Above: Nicole Haboosheh and Taisa Echer after swapping charms
Every year, Flux Convergence brings together a community of brilliant women leading in UX and design, a gathering of curious minds and great creative energy. This year, we were proud to be one of the sponsors. And with that came an exciting challenge: what could we make that truly captured who we are at &us: curious, collaborative, and ever-so-slightly obsessed with making things better?
We had carte blanche, which, as any designer knows, is both thrilling and mildly terrifying. What we aimed to create was simple: a swag item that reflected the spirit of innovation and connection.
Bringing our collective mind together
We started brainstorming ideas as a team during our summer gathering, a day we set aside each year to regroup, bond, and recharge. It felt like the perfect moment to think boldly. We wanted to create something different. Something that would make people smile, spark curiosity, and start a conversation.
Ideas came thick and fast. A team suggested building a physical space experience; another pitched a magic 8-ball that could dispense design wisdom (we still might do that one day). And then came the simple idea that made everyone lean in: a charm bracelet.
It had great storytelling potential: each charm could represent an idea or a piece of content people could explore, and attendees could swap charms during the event, creating a personal combination and a natural excuse to talk to someone new. We all know how slightly awkward networking can be and this felt like a small, thoughtful way to make connection a little easier, and a lot more fun.
A slight pivot to improve the experience
From there, we dove into research, ordering samples, testing weights, and comparing finishes. The charms were beautiful, but once we strung them together, we realised something: it was heavy and felt impractical. So we pivoted and decided to go for a necklace instead. We then chose five charms for each necklace, each one representing an ingredient for innovation.
AdaptabilityFinding opportunity in every challenge Read more here → |
SerendipityFinding the unexpected path to real results Read more here → |
Going deeperDiscovering what lies beneath the surface Read more here → |
NurturingCreating an environment where new ideas flourish Read more here → |
Collective autonomyWhen teams move as one, structure flows Read more here → |
CuriosityBuilding curiosity as a leadership muscle Read more here → |
Iterative learningFinding momentum in what didn't work Read more here → |
NetworkingHow your network helps you see around corners Read more here → |
From there, we then made the big plunge of ordering everything: 100+ chains, 750+ charms and as many loops, clasps. Our office quickly looked like a hybrid jewellery workshop. It was joyful, a little bit chaotic and exactly the kind of creative experiment we love.
Adding a little digital magic
To bridge the gap between the physical experience (of swapping charms) and the digital experience of accessing content, we designed a card to hold the necklace, explaining the concept and including a QR code linking back to our content.
The QR code leads to a microsite we built using Figma Make, a (beta) feature we hadn’t tried before — because, well, why not experiment all the way? We wanted the digital experience to feel like an extension of the physical one: playful, thoughtful, and a little bit unexpected.
On the site, each charm told its own story: small but meaningful reflections on what fuels creativity and innovation
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And it worked!
As the day unfolded, we watched people laugh, chat, and swap charms like old friends trading stories. Attendees compared designs, hunted for the missing variations, and proudly showed off their growing collections. What started as a small idea to ease those awkward “hello” moments became a playful ritual of connection —and it was fun. Really fun.
Reflections: the beauty of the experiment
Looking back, this small project captured so much of what we believe in at &us: experiment often, pivot gracefully, and always leave room for joy. Innovation doesn’t always start with a grand vision. Sometimes it starts with a simple question: how might we help people connect? The rest is trial, error, and laughter. Because for us, this was never just about making necklaces — it was about making connections.