of server components, proclaiming it as a significant paradigm shift within the React ecosystem. “React server components are basically components that are rendered on the server,” she stated, illustrating the benefits of server-side rendering in alleviating the limitations associated with client-side environments. She emphasised that this shift not only improves loading times but also empowers developers to create more resilient applications by reducing the burden on clients.

Nearing the conclusion of her talk, Ariel invited WebExpo attendees to rethink the boundaries between client and server components. She challenged the traditional view by posing the question: “What is the nature of the boundary between the client and the server?” She argued that serialisation plays a crucial role, stating, “Functions are not serialisable,” therefore influencing where components should be rendered.

The session concluded with Ariel summarising her main points regarding the concurrent model, the benefits of splitting work, and how modern React APIs enable developers to enhance user experiences.

For those who wish to explore the detailed insights and frameworks discussed by Ariel, both the video recording and slides from her presentation are available here: