But... The User. Leading With Vision Without Losing Touch
In the rush to deliver business goals, unlock brand value, and launch product innovation—we often forget the one constant: the human on the other side.
This talk is a wake-up call for anyone in design, product, or strategy who feels caught between executive vision and actual user need. Mario unpacks how leaders unintentionally lose traction by getting everything “right” but still missing the mark.
You'll leave this talk understanding:
Why over-focusing on vision or validation can derail even the best intentions
How to balance long-term ambition with short-term humanity
Why research doesn’t kill ideas—people do
What it takes to build relevance that evolves alongside your users
How AI can support—but never replace—the human heartbeat of engagement
Whether you're leading design at scale, driving innovation, or shaping user-centered futures, this talk offers a compelling toolkit of ideas for building things that matter.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Leading innovation without processing the soul out of it
🔹 Why “extraordinary” ages quickly—and what to do about it
🔹 New tools for new realities: futures thinking, behavioral economics, trend-scraping
🔹 Designing the “wanted unknowns” to make vision real
🔹 Staying grounded in relevance while aiming high
Ideal for:
Design leaders, Heads of Product, Innovation Teams, CXOs, Strategists, and anyone trying to lead with vision without losing their user.
Audience Feedback
“I've been designing for 15 years, and this was the first time someone helped me see that the answer isn't always choosing between vision or user—but learning how to hold both at once.”
— Anonymous attendee, internal leadership summit, global FMCG brand“Design leadership talks often tell you what you already know. This one showed me what I had been missing.”
— Lead Service Designer, APAC fintech“This reset everything for me. Instead of forcing problems into our familiar tools, Mario showed us how to match the right tools to the complexity we’re actually facing.”
— Senior PM, DesignOps Global Summit“The tension between user needs and visionary ambition was always felt—but never framed this clearly. Mario gave us the language and tools to finally name and navigate it.”
— Head of UX, global healthcare company
Author
mvdm
Mario Van der Meulen is a design executive, author, and international speaker known for helping leaders unlock meaningful innovation through human-centered design. With global experience across sectors, he brings depth, clarity, and provocation to every stage.
