Our first event of the 2026/2027 season!
Join us as we kick off this new season with a talk about whether AI-generated participants can really stand in for real ones, presented by Dominira Saul, Founder & Principal, DFFRNT.
Generative AI is making it possible to create hundreds of seemingly realistic research participants in seconds. Synthetic users can answer interview questions, react to designs, complete surveys, simulate personas, and even attempt usability tasks at a fraction of the time and cost of conventional user research.
But are we actually learning about users, or generating plausible stories about them?
DATE TIME: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 6:00-8:00 pm.
LOCATION: In-Person Event at Impact HUB Ottawa (123 Slater Street, 7th floor, Ottawa, ON K1P 5H2).
- NOTE: The venue is in a high-rise building, and the entry doors on the ground floor/street level lock automatically at 7pm.
REGISTRATION: (Free!) meetup.com/capchi/events/316426982
This talk explores the rapidly emerging use of synthetic users in UX research, examining both their considerable potential and their methodological limitations. Drawing on recent HCI research and empirical comparisons between human and AI-generated participants, Dominira Saul will explore where synthetic users appear genuinely useful, where they fail to reproduce human behaviour, and why convincing responses should not necessarily be mistaken for valid research evidence.
The talk will consider applications ranging from synthetic personas and simulated interviews to usability evaluation and behavioural prediction, and propose a practical framework for deciding when synthetic users can augment UX research, and when real humans remain indispensable.
At its heart is a simple question: If nobody actually experienced the interface, can we call it user research?
About Dominira Saul
Dominira Saul is a UX strategist, researcher, educator, and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience designing better products, services, and organizations through human-centred design.
His career has spanned the evolution of UX from the early days of usability engineering and interface design to today’s complex landscape of digital transformation, behavioural science, artificial intelligence, and service design.
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A Space for Community and Support
Beyond the talk, we recognize the importance of fostering a strong UX and design community—especially in light of the recent news about Algonquin College suspending its Human-Centred Design program. The decision to halt new student admissions after Fall 2025 is a significant loss to the local UX ecosystem.
Now, more than ever, we must come together to support, uplift, and advocate for the growth of human-centered design. Events like this serve not only as learning opportunities but also as spaces for connection, mentorship, and solidarity.
We hope to see you there. Let’s keep the spirit of UX alive.
Spread the word and bring a friend!
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About The Venue
Impact HUB Ottawa is situated on the 7th floor of a high-rise building and at 7pm the entry doors on the ground floor/street level lock automatically. We will monitor the doors a bit past the lock time and tape a note to the door with a number to contact for entry. Water, tea and coffee are provided for free, but food will not be available. You are welcome to bring your own snack. No alcoholic beverages please. If you like to head out for a drink afterwards, there are various options near by to do so.
Our Sponsors
We are extremely grateful to these organizations for their generous support of CapCHI and the local UX community.
DFFRNT
We’re an exceptional team of highly experienced behavioural researchers and design strategists. We apply a fundamental understanding of human behaviour, strategic design and human-computer interaction to deliver product and service design value.
Outwitly
Your Trusted Partner for Staffing High-Impact Design Teams
Outwitly is more than a UX recruitment agency. We’re your strategic design partner. We help you hire exceptional UXers, service designers, and researchers — with ongoing support from our own design experts to ensure lasting impact.
Impact HUB
Impact HUB is Ottawa’s coworking space for social impact where consultants, non-profits, social entrepreneurs and small business owners like you get the workspaces, services, and experts you need to do good better.
About CapCHI
CapCHI (www.capchi.org) is a social and professional society of people who work as user interface designers, researchers, educators, software developers, web designers, graphic designers and human factors engineers in and around Canada’s National Capital Region. Founded in 1991, CapCHI’s goal is to bring together local professionals interested in how humans and computers interact, in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
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