event

2025-09-16 Love at First Query, Regret at First Hallucination

Hosted by CapCHI, and Melis.

CapCHI September 2025 event image

 

Join us for a thought-provoking CapCHI session with JP Simbandumwe, co-founder of Ottawa UX consultancy Jumping Elephants, where we’ll explore the promises and pitfalls of AI-enabled search.

UX practitioners now face a new design frontier: search interfaces we don’t control, powered by LLMs that remix our content. In this session, JP will unpack the mechanics and benefits of AI search, from intent detection and multi-source synthesis to conversational follow-ups, using real-world examples of Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT answers, and Perplexity’s “answer engine”.

You’ll also hear about the risks, hallucinations, bias, zero-click behaviour, and accessibility gaps, and gain practical, actionable strategies to help clients and organizations optimize their content for visibility and accuracy in this rapidly changing landscape.

Whether you’re a UX practitioner, content strategist, or simply curious about the future of search, this session will offer actionable insights and real-world examples you can take back to your work.

DATE TIME: Tuesday September 16, 2025, 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/310838720/ 

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2025-05-20 2025 CapCHI Student Showcase

Hosted by CapCHI, and Anna-Lena T.

CapCHI May 2025 event image

Our last and favourite event of the 2024/2025 season! Join us as we welcome emerging HCI, Design, and UX talent from Algonquin College, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa. Each team will present their projects in under 10 minutes, followed by an open discussion with the audience.

DATE TIME: Tuesday May 20, 2025, 6:00-9:00 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/307755268/ 

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2025-04-15 Field Trip to the Centre for Air Travel and Research (CATR) (Limited Spots)

Hosted by CapCHI, Jed and Andrés.

CapCHI April 2025 event image

Spark your curiosity by joining us on an engaging tour through the NRC‘s Centre for Air Travel Research (CATR) with your host, Senior Research Officer Shelley Roberts!

This centre is the only facility in the world made to study the whole experience of travelling by air. Shelley and her team work with academia and companies to deliver world-leading research for safe and healthy air travel experiences. You’ll find all the features that are present in modern air travel: the process of checking in, boarding and flying in an airplane.

This amazing place is a must-see! Don’t miss this unique opportunity!

– – – – – – – – – – –  >>> 🚨🚨🚨 SPOTS ARE LIMITED 🚨🚨🚨 <<<  – – – – – – – – – – –

To ensure everyone has enough room and feels comfortable on this field trip, we have limited the number of spots. Grab your seat while you can!

You can use your PayPal account or your debit or credit card to pay. The total amount, including fees, should be $10. The payment secures your spot and is non-refundable. However, it’s transferable. If you already have a spot and would like to transfer it to someone else, please let us know at treasurer@capchi.org. Thank you.

All proceeds from this event will go directly to CapCHI to help continue creating outstanding events for you!

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DATE TIME: Tuesday April 15, 2025, 6:00-8:00 pm.
LOCATION: In-Person Event at National Research Council – Aerospace facilities 1920 Research Road Building U-61 · Ottawa, ON.

REGISTRATION: (Paid Event / Must be registered to attend!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/307114562/

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2025-03-18 The Magic of Storytelling for Design (Limited Spots)

Hosted by CapCHI, and Valentyna and Hala.

CapCHI March 2025 event image

Every great quest needs a hero/herione, a challenge, and a little magic. In the world of design, securing buy-in isn’t just about good research, flawless design and tools and services that will work—it’s about crafting a story powerful enough to enchant, persuade, and inspire action from even the biggest critics.

This March, join Samantha on an adventure into the magic of storytelling for design. Through interactive challenges, you’ll unlock narrative spells, learn how to captivate any audience, and leave with the tools to transform skeptics into champions.

– – – – – – – – – – –  >>> 🚨🚨🚨 SPOTS ARE LIMITED 🚨🚨🚨 <<<  – – – – – – – – – – –

As this is a workshop, to ensure everyone has enough room and feels comfortable, the number of spots is limited. Get your spot while you can!

And if you already have a spot, but can’t make, please cancel or contact the hosts so that someone else can be fortunate to attend the workshop. Thank you!

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DATE TIME: Tuesday March 18, 2025, 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/306452134/ 

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2025-02-18 Reframing UX – The Power of Cognitive Shifts in Behavioural Design: A Talk with Deirdre Kelly, PhD

Hosted by CapCHI, and Melis and Sercan.

CapCHI February 2025 event image

Join us for an insightful evening with Deirdre Kelly, PhD, a cognitive scientist specializing in decision-making and UX design. 

Cognitive reframing is a powerful tool in behavioural design, shaping how users perceive challenges, make decisions, and engage with products and services. This talk explores reframing as a practice—not just as a psychological concept, but as a strategic approach in UX design. By shifting perspectives through language, visual structure, interaction patterns, and contextual cues, designers can reduce cognitive friction, enhance usability, encourage positive behaviours, and create better experiences. Through case studies and hands-on techniques, we’ll uncover how reframing can be used to improve our UX design practices. Attendees will leave with practical methods for integrating reframing into their UX practice, enabling them to design experiences that guide perception, influence behavior, and create meaningful user interactions—ethically and effectively.

