Design conference Vectors sold out in two days | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Vectors, a new San Francisco design conference, sold out 300 tickets in just two days because it offered perspectives missing from conventional tech events. Rather than focusing on business trends, its program addressed vulnerability, unconscious bias, and inclusion. Organizer Gabriel Valdivia argues that diverse experiences improve design and that people with privilege should actively invite perspectives unlike their own.

A Different Kind of Design Conference

• Vectors was created as an alternative to typical technology conferences centered on “thought leaders” and commercial design topics.
• Its talks focused on:
  • Vulnerability
  • Unconscious bias
  • Divergent perspectives
• The event attracted enough interest to leave 150 additional people on the guest list.

Diversity as an Invitation, Not a Label

• Organizers deliberately avoided presenting Vectors explicitly as a “diversity” conference.
• Traditional diversity initiatives can become limited to people who already identify with the issue.
• Valdivia wanted people who were not already concerned about diversity—especially white men in tech—to attend and reconsider how they use their influence.
• The goal was for privileged attendees to understand the practical value of including different perspectives.

Experience Shapes Design

• Valdivia describes his Cuban and Costa Rican background, including working low-wage jobs after immigrating to the United States.
• Experiences such as cleaning car dealerships, working in a call center, and waiting tables exposed him to challenges many technology leaders may not have encountered.
• He believes these experiences developed resilience and provide useful insight in product design.

Small Inclusive Choices Create Value

• Valdivia argues that products inevitably reflect their creators’ backgrounds.
• Because many products disproportionately reflect white male perspectives, other useful viewpoints can remain overlooked.
• At a previous startup, he added Spanish subtitles to a product video, making it accessible to Spanish-speaking audiences.
• Such seemingly minor decisions can significantly expand a product’s usefulness and reach.

Vectors’ success suggests that designers and technology professionals want more than conventional industry perspectives. Building better products requires actively including people with different backgrounds and turning their experiences into concrete design decisions.