Dean-Speaker@2x

About Dean

Dean Schuster has been envisioning and creating human-centered digital products since the advent of the commercial web. He is founder and owner of the user experience strategy firm truematter, leading the team to help national and international organizations change the way they do business online. He travels all over the world to speak and teach, mentoring professionals and challenging teams to a higher standard for digital experiences.

Dean is also an avid ultra-marathoner and trail racer, often found in out-of-the-way places, including Antarctica.

Speaking Schedule

2025

  • Jan 31

    NDC London 2025

    London

    Digital Spit-Fire Interface Rage: How to Calm the Savage User

  • Feb 04

    Swetugg 2025

    Stockholm, Sweden

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Feb 26

    ConFoo Montréal 2025

    Montréal, Canada

    Digital Product Access: The User Experience Problem of Our Time & Digital Spit-Fire Interface Rage: Calming the Savage User

  • Apr 29

    NDC Melbourne

    Melbourne, Australia

    The Chips & Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures?

2024

  • Feb 02

    NDC London 2024

    London

    The Crisps & Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures? 

  • May 07

    Technorama Belgium 2024

    Antwerp, Belgium

    Two Talks: Indispensable Principles for Designing Complex User Interfaces & How to Build UX Into Your Development Process

  • May 16

    DevSum 2024

    Stockholm, Sweden

    The Chips & Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures? 

  • May 20

    Dev Days Europe 2024

    Virtual

    How to Fit UX Into Your Dev Process

  • May 28

    Lead Podcast

    Virtual

    How UX Fits Into Development Processes

  • Jun 13

    NDC Oslo 2024

    Oslo, Norway

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Jun 18

    Technology & Friends

    Virtual

    How UX Fits Into Development Processes

  • Jun 27

    KCDC 2024

    Kansas City

    How to Build UX Into Your Development Process

  • Jun 28

    KCDC 2024

    Kansas City

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Sep 16

    Swetugg 2024

    Göteborg, Sweden

    Building UX Into Your Development Process

  • Oct 08

    Techorama 2024

    Utrecht, Netherlands

    Building UX Into Your Development Process & What The Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Oct 09

    Devoxx Belgium

    Antwerp, Belgium

    Indispensable Principles of Crafting Complex Interfaces

  • Oct 30

    CHPRMS Lunch & Learn

    Virtual

    The Art and Science of Understanding and Unpacking How Real People Use Your Site

  • Nov 14

    Build Stuff Europe 2024

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    Digital Spit-Fire Interface Rage: How to Calm the Savage User

  • Nov 20

    CHPRMS 2024

    Charleston, SC

    User Testing: Your New Superpower — DIY Workshop

  • Nov 27

    Wey Wey Web

    Málaga, Spain

    The Chips & Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures? & Indispensable Principles for Designing Complex User Interfaces

Past Engagements

2025

  • Jan 31

    NDC London 2025

    London

    Digital Spit-Fire Interface Rage: How to Calm the Savage User

  • Feb 04

    Swetugg 2025

    Stockholm, Sweden

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Feb 26

    ConFoo Montréal 2025

    Montréal, Canada

    Digital Product Access: The User Experience Problem of Our Time & Digital Spit-Fire Interface Rage: Calming the Savage User

  • Apr 29

    NDC Melbourne

    Melbourne, Australia

    The Chips & Pickle Story: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures?


