IxDF Bournemouth

With 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗿, Lead UX Designer at the Natural History Museum

What happens when 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗫 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗱

Who truly benefits — and what hidden forces quietly shape the products and services people use every day?

I had the pleasure of hearing Avinash Mair speak at UX Brighton 2025, and his talk genuinely shifted how I think about perception, value, and decision-making in design. One of the things that makes Avinash stand out is his love of food — and how he uses smart, relatable food metaphors to make big ideas about systems, incentives, and user behaviour suddenly 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬. It’s UX and economics served in a way anyone can digest.

In this session, Avinash will explore:

* How economic systems subtly shape our design decisions

* Why UX and economics are two sides of the same coin

* How perception, value, and behaviour influence real-world impact

* How stepping beyond traditional UX strategy reveals under-leveraged opportunities for meaningful change

Avinash brings a unique perspective:

📊 Studied 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲(the economics of risk)

💼 Began in business analysis & business development

🔍 Built an internal user research team before moving into UX

🏛️ Now 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗨𝗫 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺

🍽️ Uses storytelling (and food!) to break down complex systems thinking

If you want to design with deeper impact — and enjoy a fresh, memorable way of understanding the forces shaping our work — this talk is for you.