Are we stuck with the same Desktop UX forever? | Ubuntu Summit 25.10

Scott Jenson argues that desktop user experience has stagnated and explains how open source projects can lead experimentation beyond current interaction models.

This talk focuses on that evil little term “UX/UI,” which is responsible for so much confusion and tension in open-source projects. Not only does it unnecessarily pit programmers against designers, but it also limits our vision of what we could be doing. In this talk, Scott Jenson gives examples of how focusing on UX -- instead of UI -- frees us to think bigger. This is especially true for the desktop, where the user experience has so much potential to grow well beyond its current interaction models. The desktop UX is certainly not dead, and this talk suggests some future directions we could take. About Scott Scott Jenson has been a leader in UX design and strategic planning for over 35 years. He was the first member of Apple’s Human Interface group in the late '80s, and has since held key roles at several major tech companies. He served as Director of Product Design for Symbian in London, managed Mobile UX design at Google, and was Creative Director at frog design in San Francisco. He returned to Google to do UX research for Android and is now a UX strategist in the open-source community for Mastodon and Home Assistant. 🌍 Ubuntu Summit 25.10 is a showcase for the innovative and the ambitious. Find out more: ubuntu.com/summit 📍Subscribe. Fuel your curiosity. youtube.com/UbuntuOS