The State of Design: UAE 2026

How far we've come. Where we're heading. In 2013, we started the Human Centred Design (HCD) UAE Meetup with a simple ambition: to bring together people who believe in designing better products, services and experiences for people. Thirteen years later, the UAE's design community has grown enormously. Design teams have expanded, new disciplines have emerged and human centred design has found its way into organisations across the country. But how far have we really come? Is design influencing strategic decisions or still largely focused on delivery? How mature are our organisations? Are we building the right capabilities for the future? And what does all of this mean in an age of AI? For this special HCD UAE Meetup, we're bringing the community together to reflect on the past, examine the present and explore what comes next. Help us capture the state of design in the UAE Before the event, we're inviting designers, researchers, product professionals and design leaders across the UAE to participate in a short survey. We want to better understand the current state of our industry, including how design operates within organisations, its influence, its maturity and the challenges we're facing. We'll share the findings at the meetup to help set the scene for our discussion. 👉 Take the State of Design UAE Survey What to expect 13 years of HCD in the UAE A glimpse back at how our community and the broader design industry have evolved since 2013, from humble beginnings to where we are today. The State of Design: UAE 2026 We'll share the findings from our community survey, exploring the current landscape, organisational design maturity, opportunities and challenges. An industry leaders' panel We're bringing together an excellent panel of experienced design and research leaders from some of the UAE's most recognised organisations. Together, we'll explore the findings, challenge assumptions and discuss where design is heading next. We'll be announcing our panellists over the coming weeks. Introducing the Design Capability Standard We'll also share something we've been developing for the community: as a part of HCD Pro, the Design Capability Standard (DCS), alongside a new organisational Design Maturity Check. These two public beta tools are designed to help individuals reflect on their professional capabilities and organisations better understand their design maturity, identify opportunities and continue developing. Join the conversation This isn't just a celebration of how far we've come. It's an opportunity to collectively reflect on where we stand and what we want our industry to become. As always, expect an open and lively discussion, different perspectives and plenty of opportunities to reconnect with the HCD UAE community. Help us capture the present and shape the next chapter of human centred design in the UAE. In Collaboration With This meetup is being held in collaboration with Dtec, who are hosting us at A5 Building at Dubai Digital Park in Dubai Silicon Oasis. Hosted by Human Centred Design UAE Meetup Organising committee: Jonathan Steingiesser, Chris Clark and Nada Hassan. Sponsor A big thank you to Peter Mackintosh and Jack Kidd from aspexx for continuing to support the HCD UAE community.