AI & Innovation
AI won't make everyone innovative. It might do the opposite. If everyone uses the same models to generate ideas, we may get millions of variations of the same thinking. Being different might become harder, and much more valuable.
Sultan Shalakhti
AI-driven product & innovation leader · Product and UX strategist · Keynote speaker · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
About
Sultan Shalakhti is a product and UX strategist based in Riyadh, with more than 14 years of experience building digital products, platforms, and design teams across Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He has led transformation programs for banks, government entities, and fast-growing companies, including helping build one of the region's first fully digital banks from the ground up. Sultan leads the Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) community in Saudi Arabia and works with startups, enterprises, and national organizations across the region. A regular keynote speaker, judge, and mentor, he focuses on the basics that make products succeed: understanding users, making clear strategic choices, and measuring success by outcomes, not features. He is a member of IPMA Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Thought Leadership
AI & UX
I think the AI chatbot will eventually become a UX smell. Why should I explain everything to a chatbot? If the system already understands my context, it should know what needs to happen. Less prompting. More understanding.
SaaS & Product Strategy
We designed SaaS around seats: one user, one license, one subscription. But what happens when one employee operates 20 AI agents? Who exactly is the "user"? AI might not just change SaaS products. It could break SaaS pricing.
Design Leadership
One question for UX leaders: are you designing the AI, or are engineers designing the AI while you design the screen around it? Those are very different roles. UX needs a seat much deeper inside AI development.
Future of Software
We are heading toward a world where software starts disappearing. Not because we stop using it, but because we stop interacting with it. You will simply say what you want, and AI will operate everything behind the scenes. Maybe the future of software is no interface at all.
AI & Customer Experience
A strange future is coming. Your customer may visit your website less, use your app less, see your brand less, yet buy from you more, because their AI agent is doing the interaction. How do you build a brand for machines?
Talks & Keynotes
Expo 2030 Hackathon
Misk Skills × Tuwaiq Academy, 2026. Mentor.
Why Smart Leaders Still Make Bad Decisions Under Pressure
Global Project Management Forum 2026, 2026 (Riyadh). Panel.
UX as a Strategic Product Driver
RAWA Community, 2026 (Riyadh). Talk.
Amad Hackathon 2026
Alinma Bank × Tuwaiq Academy, 2026 (Riyadh). Mentor.
From User Experience to Leadership Experience
IxDF Saudi Community, 2026 (Riyadh). Talk.
IxDF Karachi Chapter Connect
IxDF Karachi, 2026 (Online). Talk.
Buildathon — Venture Building Hackathon
Buildathon, 2026. Judge.
Beyond UX: Agile Moves Fast, Governance Makes It Matter
IxDF Asia Connect Webinar, 2026 (Online). Keynote.
IxDF Saudi Designers & Innovators Meetup
IxDF Saudi Community, 2026 (Jeddah). Host.
What I'm Building
NAUATECH, 2026 (Riyadh). Talk.
IxDF Riyadh Meet & Greet
IxDF Riyadh, 2026 (Online). Host.
AI-Driven Personalization in UX: Designing for One in a Million
IxDF Riyadh, 2025 (Online). Keynote.
Digital Signage Thriving in a UX-Driven Economy
Presentation, 2023. Presentation.
Fintech UX Introduction
Oasis500, 2022 (Amman). Talk.
Startup Weekend
Startup Weekend Amman, 2017 (Amman). Mentor.
User Experience For Startups
Workshop, 2016. Workshop.
User Experience Process
Presentation, 2016. Presentation.
Second Dribbble Meetup Amman
Dribbble, 2016 (Amman). Organizer.
Become a Better Web Designer
Presentation, 2015. Presentation.
10 Recent Innovations We Missed in the Middle East
Presentation, 2015. Presentation.
Material Design
AMMxDROID — Jordan Open Source Association, 2015 (Amman). Talk.
Lean Startup Machine
Lean Startup Machine, 2015 (Amman). Mentor.
Future Trends in Digital Design
Presentation, 2014. Presentation.
First Dribbble Meetup Amman
Dribbble, 2014 (Amman). Organizer.
Celtra AdCreator Introduction
Presentation, 2014. Presentation.
UX and Advertising: The Convergence
Presentation, 2014. Presentation.
Innovation Between UX & UI
Amman Tech Tuesdays — UX/UI Edition, 2013 (Amman). Talk.
Design Thinking Workshop
GDG Twin Cities. Workshop.
Community & Mentoring
IxDA Riyadh
Chapter Lead, since 2019. Leading the Interaction Design Association's Riyadh chapter, organizing events, workshops, and building a vibrant design community in Saudi Arabia.
IxDF Saudi Arabia
Community Founder, since 2024. Launched the Interaction Design Foundation's Saudi Arabia community page, connecting designers across the Kingdom.
ADPList
Mentor, since 2024. Mentoring upcoming talent in design and UX, helping individuals navigate career paths and enhance their skills globally.
Dribbble
Community Lead, since 2014. Mentoring designers and organizing local meetups, fostering creative collaboration and design excellence.
Google Developers Group
Speaker, since 2014. Regular speaker on design thinking, UX strategy, and the intersection of design and development.
IxDF Bootcamp
Mentor & CX/UX Consultant, since 2019. Guiding bootcamp participants through intensive UX and CX programs, sharing real-world experience and frameworks.
Media Kit
Sultan Shalakhti is a product and UX strategist with 14+ years across design, product, and digital transformation. He leads the IxDF design community in Saudi Arabia, helped build one of the region's first fully digital banks, and speaks across the Middle East on AI-ready products, design leadership, and why great experiences still start with the basics.
Suggested speaking topics
- Nobody Reads Your Roadmap: The UX Basics Every Product Leader Forgets
- Count Smiles, Not Features: Measuring Product Success the Right Way
- From Feature Factory to Value Engine: Product Strategy That Actually Ships Value
- Designing for One in a Million: AI-Driven Personalization Done Right
- The Disappearing Interface: When AI Generates the UI on Demand
- Redesign or Become Obsolete: Services for the Age of Agentic AI
- Agile Moves Fast, Governance Makes It Matter: UX Leadership at Scale
- From User Experience to Leadership Experience: From Designer to Decision Maker
Work with Sultan
Product Strategy
Vision, roadmap, prioritization, and product-market fit.
Product Building
Take an idea from concept to a launched product, with the right team.
Modern Ways of Working
Agile, OKRs, product operating models, and faster delivery.
User Experience
UX audits, redesigns, research, design systems, and UX teams.
Branding Strategy
Positioning, messaging, and the experience behind your brand.
Service Design
Customer journeys, service blueprints, and services that work end to end.
Business Modelling
Revenue models, pricing, unit economics, and investor-ready models.
Business Development
Market entry, partnerships, and building a pipeline that grows.
Building for the Saudi Market
Localization, regulation, Vision 2030 alignment, and launching in the Kingdom.
Something Else
Not on the list? Tell me what you need and I'll find the best way to help.
Career Coaching
One-to-one coaching for designers, product people, and leaders.