Portal Summit 2026
Voice of the User

Listen. Learn. Build with intention.

Listen. Learn. Build with intention.

Apr 29-30, 2026

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About

From designing and conducting interviews to identifying patterns and building a sustainable research cadence, this summit is about moving from hearing users → understanding them → acting with clarity.

Expect immersive sessions, team-based missions, and moments to reflect, connect, and celebrate the craft of building with users at the center.

Let’s listen. Let’s learn. Let’s build with intention.

Join us for the Portal Voice of the User Summit 2026,
a three-day experience dedicated to turning user insight into everyday product practice.

This year, we focus on listening—not as a one-time activity, but as a habit and a system. Through hands-on workshops, real-world field research, and collaborative synthesis sessions, we’ll learn how to deeply understand our users and translate those insights into meaningful product decisions.

Agenda

Listening as a tool and practice

  • 10:00 – 10:30 AM
    Kickoff + breakfast
     Set expectations and introduce the summit goal: establishing an ongoing user research practice and cadence as part of our product operating model

    10:30 – 12:15 PM (1:45 hrs)
    Workshop: “Listening Labs” model

    • Overview & interview design

    • Key documents: inputs & outputs

    • Dos & don’ts during a session

    • Tips for tricky situations

    • Post-interview: turning observations into themes

    12:15 – 1:15 PM
    Lunch

    1:15 – 2:45 PM
    Watch party: real user research session

    • Video: interview analysis

    • Note-taking techniques

    • Identifying signals vs noise

    2:45 – 3:00 PM
     Break


    3:00 – 4:30 PM
    Workshop: mock interviews

    • Small group exercises

    • Set hypotheses

    • Prep & conduct mock sessions

    4:30 – 5:00 PM
    Q&A + Day 2 prep

    • Reflection on the day

    • Day 2 teams and “missions” announced

  • 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
     Field visits: School research sessions

    • Conduct and record field  interviews with real Portal users

    • Capture notes, quotes and themes

    1:00 – 2:00 PM
     Lunch (on-site or return)


    2:00 – 3:00 PM
    Workshop: synthesizing learnings

    • What did you observe? (User, environment, Portal usage patterns)

    • What was easy / delightful / friction-less?

    • What caused frustration? What needs were not met?

    • Integrate into shared space (organized by feature set)

    3:00 – 4:00 PM
    Shareouts & bingo

    • Share top learnings

    • Observe whole group for recurring themes (bingo theme)


    4:30 – 5:00 PM
    Reflection & Day 3 prep

    • What was your research experience like? What was easy/difficult?

    • On site vs. remote observation 

    • What reflections will you bring into your next research session?

  • 10:00 – 10:30 AM
     Kickoff + coffee

    10:30 – 12:00 PM
     Making research a habit (systems + tools)

    • How to schedule biweekly sessions

    • Recruiting users

    • Templates + playbooks

    • Owners

    • Feedback + alignment

    12:00 – 1:00 PM
    Lunch & closing remarks +
    Surprise team activity

View of Tudor City sign among skyscrapers overlooking a river in New York City.

Location

Serendipity Labs, Atlas Room, 21st Floor
205 E 42nd St, NYC