UX Y'all Conference

UX Y’all is an annual UX conference hosted by Triangle UXPA and organzied entirely by volunteers. With hundreds of attendees and many moving parts, even small operational details need thoughtful planning.

I was responsible for coordinating swag and badge assembly—making sure materials were organized, accurate, and ready without adding unnecessary stress for volunteers or the team.

Location

Raleigh, NC

Founded

2018

Industry

UX Design

Challenge

In previous years, swag assembly had a habit of becoming chaotic near the finish line. Volunteers weren’t always sure what came next, assembly space was limited, and last-minute pressure made mistakes more likely.

With 400+ attendees and multiple sponsor items involved, I wanted to create a process that felt clear and easy to follow.

Big Question:

How can we make swag and badge assembly simple enough that volunteers can jump in and feel confident right away?

My Role

I owned the process from start to finish, including:

Planning the workflow and setup
Coordinating materials, space, and timing of deliveries
Building in quality checks
Adjusting plans as constraints changed

Planning the Process

Instead of treating this as a last-minute task, I approached it like a production workflow.

I mapped out each step using a simple assembly-line approach and translated it into a physical setup volunteers could follow without much explanation.

What mattered most:

Keeping steps simple and repeatable
Giving each station one clear responsibility
Organizing badges alphabetically to support check-in
Visualizing the setup so everyone understood the flow

This upfront planning made it much easier for volunteers to plug in and stay focused.

Instead of treating this as a last-minute task, I approached it like a production workflow.

Back to the basics; I mapped out each step using a simple assembly-line approach and translated it into a physical setup volunteers could follow without much explanation.

What mattered most:

Keeping steps simple and repeatable
Giving each station one clear responsibility
Organizing badges alphabetically to support check-in
Visualizing the setup so everyone understood the flow

This upfront planning made it much easier for volunteers to plug in and stay focused.

Testing & Adjustments

We didn’t have the resources for a full rehearsal, so I tested a smaller version of the setup using stand-in materials.

This helped me understand:

How long each step took
Where things slowed down
How to balance volunteer workload

Risk management: what would happen if we didn't have enough volunteers the day of assembly? With that in mind, I created scaled flows to adjust to the number of people working the assembly line.

We didn’t have the resources for a full bag assembly run through, so I tested a smaller version of the setup using stand-in materials.

This helped me understand:

How long each step took
Where things slowed down
How to balance volunteer workload

Risk management: what would happen if we didn't have enough volunteers the day of assembly? With that in mind, I created scaled flows to adjust to the number of people working the assembly line.

Mock assembly line diagram: full team of 12 volunteers

Mock assembly line diagram: team of 4 volunteers

When Plans Change

A few weeks before the conference, the marketing budget was cut significantly. Most of the planned swag had to be dropped so funds could support production, speakers, and tech needs.

The original setup was suddenly more than we needed—but the thinking behind it still mattered.

A few weeks before the conference, the marketing budget was cut by about 90%. Most of the planned swag budget had to be re-allocated to support production, speakers, and tech needs.

The original setup was now more than we needed—but the thinking and strategy behind it still mattered.