DATE TIME: Tuesday February 18, 2025, 5:30-8:30 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/306153419/ 

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2024-12-17 Transforming Music Accessibility with Haptic Technology

Hosted by CapCHI, and Valentyna and Sercan.

CapCHI December 2024 event image

Join us for an inspirational talk with Leon Lu!

Leon is a visionary researcher and designer whose work transforms the boundaries of accessibility and innovation. In this session, Leon will dive into making non-verbal communication accessible to blind and low vision musicians during performances and in learning environments. He will discuss the design and development of wearable haptic systems and provide insights into the development of haptic codes and future iterations of wearable haptics for communication.

DATE TIME: Tuesday December 17, 2024, 12:00 pm (noon).

LOCATION: ONLINE Event! Link visible for attendees on registration.

REGISTRATION: (Free!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/304989167/ 

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2024-12-13 CapCHI UX Student Chapter Design Critique Event

Join us for the CapCHI Student Chapter Design Critique Event – December 13, 2024! Whether you’re seeking advice, inspiration, or connections, this event is for YOU. 

 

  • When? Friday, December 13 | 6:00-8:30 PM
  • Where? Algonquin College – Building C – DARE District C-128
  • Register: https://lu.ma/51wdz72y

 

What to Expect: – Share your design projects (classwork, portfolios, or side projects). – Receive feedback from industry professionals and fellow students. – Connect with like-minded individuals in the design community. This is your chance to gain valuable insights and grow your skills in a supportive, creative environment.

Don’t wait—RSVP now and take your design journey to the next level!

🔗 https://lu.ma/51wdz72y

Let’s design, critique, and grow—together!

 

What is the CapCHI Student Network?

The CapCHI Student Network is a group of HCI/CHI, UX, UI, and design
students from the main post-secondary institutions in the Nation’s capital:
Algonquin College, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.

Contact

student.capchi@gmail.com

2024-11-19 Turning Decisions into Outcomes: A Talk with Alistair Croll

Hosted by CapCHI, and Melis and Andrés.

CapCHI November 2024 event image

>>>>>>>>>> NEW VENUE ALERT <<<<<<<<<<

We’re excited to announce a fresh new location for our upcoming event! CapCHI now meets at Impact Hub Ottawa (123 Slater Street, 7th floor).

Get ready for an inspiring evening with Alistair Croll—an entrepreneur, event organizer, and bestselling author—as he talks about how to turn decisions into real results. Alistair will share his insights on making meaningful changes in organizations, using data to make better decisions, and why fresh, creative thinking is key to progress.

Here’s a bit of what he’ll cover:

  • Subversive Thinking: Challenging the usual way of doing things. Alistair will show how looking at things differently can lead to real change, helping organizations go beyond “business as usual.”
  • Overcoming Inertia: Inertia is the tendency to stick to the same old habits and processes, even if they’re not the best. Alistair will discuss tools and ideas to break through this resistance to change, paving the way for improvement.
  • What’s Next in Tech: Expect Alistair to share some exciting ideas about the future of tech, including how “Shadow Dev” is changing the game and why IT is shifting from subscriptions to pay-as-you-go models.

 

DATE TIME: Tuesday November 19, 2024, 5:30-8:30 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/304513431/ 

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2024-10-15 Fireside Chat with Nokia’s UX Design and Research Head, David Kiesekamp

Hosted by CapCHI, and Hala and Aishwarya.

CapCHI October 2024 event image

>>>>>>>>>> NEW VENUE ALERT <<<<<<<<<<

We’re excited to announce a fresh new location for our upcoming event! CapCHI now meets at Impact Hub Ottawa (123 Slater Street, 7th floor).

Join us for an inspirational fireside chat with David Kiesekamp, Nokia’s Head of UX Design and Research, moderated by Hala Hawa MDes, PMP, CapCHI’s Co-chair.

During this chat you will get to learn about David and his none-linear design journey, how Nokia encompasses diversity, design, and innovation in their practices, and the interplay between design, research, technology, and business.

This is your opportunity to learn about the complexity of the journey to becoming a UX designer. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the industry, this discussion will provide takeaways and a new outlook in your UX career.

David Kiesekamp – Nokia | LinkedIn

 

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.

 

DATE TIME: Tuesday October 15, 2024, 5:30-9:00 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!) https://www.meetup.com/capchi/events/303751280/ 

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2024-09-27 CapCHI UX Student Chapter Networking Event

Join us for the CapCHI Student Chapter Networking Event – September 27, 2024!

CapCHI Student Network September 2024 event image

 

  • When? Friday, Sept 27 | 6:00-9:00 PM
  • Where? University of Ottawa, STM 117

Come hear from students about their co-op and internship journeys, share your experiences, and have a blast! Whether you’re looking for advice, connections, or a fun evening—this event has it all! See you there!

 

Other upcoming Events

  • (This Event!) Sept 27 (Friday) – Networking Event: Inviting students who did their internships recently from various sectors in the industry to speak about their experiences followed by networking.
  • Oct 25 (Friday) – Skill Development – CANCELLED
  • Nov 29 (Friday) – Design Critique

 

What is the CapCHI Student Network?

The CapCHI Student Network is a group of HCI/CHI, UX, UI, and design
students from the main post-secondary institutions in the Nation’s capital:
Algonquin College, Carleton University and the University of Ottawa.

Contact

student.capchi@gmail.com