I remember distinctly when I noticed for the first time that certain prominent senior HCI researchers, who are invited all over again, tell the same stories and say the same things again and again. I can understand that this is an interplay between what is expected of them and what they can deliver. Still, I resolved that I would avoid it.
Around 2020, I suddenly caught myself giving the same talks again and again. My talks are sometimes well-received (and I do get the occasional award), and I get invited a lot to give a talk after somebody heard me speaking. It is of course easier to assume that the people inviting me just want to hear the same talk again, but it is also lazy.
So, when I was invited speak atUXcon 2022 in Vienna, based on another talk someone had heard, I resolved to go beyond the original and actually say something that is new (to me).
I think that what I ended up talking out is interesting and very much necessary, but also provocative and a little bit puzzling. I rather like the talk and the conclusions it leads me to.
One thing that surprised me was that the organizers introduced me as »Grandfather of UX in Austria«. This is a nice play on my beard, but not completely without merit: while Keith Andrews at TU Graz was at least as early as me, I did in fact give the very first lecture on UX – then called User Interface Design – at TU Wien, together with Thomas Grechenig, after arguing that it needs to be included in the curriculum.
Now, if you still want to see the talk, here it is, from 15. September 2022:
PS: Thanks to the organizers for inviting me and creating this really well-cut video from the talk!