2023

  • Mar 21

    UX/UI Global Summit (Geekle)

    Lithuania (Virtual)

    Understanding the Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users

  • Mar 28

    eCommerce Conference

    Athens, Greece

    How Green Was My Delusion 

  • Mar 29

    Digital Marketing Europe 2023

    Lithuania (Virtual)

    How Green Was My Delusion: Perception and Reality in UX

  • May 10

    Devoxx UK

    London, UK

    Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • May 15

    UXDX USA 2023

    New York (Virtual)

    Digital Product Access: The User Experience Problem of Our Time

  • May 22

    NDC Oslo

    Olso, Norway

    The Chips & Pickle Story

  • May 25

    DevSum 2023

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Digital Product Access: UX Problem of Our Time

  • Jun 26

    Developer Week 2023

    Nürnberg, Germany

    Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Oct 05

    UX Y'all 2023

    Raleigh, NC

    Digital Products Gone Horribly Wrong (And the UX Pros Who Still Save the Day)

  • Oct 18

    CHPRMS 2023

    Asheville, NC

    The Art and Science of Understanding and Unpacking How Real People Use Your Site

  • Oct 19

    NDC Porto 2023

    Porto, Portugal

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Nov 15

    Build Stuff 2023

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    The Chips and Pickle Story
    How to Build UX Into Your Development Process 


2022

  • Jan 25

    DevOps Stars '22

    Europe (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development & The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Feb 23

    ConFoo 2022

    Montreal, Canada (Virtual)

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Feb 24

    The Digital Project Manager (DPM)

    Vancouver, Canada (Virtual)

    Don't Just Manage Your Team. Manage Your Client. 

  • Mar 28

    UX Copenhagen 2022

    Copenhagen, Denmark (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Mar 29

    Digital Marketing Europe 2022

    Vilnius, Lithuania (Virtual)

    Why UX Matters: The Chips & Pickle Story

  • Apr 05

    UX South Carolina

    Columbia, South Carolina (Virtual)

    The Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users

  • Sep 22

    UX Y'all 2022

    Raleigh, NC

    Chips & Pickle: What's Really Behind Infamous, Historic UI Failures?

  • Nov 09

    Build Stuff 2022: Talk

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    Understanding the Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users

  • Nov 11

    Build Stuff 2022

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    Digital Product Access: The User Experience Problem of Our Time

  • Nov 16

    UX Sofia 2022: Workshop

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Tackling the Maddening Problem of Digital Product Access

  • Nov 18

    UX Sofia 2022: Talk

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Digital Product Access: The User Experience Problem of Our Time

  • Nov 30

    CHPRMS 2022

    Charleston, SC

    A View From the Future: Hospital Websites and Digital Health Apps in 2030


2021

  • Jan 21

    DXZA

    Johannesburg, South Africa (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Feb 24

    ConFoo Developer Conference

    Montreal, Quebec (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Feb 27

    Scottish Summit 2021

    Glasgow, Scotland (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Mar 24

    The DEVOPS Conference 2021

    Tampere, Finland (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Apr 03

    UX Camp Chicago - Spring Edition

    Chicago, Illinois (Virtual)

    Understanding the Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users 

  • Apr 22

    UX Academy Workshop (Lucrat)

    Sofia, Bulgaria (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Apr 26

    GIDS Developer Summit

    Melbourne, Australia (Virtual)

    How Green Was My Delusion: Perception and Reality in UX 

  • Apr 28

    Developer Week Europe

    Europe (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Apr 28

    Digital Marketing Europe 2021

    Vilnius, Lithuania (Virtual)

    The Fundamental Anatomy of Digital Product Goals 

  • Apr 28

    Digital Marketing Europe 2021

    Vilnius, Lithuania (Virtual)

    Panel Discussion (Host): User Experience 

  • May 11

    Ignite Charlotte

    Charlotte, NC

    The Most Visually Insane Literature Retrospective You've Ever Seen 

  • May 18

    Technorama 2021

    Brussels (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • May 21

    MiniVAte Virginia: Spring 2021

    Virginia (Virtual)

    Understanding the Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users 

  • May 22

    DevFest LIVE

    Budapest, Hungary (Virtual)

    The Science, Psychology and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • May 22

    European e-Commerce and Digital Marketing Week

    Bulgaria (Virtual)

    The Fundamental Anatomy of Digital Product Goals 

  • May 27

    DevSum 2021

    Stockholm, Sweden (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Jun 08

    Tulsa UX

    Tulsa, OK (Virtual)

