UXI Live 2026 is Israel’s leading conference for Product Designers and UX/UI Designers, bringing together the top minds in the industry for a content-rich, design-focused experience. Taking place on May 20, 2026, at the Smolarz Auditorium inTel Aviv, the event is crafted for experienced designers who want to gain practical insights, explore innovative ideas, and connect with like-minded professionals.
UXI Live 2026 is a content-focused event: the lectures and the team of lecturers are at the center of our attention. We are targeting the content at designers with significant experience, which is why we conduct a lengthy and thorough preparation process with the lecturers at the conference. This way, we ensure that we bring to the stage lectures that present practical, focused experience with high takeaway value.
Event Program
The UXI Live 2026 program features a full day of lectures with product design/ UX design experts from a diverse list of organizations, such as: Lightricks, MyHeritage, Gett, Payoneer and more. Attendees will gain practical insights and best practices from top industry speakers.
Below is the complete event program. Almost all talks are 20 minutes long:
- The Aesthetics of Computation // Yam Ben Adiva, Founder, Yambo Studio
Yambo, a digital artist and founder of Yambo Studio, unpacks the creative process behind building digital worlds, from artistic experiments to 3D environments for tech companies. The talk explores the feedback loop between human inspiration and algorithmic execution, and how emerging tools challenge and expand creative thinking. - Into the Unknown and Beyond: Speculative Design in the Age of AI // Sarah Auslander, CX Design Principle, Payoneer & Lecturer, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem. Roee Bigger, Head of the urgent challanges track, Civix & Lecturer, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem.
Sarah and Roy invite us to rethink the role of designers in an uncertain, fast-changing world, not just as problem-solvers, but as shapers of what does not yet exist. Through real-world case studies, they present speculative design as a practical approach that uses future scenarios, storytelling, and AI to drive responsible, long-term innovation. - Identity Before Functionality: How Brand Became Our Product Compass // Itai Miller, Lead Product Designer, Empathy
As one of the early designers at Empathy, Itai shares how defining brand identity and values before designing the product shaped everything that followed. The talk explores how starting with the “who” rather than the “what” enabled the team to build meaningful products for moments of deep human sensitivity and navigate strategic change with clarity. - Perceived Value: Designing the Moment Users Choose to Stay // Maayan Sinai, Head of Product Design, ThinkUp
Maayan invites us to rethink the first minutes of a user’s experience, not by how a product works, but by the silent question every new user asks: “Is this really worth it?”. Through case studies, she explores how perceived value is formed, how design shapes the decision to stay or leave before deep usage, and the role of clarity, aha moments, and AI in creating that connection. - Full-Stack Design: How Designers Took Over Front-End Coding with AI // Hanan Lehr, Chief UX Officer, Pic-Time
Hanan shares a behind-the-scenes look at a year-long journey exploring a new workflow where designers generate all front-end code using AI, from vibe coding to live features at Pic-Time. The talk covers the rise of the “full-stack designer”, the collapse of the design-dev gap, and the organizational challenges and gains of adopting this approach. - Designing Without Conventions: Empathy as a Decision-Making Tool // Alon Avrami, Product Manager, Stealth & Dan Karsenti, Product Designer, Wiliot
Alon and Dan share their work on Nickwatch, Nickelodeon’s award-winning kids’ smartwatch, exploring how to design interactive experiences without screens or best practices. The talk highlights using empathy to understand children’s behavior, guide design choices, and shift from rigid flows to open environments that encourage play, imagination, and initiative. - Designers Leading Products: Product Guerrilla in the Vibe-Coding Era // Neta Keret, Product Design Team Lead, Lightricks & Dotan Beck, AI Labs Team Lead, Lightricks
Neta and Dotan share a behind-the-scenes case study of an AI feature born as a stealth initiative by the Lightricks' design team, without budget or formal approval. Using vibe-coding, they built a functional POC and leveraged it to influence the roadmap, align with business KPIs, and demonstrate how designers can become a strategic force in the age of GenAI. - The Courage to Adapt: Tools for Change in a Fast-Moving Workplace // Judith Katz, Author, Coacher and Positive Psychology Expert
In her talk, Judith explores how to regain a sense of control in a rapidly shifting work environment. Through practical tools like focusing on your circle of influence, running small experiments, and intentionally shaping your role through daily actions, she offers ways to lead with clarity instead of constantly reacting to change. - Context is King, and We Are Its Stewards: Context Design in AI // Michal Kessel Shitrit, Head of English UX writing, Draft
Michal shows why AI often fails at the subtle details that professionals handle instinctively, and how Context Design helps turn prompt-writing into building smart information frameworks. Through real-world stories, she demonstrates how leveraging human expertise shapes more reliable and effective AI outcomes. - A Business-Friendly Experience: Designing a Successful DNA Product // Gershon Flaisher, Art Director, MyHeritage
Gershon discusses the challenges of designing MyHeritage’s DNA testing product, showing how design transformed good technology into a usable, helpful experience that lets users explore their roots. He also shares how external factors shaped the market and business, and what design adaptations were needed to maintain both a positive user experience and a successful business model. - The DJ is the Designer: Solving Invisible UX Through Sound // Federico Dayan, Head of Product design, Gett & Nadav Ravid, Sound Designer, Music Producer and Culture Curator
Federico and Nadav share how product and sound design came together to solve an invisible user experience challenge beyond the screen. They explore the organizational and technical hurdles of creating a sound language aligned with brand values, and how a simple metaphor led to a breakthrough in shaping the product’s core sound. - From Narrative to Experience: Seizing Design Potential // Ortal Birka, Design Director, Designit Tel-Aviv
Ortal presents a fresh perspective on the design process through the lens of “The Hero’s Journey,” showing how this narrative pattern creates new design opportunities and enables bolder choices. Through case studies, she illustrates how designers can act as storytellers, shaping distinctive personalities and crafting engaging, unconventional user experiences.
