Empowering UXers - Identifying and Preventing Burnout in High-Demand Roles
About this event
Most UX professionals don't notice burnout until they're already in it. It doesn't arrive as a breakdown - it arrives as a slow erosion: shorter fuse, narrower thinking, decisions that used to feel automatic now costing twice the energy.
Our speakers will present findings from their original research into burnout patterns across UX roles and markets - and what to do before the erosion becomes irreversible.
1️⃣ Welcome & Introduction (10 min) • Host: Gordon Cindrić
Short introduction to UXZGB and getting to know the audience.
2️⃣ Empowering UXers - Identifying and Preventing Burnout in High-Demand Roles
(40 min) • Speakers: Meltem Naz Kaso Coskun & Javier Bargas-Avila
UX professionals face unique stressors: high stakeholder demands, rapid context switching, chronic understaffing, and underrecognition, all of which can drive burnout. This talk uncovers the primary burnout triggers in UX.
We’re using insights from our recent study combining leading burnout frameworks with survey data from UXers across various regions, specialties, and levels. We’ll provide tools for identifying burnout early, integrating proactive self-care, and fostering resilience in UX workflows.
Participants will leave with practical methods to enhance well-being, advocate for supportive environments, and maintain sustainable engagement in their UX careers.
About Mel:
Meltem Naz Kaso is a UX Career Coach with over a decade of experience working across nine countries. Through Career with Mel, she supports senior ICs, managers, and leaders navigating growth, burnout, and major transitions. Her background includes training in clinical psychology, cultural anthropology, and evolutionary biology. She has conducted hundreds of career audits and coaching engagements, giving her direct visibility into recurring risks across roles, companies, and markets. Her work focuses on practical decision making, sustainable performance, and career change.
About Javier:
Dr. Javier Bargas-Avila is a UX Director with over 20 years of experience, passionate about building excellent products that delight users. Creating and scaling high-performing teams fuels his drive.
For 14 years he built and scaled impactful research organizations across Google, including Cloud, Ads, YouTube and Play. Before joining Google, he established and managed the HCI research lab at the University of Basel.
He is a firm believer in the power of coaching and mentorship, and strives to cultivate talent within teams, empowering individuals to achieve their full potential. In 2025, he founded Astrolabium, a company focused on Coaching and Training for UX professionals.
Beyond this, he actively contributes to the UX community by sharing his insights through talks, publications, podcasts and conference presentations. He has published over 30 articles and delivered over 150 talks globally. With over 20 years of teaching experience, he currently lectures at both the University of Basel and the University of Applied Sciences.
3️⃣ Q&A and Open Discussion (15-30 min)
🗓️ Jul 9, 2026 @ 19:00 - 20:15 CET (Zagreb)
📍 Remote (Google Meet)
🌐 Language: English
Source: meetup