    Why UX Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Jun 30

    Developer Week '21

    Nürnburg, Germany

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces

  • Aug 18

    Code PaLOUsa 2021

    Louisville, KY (Virtual)

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI

  • Aug 18

    Code PaLOUsa 2021

    Louisville, KY (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Sep 08

    The Tech Platform / User Speaking MeetUps

    Iselin, New Jersey (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-intensive Interfaces

  • Sep 13

    The SPA Conference

    London, United Kingdom (Virtual)

    Understanding the Mysterious Behavior of Complex Digital Product Users

  • Sep 13

    The SPA Conference

    London, United Kingdom (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development

  • Sep 15

    Music City Code

    Virtual

    The Science, Psychology and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Sep 24

    UXPA Boston Annual Conference

    Boston, MA (Virtual)

    Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex Interfaces 

  • Sep 24

    UX Y'all

    Raleigh, NC (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Design

  • Oct 20

    Quicken Loans Tech Con

    Virtual

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Oct 25

    Digital PM Summit

    Orlando, FL (Virtual)

    How To Say NO: A Meditation on the Refined, Delicate Art of Rejection 

  • Nov 17

    CHPRMS

    Asheville, NC

    How Green Was My Delusion: Learning New User Experience the Hard Way

  • Nov 19

    Build Stuff 2021

    Vilnius, Lithuania

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development & The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Dec 06

    IT Tage 365

    Frankfurt, Germany (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 


2020

  • Jan 23

    UX South Carolina

    Columbia, SC

    Why UX Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Feb 20

    Pecha Kucha

    BridgePort, CT

    How Green Was My Delusion 

  • Mar 03

    Building IoT

    Essen, Germany

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Great UI 

  • Mar 04

    UX Amsterdam Cocktail Hour

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Why UX Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Mar 04

    South Carolina Business Review

    Interview 

  • Jun 15

    Progress Next/DevReach US (Cancelled)

    Boston, MA

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Jul 21

    Webinar

    Virtual

    The Fundamental Anatomy of Digital Product Goals 

  • Jul 30

    SciFiDevCon

    Virtual

    What the Society Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Jul 30

    SciFiDevCon

    Virtual

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Aug 12

    Manage Digital

    Minneapolis, MN (Virtual)

    The Art and Science of Managing Clients 

  • Sep 16

    University of South Carolina

    Columbia, SC

    Visiting Speaker: ARTS546 Graphic Design II 

  • Sep 19

    Surat Tech Talks

    India (Virtual)

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Oct 01

    Career Mingle

    California (Virtual)

    The Fundamental Anatomy of Digital Product Goals 

  • Oct 02

    Intersection Web Conference

    Milan, Italy (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Oct 05

    Colorado Springs Tech (UN) Conference

    Colorado Springs, CO (Virtual)

    What the Soviet Space Program Taught Me About Digital Product Development 

  • Oct 08

    AAFCM

    Minneapolis, MN (Virtual)

    Why UX Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Oct 17

    DevFest Poland

    Poland (Virtual)

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Oct 19

    Digital PM Summit (Bureau of Digital)

    Orlando, FL (Virtual)

    Digital Products Gone Horribly Wrong (And the Project Managers who Still Save the Day) 

  • Oct 23

    UXPA Boston Annual User Experience Conference

    Boston, MA (Virtual)

    Why UX Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Nov 13

    Build Stuff Lithuania

    Lithuania (Virtual)

    Workshop: The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Nov 17

    DevDay 2020

    Louvain La Neuve, Belgium (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Nov 20

    UX Sofia

    Bulgaria (Virtual)

    The Indispensable Principles of Designing Complex, Data-Intensive Interfaces 

  • Dec 02

    Carolinas Healthcare Public Relations & Marketing Society

    Charleston, SC (Virtual)

    The Lexie Transformation: How a Regional Medical Center Created a World-Class Intranet 

