UX Days 2026
UX Days 2026
Systems in FLUX: Designing What Comes After
April 17–18, 2026 | Siebel Center for Design, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The future of design is being rewritten in real time. As technology evolves and intelligent systems enter our workflows, UX professionals are not only designing for humans, but with machines — redefining creativity, authorship, and collaboration itself.
This year’s UX Days explores how designers work within, against, and beyond the systems that shape our world — from institutional and technological frameworks to cultural and ethical ones. Together, we’ll ask: What do we keep, what do we break, and what must we rebuild to create more equitable, adaptive, and human futures?
Through keynotes, workshops, and conversations, UX Days 2026 bridges the visionary and the practical, inviting students, educators, and professionals to explore how design can remain human-centered in an age of systemic change.
Call for Session Proposals
We’re looking for innovative and engaging sessions for UX Days 2026, a two-day conference that explores the systems, processes, and human experiences that shape design and technology. This year’s theme — Systems in Flux: Designing What Comes After — invites participants to explore how we identify, challenge, and redesign the structures around us to create more equitable, efficient, and creative outcomes.
About the Proposal Process
This year, we’re using a two-phase proposal process to simplify submissions:
Phase 1 (this form) — Submit a short overview of your session idea and your background by January 5, 2026.
Phase 2 — Selected proposals will be invited to share full session details, slides, and materials by February 6, 2026.
Who Attends UX Days
UX Days attracts a vibrant, interdisciplinary audience. Most attendees are University of Illinois students, with a handful of recent graduates and community participants. They come from fields such as computer science, information sciences, industrial and graphic design, sustainable design, architecture, business, humanities, and psychology.
Our participants include both undergraduate and graduate students with varying levels of experience — from first-year beginners to those who have completed internships or advanced UX coursework.
What We’re Looking For
For 2026, we’re aiming for a well-balanced program that includes:
- Practical, skills-based workshops that help attendees practice UX methods or tools.
- Panel discussions that show multiple perspectives on current UX challenges.
- Talks or case studies that explore real-world UX work and lessons learned.
- Interactive discussions that encourage reflection and knowledge-sharing.
We encourage proposals that go beyond introductory career advice to explore the how and why of UX — how teams work, how research influences design, and how systems shape the user experience.
Suggested Session Topics
Below are a few topic areas that would be a strong fit for UX Days 2026. These aren’t required, but they reflect themes our attendees are most interested in:
UX Practice & Process
- UX Research and Personas
- Prototyping or Wireframing (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD, Miro, FigJam)
- Information Architecture & Navigation Design
- Accessibility and Inclusive Design
- Collaboration between Designers, Engineers, and Researchers
- Working in Agile (using tools like JIRA, Asana, Trello, or Miro)
- Design Critique and Feedback Practices
- Design Systems: Consistent & Scalable UI
- Incorporating Microinteractions & Motion
- UX & Service Design
Professional Insights, Case Studies & Panels
- Real-World Case Studies and Project Walkthroughs (how a UX project moved from idea to implementation)
- “A Day in the Life” (UX Designer, Researcher, Product Manager, etc.)
- UX in Different Environments (in-house vs. agency; startup vs. large firm)
- Building a Strong UX Portfolio
- Ask Me Anything / Career Q&A Sessions
- Design Leadership and Mentorship
Hands-On / Deep Dive Ideas
- Mini Design Challenges (e.g., “Redesign a checkout flow” or “Create a mobile sign-up page”)
- Intro or Advanced Sessions on Design Tools (Figma, Miro, Maze, Notion, Optimal Workshop)
- UX Testing Methods (running a usability test, analyzing user feedback)
- Rapid Prototyping or Iteration Exercises
Session Formats & Duration
Our 2026 schedule allows for a mix of sessions in three lengths:
We’re also open to creative or hybrid formats — if you’re unsure where your idea fits, submit it anyway!
Panel Opportunities
You can propose a panel with collaborators or indicate that you’d be open to being added to one of our curated keynote panels. These panels will focus on major themes such as:
UX Design vs. UX Research
Collaboration Across Disciplines
Systems Thinking in UX
The Future of UX
See Examples from 2025
Want to see the kinds of sessions we’ve hosted before?
Browse the UX Days 2025 Schedule to view last year’s speakers, topics, and agenda.