JenStrickland.design listening for the right “it” before we build it right

writing / speaking

Thought Leadership for Accessible Systems, Ethical AI, Responsible Tech, & Web Sustainability. I regularly present research, keynotes, and workshops at premier global conferences, focusing on the intersections of digital accessibility, AI policy, public sector equity, web sustainability, and human-centered design methodology.

“Jen has a remarkable ability to tell compelling stories through research findings, making complex data both accessible and actionable for stakeholders. She is a true advocate for users and an invaluable asset to any team.” – Mariam Chahine, Lead Designer, athenahealth

Upcoming Presentations

• M-Enabling Summit (October 5–7, 2026) | Arlington, VA
  Designing for Real Life: Lived Experience, Human Behavior, and Trust in Accessible Systems
  Panel. Co-panelists from T-Mobile, NAV (Norwegian Directorate of Labour and Welfare), and Salesforce.

  Focus Areas: Inclusive Systems Design | Human Behavior | Digital Trust | Cross-Sector Leadership

• W3C Technical Plenary & Advisory Committee (TPAC) (October 26–30, 2026) | Dublin, Ireland
  Draft Equity Maturity Model.
  Presentation. Co-presenter Beckett LeClair.

  Focus Areas: W3C Standards | Equity Maturity Model | Global Web Governance | Inclusion Frameworks

Speaking & Conference Presentations

🤖 Accessible AI, Chatbots, & Conversational UI

• Playbook for Accessible Chatbots and AI Agents
  • Presentation. CSUN Assistive Technology Conference (March 2026) | Anaheim, CA | 2026 CSUN slides on GitHub
    

    Focus Areas: Conversational UI | AI Agents | Qualitative Research | Lived Experience Data

  • Presentation. Grace Hopper Celebration (AnitaB.org) (November 2025) | Chicago, IL | GHC 2025 slides on GitHub
    

    Focus Areas: AI Accessibility | Conversational Design | AI Agents

• Equitable Accessibility
  Fireside Chat. CSUN Assistive Technology Conference (March 2024) | Anaheim, CA | (Global Stream on CSUN ATC YouTube)
  

  Focus Areas: Equity in Tech | Universal Access | Industry Standards

• 🏆  Selected as Best Paper
  Inclusive Personalities for Conversational User Interfaces: A Preliminary Discussion
  Paper & Presentation. IARIA CENTRIC 2021 (14th International Conference on Advances in Human-oriented and Personalized Mechanisms, Technologies, and Services) (October 2021) | Barcelona, Spain, and Online | Read Paper, 236kb PDF
  

  Focus Areas: Conversational AI | Inclusive Persona Design | Peer-Reviewed Publications & Research

⚖️ Inclusive Design and Research, Equity, Intersectionality, & Public Policy

• Rigorous Qualitative Human-Centered Methods to Inform Criteria for Broadening Participation in Institutions and Organizations
  • Paper & Presentation. Grace Hopper Celebration (AnitaB.org) (November 2025) | Chicago, IL | GHC 2025 slides on GitHub
    

    Focus Areas: Women in Tech Leadership | Qualitative Research | Broadening Participation | Institutional Equity | Academic Policy

  • Paper & Presentation. American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference (June 2025) | Montreal, Canada | Read ASEE paper
    

    Focus Areas: Qualitative Research | Broadening Participation | Institutional Equity | Academic Policy | Peer-Reviewed Publications & Research

• Compounding Taxes: Overlapping Barriers and Disability.
  Co-presenters: Ronna ten Brink and Mariam Chahine
  • Workshop & Presentation. AccessNow RightsCon (2025/2026) | Taipei, Taiwan; Lusaka, Zambia, and Online
    Co-presenters: Ronna ten Brink and Mariam Chahine

    Focus Areas: Disability Rights | Intersectional Policy | Systemic Barriers | Global Digital Rights

  • Workshop & Presentation. Knowbility’s AccessU (May 2024) | Austin, TX | Read AccessU slides on GitHub
    

    Focus Areas: Systemic Accessibility | Universal Design | Educational Workshops

• Lived Experience as Critical Data
  Presentation. CSUN Assistive Technology Conference (March 2026) | Anaheim, CA | 2026 CSUN slides on GitHub
  

  Focus Areas: Inclusive Research Methodology | Qualitative Research | Lived Experience Data

• You’re Killing Your Users! (Ethical UX & Performance)
  Presentation. Black Code Collective at The Washington Post (2018) | Washington, DC
  

  Focus Areas: Digital Ethics | User Safety | Performance | Accessibility

🌱 Web Sustainability & Progressive Enhancement

• Progressive Enhancement vs. Graceful Degradation: An Ethical Issue
  Presentation. CSUN Assistive Technology Conference (March 2025) | Anaheim, CA | Read CSUN 2025 slides on GitHub
  

  Focus Areas: Web Ethics | Front-End Architecture | Progressive Enhancement | Digital Inclusion

• Fight Climate Change with Digital Accessibility and the Web Sustainability Guidelines
  Presentation. Accessing Higher Ground (November 2024) | Denver, CO
  

  Focus Areas: Web Sustainability Guidelines (WSG) | Climate Tech | Digital Footprint | W3C Standards

• Save Our World with Progressive Enhancement & Accessibility
  Presentation. Inclusive Design 24 (September 2023) | Online & Accessibility Toronto (#A11yTO) (October 2023) | Toronto, Canada | View ID24 Online
  

  Focus Areas: Environmental Impact of Web Code | Performance Optimization | Inclusive Front-End

• The True Cost of Our Unknown Unknowns and Corners Cut
  Presentation. World IA Day (May 2023) | Richmond, VA - Online

  Focus Areas: Information Architecture | Ethical Design Choices | Systems Strategy

🏛️ Civic Service Design & Public Sector Transformation

• Panel on Tech Talent in Government, with Angie Quirarte, Brian Whittaker, Jennifer Strickland, and Victor Udoewa
  Panel. Code for America Summit (May 2022) | Washington, DC | Watch Panel on YouTube
  

  Focus Areas: Civic Tech Talent | Digital Service Delivery | Public Sector Culture Change

• Adopting a “Design By” Method
  Presentation. Rosenfeld Media Civic Design Conference (Inaugural, December 2021) | Online | Read presentation on Rosenfeld Media
  

  Focus Areas: Co-Design Methodology | Participatory Policy | Public Sector UX

• Ohana for Digital Service Design (or Baking Accessibility into your Digital Product Lifecycle)
  Presentation. Digital.gov Government UX Summit (July 2020) | Online | Access Presentation on Digital.gov
  

  Focus Areas: Federal UX | Section 508 Integration | Product Lifecycle Governance

Writings & Essays

Selected essays exploring design philosophy, process, and tech culture

• What’s your process? Here’s mine. — A breakdown of fluid, human-centered discovery and iteration.

  Focus Areas: Design Process | Methodology | Cross-Functional Collaboration

• What does a designer actually do? — Reframing design as strategic problem-solving beyond screen artifacts.

  Focus Areas: Strategic Design | Systems Thinking | Role Definition

• We don't need experts on stages. We need You. — A call for participatory design, lived experience as data, and community-led solutions.

  Focus Areas: Co-Design | Equity | Community Empowerment

“Jen is a consummate professional. She is a superb designer with an in-depth understanding of the code and other underpinnings that make interactive design work as well as it can look.…
She’s also a helluva good writer!” – Eric Reiss, author & UX pioneer

Visual Art & Photography

In years past I won awards for my photography. In addition to design and policy, I practice walking meditation through award-winning photography, capturing light, nature, and human moments.