UXPA MN

AI in UX: Promise, Peril & the Empathy Gap with Friends of Figma
2026-06-04 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Chicago) | Virtual Event
Join UXPA Minnesota and Friends of Figma for a real-world look at designing with AI — including a live demo using Figma Make, Claude, ChatGPT, and Copilot in an actual design workflow.
AI tools are changing how UX designers work. Faster ideation, smarter synthesis, quicker prototypes. But speed isn’t the whole story. In this session, two UX designers share an honest look at where AI genuinely improves their practice, where it introduces risk, and what it still can’t replace. We’ll dig into real challenges like biased outputs, oversimplified personas, and the pressure to move fast in spaces that require deep empathy, drawing on examples from our own work. We’ll then walk through a live demo showing how we use Figma Make alongside other tools within a real design workflow, including examples of where we challenge or refine the tool outputs along the way.
Whether you’re already integrating AI into your practice or still figuring out where to start, this session offers honest insight and practical takeaways from the field.

Meet Our Speakers

Ryan Payne
Ryan is a “Design-gineer” with over a decade of experience blending interactive design and a developer’s mindset to create custom user experiences, prototypes, and solutions that align with client goals. He combines human-behavior insights with evolving technology trends to seamlessly integrate creativity and functionality across user experience design and product strategy.

Camila Cartagena
Camila is a user experience designer who blends creativity with strategy to deliver user-first solutions in healthcare. With a background in graphic design and further education in business, she brings a thoughtful, multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. She’s passionate about listening to users to guide her design decisions. Outside of work, Camila enjoys marathon training, playing with her golden retriever, and spending time with family and friends.
💻 This is a Virtual Event 💻
After you sign up for this event, on the day of the event you will receive a link to the Microsoft Teams call where this session will be held.
PLEASE NOTE:

You must create a free account for events or you must be a member of UXPA-MN.
You must also be subscribed to our emails in order to get event information.

UXPA Minnesota Summer Social 2026
2026-07-23 16:30 - 18:30 | Rail Werks Brewing Depot, 4055 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN, 55421
UXPA Minnesota Summer Social 2026
Join UXPA Minnesota for our annual Summer Social! Connect with fellow UX professionals over refreshments, conversation, and community in a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere.
Whether you’re a designer, researcher, product manager, content strategist, student, or simply curious about user experience, we’d love to have you join us.
Event Details

Cost: FREE (Registration required)
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Location: Rail Werks Brewing Depot
Address: 4055 Central Ave NE, Columbia Heights, MN 55421

What to Expect

🍻 Complimentary refreshments
🤝 Networking with the local UX community
🎁 Raffle prizes every UX professional will love
🎓 2026 UXPA Scholarship Program kickoff details
☀️ A casual evening celebrating our growing community

Who Should Attend?
This event is open to everyone interested in User Experience, Product Design, UX Research, Service Design, Human-Centered Design, or related design-thinking disciplines. Members and non-members are welcome.
Registration
This event is free to attend, but please register in advance so we can plan for attendance and send event updates.
Register here: https://tally.so/r/A7GlLo.
We look forward to seeing you on July 23!