  • Dec 05

    DevFest Siberia

    Novosibirsk, Siberia (Virtual)

    The Fundamental Anatomy of Digital Product Goals 


2019

  • Jan 10

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    UX & SEO: Make Your Digital Products Findable AND Usable 

  • Apr 04

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    Web Accessibility: Excellent UX for All Users 

  • Apr 16

    New Hampshire UXPA

    Portsmouth, New Hampshire

    Why Interface Decisions Matter: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Apr 17

    HITMC - Healthcare and IT Marketing Conference

    Boston, MA

    The Lexie Transformation: How a Regional Media Center Created a World-Class Intranet 

  • Apr 26

    Front-End Design Conference

    St. Petersburg, FL

    How Green Was My Delusion: The False Consensus Effect 

  • May 09

    Downtown UX

    Orlando, FL

    Why UI Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • May 09

    Progress Next Global User Conference

    Orlando, FL

    Building UX Into Your Development Process 

  • Jun 01

    Converge SE

    Columbia, SC

    Why UI Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Jun 11

    UXPA Boston

    Boston, MA

    How Green Was My Delusion: Perception and Reality in UX 

  • Jun 25

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    User Research: Stop Guessing and Start Talking to Real People

  • Jul 25

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    User Research: Stop Guessing and Start Talking to Real People 

  • Jul 31

    EXPO.Health

    Boston, MA

    The Lexie Transformation: How a Regional Medical Center Created a World-Class Intranet 

  • Oct 21

    Digital PM Summit - Bureau of Digital

    Orlando, FL

    The Art and Science of Managing Clients 

  • Oct 23

    DevReach 2019

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    The Science, Psychology, and Secrets of Stellar UI 

  • Nov 07

    UX Sofia

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Workshop: Metrics, Measurement and Return on Investment - Proving the Value of Improved User Experience 

  • Nov 08

    UX Sofia

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Why UI Matters: The Chips and Pickle Story 

  • Nov 19

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    An UnUXpected Career: Becoming a UX Professional 


2018

  • Jan 24

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    Building a UX Culture in Your Organization 

  • Feb 05

    Moore School of International Business Lecture

    Columbia, SC

    New Ventures and User Experience 

  • Mar 09

    UX/UI Career Practicum: Presented by Regency Centers

    Jacksonville, FL

    Hitting the Ground Running in User Experience 

  • Mar 27

    USC School of Information Science/Employer Panel

    Columbia, SC

    Panelist Discussing How Truematter Practically Applies Principles of HCI, UX, UI, and Usability Into Our Business 

  • Apr 15

    Digital Products Webinar

    Anywhere

    User Experience for CIOs and Technical Directors 

  • May 15

    UX Columbia Meetup & Business Analysis (IIBA)

    Columbia, SC

    Better Digital Product Requirements: The Partnership Between Business Analysts and UX Professionals 

  • May 30

    ProgressNext 2018 Global User Conference

    Boston, MA

    Designing Digital Products for the Lizard Brain 

  • Jun 27

    IABC/SC Mini Conference

    Columbia, SC

    Designing Digital Products for the Lizard Brain 

  • Aug 28

    UX Columbia

    Columbia, SC

    Surviving a Stakeholder Attack: Get Buy-In for Your Brilliant UX Ideas 

  • Sep 12

    Pecha Kucha

    Bridgeport, CT

    The Legendary of the Hairy Bison 

  • Nov 08

    UX Sofia

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Workshop - Building a UX Road Map

  • Nov 09

    UX Sofia

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    How Green Was My Delusion: The False Consensus Effect 

  • Nov 13

    DevReach

    Sofia, Bulgaria

    Building UX into Your Development Process 

  • Nov 28

    University of South Carolina

    Columbia, SC

    Lecture - Entrepreneurship for Creative Professionals  

  • Dec 04

    Truematter Webinar

    Anywhere

    Building Internal Digital Products Your Team will Actually Like to Use