Think Before We Ship

Women in Tech York is a community! We're made up of individuals studying, working in, or interested in technology. We run events where attendees can share their knowledge and interests, as well as encourage and empower one another whilst building their networks.

Our events are not exclusive to women; absolutely everyone is welcome. You don't need to be a coder or consider yourself technical to enjoy and benefit from our events. We welcome all students and career-changers who are interested in learning more about tech and careers in the industry.

Events run on the second Thursday of the month.

As always, there will be a free buffet (vegan options available) thanks to our amazing sponsors Isotoma and Jammed. Please let us know about allergies in advance.

Our monthly events are designed to complement our goals:

⭐ Feel included – Join a space where everyone is welcome.

⭐ Explore your options – Discover new paths, ideas, and technologies.

⭐ Grow your network – Connect with like-minded people

⭐ Learn something new – Gain insights from speakers, panels, and discussions.

Because we mix up the format each month, some events will be more social, while others might focus on talks or structured networking.

What if “test it, ship fast, learn fast” is actually making your product worse?

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We’re joined by Oana May, former Meta product leader, 3x founder, and product coach, for a session on one of the most important - and under-discussed - skills in building products: knowing what not to build. Oana has coached 1,000+ product and engineering leaders and developed the CRAFT system to help builders navigate ambiguity and make better decisions about which problems are actually worth solving.

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Her argument is that testing isn’t enough. You can run the right experiments, learn from the results, and still end up further from the right product if your judgment about what to test is wrong. Drawing on her own product mistakes as well as her coaching experience, Oana will unpack the psychological trap that can make testing backfire, and introduce a practical technique for thinking differently before you ever run the test, borrowed from an unexpected source: acting.

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You’ll learn:
Why “just test it” can be a poor default in an AI-powered product world
Why you can end up testing the wrong thing even when you think you’re testing the right one
A practical technique for making better decisions before you start building or testing

This is for anyone building with AI who’s tired of shipping things nobody asked for and wants to get better at the difference between moving fast and moving right.

This month our event is designed to help you explore your options.

Submit your talk details here - we review submissions monthly as a team and vote for the talks we'd most like to hear. All submissions are anonymised before voting to ensure a fair process.

We're a very friendly group! If you'd like to chat to us beforehand you can join our Slack community or contact us directly via social media or email with any questions.

• Slack: https://wit-york.slack.com
• LinkedIn: Women in Tech York
• Instagram: womenintechyork
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.wityork.org.uk/contact

Can you cater for allergies and dietary requirements?

We always do our best to cater for everyone. If you let us know about your requirements at least 4 days in advance we'll pass them on to the venue and ask them to accommodate. A vegan buffet is ordered by default.

If you have concerns about the food on the night then please speak to a member of staff. Nutritional information can be found on Revolution's website. We order a buffet which typically includes mini burgers, fries, salads, garlic bread and small snacks. If you need to know what food will be provided ahead of time please let us know.

Is this event accessible?

• The room booked for this event is upstairs, but can be accessed by a lift. Please contact Revolution to confirm access to the lift.
• We usually use Google Slides with captions
• We ask our speakers to use the microphones provided.
• We have exclusive access to the upstairs toilets - please note there are 2 steps up to access these toilets specifically, though other toilets are available.
• You know your needs best - we've added an option on our order form for any adjustments or requirements you want to let the organisers know about in advance. We will do our best to ensure a fair and comfortable experience for everyone.

Is this event inclusive ?

We try our best to make sure everyone feels included, welcome and comfortable at Women in Tech York events

• Pronoun stickers are available for everyone (if your pronoun isn't provided please let us know and we'll get more created to include you).
• Red camera badges are available to indicate that you don't want to be photographed.
• Music is kept to a low volume.

Getting here

If you're unsure how to get to Revolution check out thesection of our website - we've added information on car parks, buses and bike paths around York.

The short version of our code of conduct is be respectful. Everyone here is part of our community. We do not tolerate any form of harassment or abuse.

If you'd like to see the full code of conduct, please view it on our website https://www.wityork.org.uk/conduct or email [email protected] for more details.

Info: You can arrive any time during registration. This is a chance for attendees to check in, grab a drink, and chat. The event will formally start at 18:30.

Info: The most popular advice in tech right now is destroying your product before it exists.

In this keynote, Oana May (ex-Meta product leader, Founder of MOATCRAFT™) takes on the advice nobody questions — "just test it, ship fast, learn fast" — and shows why testing without judgment only gets you further away from the right product and the hidden costs of doing it.

Drawing on her experience coaching 1000+ product and engineering leaders, and on the product mistakes she's made and fixed herself, she'll name the psychological trap that makes "testing" backfire even when you do everything right, and the habit that breaks it, borrowed from an unexpected source: acting.

You'll learn:
- Why "just test it" was built for a world that no longer exists, and why following it now is more expensive than most builders realise
- The hidden mechanism that makes you test the wrong thing, even when you're certain you're testing the right one
- A practical technique to think before you ever run a test

Event venue & nearby stays

Revolution York Restaurant, Bar, Club, 1 Coney Street, York, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

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