Object-oriented UX: A content-first approach to meaningful system design

Somewhere along the way, we decided that “real” UX design is high-fidelity mockups and polished prototypes. And a lot of content designers quietly internalized the message: If I don’t design the visuals, I’m not really designing the experience.

But UX doesn’t start with pixels or Figma. It starts with meaning.

Object-Oriented UX (OOUX) — and specifically the ORCA process (Objects, Relationships, CTAs, Attributes) — breaks product design down to the same ancient language structures we use to make sense of the world. It turns “UX design” from a visual exercise into a structural one.

You’ll leave with a practical object-mapping approach you can use immediately — no new design tools required.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Use ORCA to identify core objects before screens dictate structure.
• Diagnose confusing flows by mapping relationships instead of rewriting copy.
• Align verbs (CTAs) with actual system capabilities, not hopeful marketing language.
• Confidently facilitate object-level design conversations with product and engineering.
• Reframe UX design as meaning-making, not mockup-making.