Speaking
Upcoming events
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Design Evenings NYC: The Real Role of AI in UX
22 Oct 6:00-7:30PM
Join us for an evening with Erin Essex, Senior Interaction Designer at Google, as she unpacks how AI is reshaping the design process. From smarter ideation tools to rapid prototyping platforms, AI is becoming an essential part of the UX toolkit, but it isn’t without flaws. Erin explores how designers can embrace AI as a collaborator while keeping empathy, storytelling, and craft at the heart of their work.
Hello! I’m Erin Essex, an engaging, thought-provoking speaker with a passion for storytelling, UX, and inclusive design. I thrive on sharing insights, sparking conversation, and collaborating creatively to craft memorable experiences.
Professional speaking background
Seasoned speaker with years of experience—keynotes, panels, workshops—in UX, tech, storytelling, and personal branding.
Delivered sessions that entertain, educate, and inspire—across formats from intimate panels to hands-on workshops.
Expert at tailoring content to resonate with specific audience needs, blending personal narrative and professional clarity.
Wanna collaborate? Shoot me an email.
Tech topics
Finding Focus: Prioritization for Tech Teams
→ Between deadlines, shifting goals, and endless requests, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I’ll share a practical prioritization exercise—built from the Eisenhower Matrix—that helps cut through the noise, organize competing demands, and make confident decisions about where to spend your time. Super useful for anyone juggling multiple projects.Navigating Tech with ADHD, Anxiety, and Neurodiversity
→ Timely, vulnerable, and valuable. Opens conversations about inclusivity, mental health, and the reality of working in tech.Next-Gen Design Sprints
→ The five-day sprint no longer fits today’s pace. Learn how to break the sprint into faster, flexible sessions that drive results without derailing calendars. Packed with practical tools and real-world stories from Google, MongoDB, and Shutterstock.Buzzing with Teamwork: Lessons from Beekeeping
→ Beehives thrive because of shared goals, clear roles, and constant communication. In this lightning talk, Erin shares what bees can teach us about building stronger, more collaborative teams—and how these lessons can help any group adapt, innovate, and succeed together.
UX / Tech Topics
The Emerging Role of AI in UX
→ AI isn’t replacing designers—it’s becoming part of our toolkit. From Figma’s new AI features to generative prototyping and idea prompting, these tools can speed up workflows, spark creativity, and help us design smarter. Super timely for anyone curious (or anxious) about AI’s place in UX.UX in Real Life: What Stop Signs, Crash Bars, and Elevators Can Teach Us About Better Design
→ Instantly hooks listeners with everyday things they recognize, then layers in design insight.Designing for a UI-less Future (Voice, AI, and Ambient Tech)
→ Forward-looking and thought-provoking. Appeals to hosts interested in the future of tech, design, and human interaction.
Career topics
How Storytelling Can Change Your Career
→ Stories aren’t just for presentations—they can land you jobs, promotions, and influence. Super relatable for any audience.A Shy Person’s Guide to Personal Brand Building
→ A fun, counterintuitive angle—how introverts and quieter people can authentically build visibility without “faking extroversion.”
All events
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Design Evenings NYC: The Real Role of AI in UX
22 Oct , 2025
6:00-7:30PMJoin us for an evening with Erin Essex, Senior Interaction Designer at Google, as she unpacks how AI is reshaping the design process. From smarter ideation tools to rapid prototyping platforms, AI is becoming an essential part of the UX toolkit, but it isn’t without flaws. Erin explores how designers can embrace AI as a collaborator while keeping empathy, storytelling, and craft at the heart of their work.
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Art of the pitch deck
25 Sep, 2025
9:00-11:00AMMost pitch workshops focus on your story. This one looks at the design. Learn how to structure your narrative, choose visuals that resonate, and design slides that feel as sophisticated as your ideas.
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Starting and building a career in UX design
26 Feb, 2025
Brainstation NYC
Learn from industry leaders as they discuss their unique career paths in technology and share their advice on how to forge your own path.
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Starting a career in UX design
22 Aug, 2024
Panel, Brainstation
Learn from industry leaders as they discuss their unique career paths in technology and share their advice on how to forge your own path.
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Starting and building a career in UX design
15 Aug, 2024
Panel, BrainstationLearn from industry leaders as they discuss their unique career paths in technology and share their advice on how to forge your own path.
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Unleashing the Power of Neurodiversity in Tech
20 June, 2024
Discover how neurodivergent minds are reshaping the tech landscape. Learn what makes us different, why some of our unique traits are superpowers in this industry, and how to foster a work environment that allows everyone to thrive. Leave with practical insights and strategies for collaboration that harness the full potential of every team member. -
Starting and building a career in tech, NYC
9 May, 2024
Panel, BrainstationLearn from industry leaders as they discuss their unique career paths in technology and share their advice on how to forge your own path.
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Demo Day, NYC
13 May, 2023
UX design thinking workshop. BrainstationJoin us for BrainStation’s Demo Day — a unique opportunity to see what our talented graduates have been working on and to get a taste of the UX design world for yourself.
Whether you’re curious about a career in user experience or just want to understand how great digital products are made, you’ll learn a ton in just one day. Explore real student projects, connect with industry professionals, and participate in a fast-paced, hands-on workshop that breaks down the core principles of UX design.
Walk away inspired, informed, and ready to dive deeper into the world of UX.
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Designing and prototyping for our AI future
23 Mar, 2023
The world has changed a lot since I started this meetup in 2016. It changed even more just in the last few months so it’s time we talk about how to design and prototype for AI-powered experiences.
Dec 8, 2021
Kickstart your career in UX design
Hear from industry experts and BrainStation alumni and participate in Q&A where you can get answers to your questions about how to start and build a career in tech.
July 9, 2020
Designing Great Experiences in a Digital-First World
The pace of digitization has sped up over the last few months, forcing entire industries to adopt new digital strategies. Great user experiences are front and center in an online-only world, and as things keep changing, understanding your audience has never been more essential.
How have the world’s best brands, their designers and digital products owners, adjusted to this new reality? What trends have they noticed and what can we expect for the future?
Join us for a discussion with global design, product, and marketing experts, as they share the impact COVID-19 has had on their digital offerings, and how they adjusted to create seamless and memorable experiences for their customers.
Event put on by Brainstation.
April 18, 2019
Hexagon
The Hexagon Mentorship Program is dedicated to supporting the careers of women and non-binary folks in UX by helping them create meaningful connections and build skills that foster success. Through these relationships we’ll help close the gender gap and grow leaders.
Though this program I was paired with a fantastic mentee and we worked on various projects over a 3 month period. We keep in touch often.
March 24, 2019
Workshop: The art of rapid prototyping and storytelling
I was honored to be invited to run an interactive workshop on Presentation winning! The art of rapid prototyping and storytelling at this years TechTogether in Boston.
October 2, 2018
Innovation award at Shutterstock
This is not really a speaking event but something I am very proud of. After only 7 months at Shutterstock I was nominated by my colleagues for the innovation award within our company.
Im so thrilled to work with such team and a place with great company culture that fosters productive collaboration.
September 27, 2018
How to drive user behavior change: A panel discussion
Why do some products catch on while seemingly identical ones never gain any traction?
It turns out that some of the most promising and optimal use cases for any product require buyers and consumers to first change their behaviors. Whether building retirement planning tools or a simple scheduling app, product teams must understand key aspects of psychology, incentives, and habit-formation in order to achieve success.
This panel will feature product and design leaders who will talk about:
How to analyze and assess user behaviors
Techniques for driving behavior change
Design and experimentation best practices
Event put on by Alpha at Learnvest and Northwestern Mutual.
