Connor Joyce
Connor Joyce — Senior User Researcher at Microsoft. Talks and sessions delivered at UXDX.
Senior User Researcher
Connor Joyce is the author of "Bridging Intentions to Impact" and a Senior User Researcher on the Microsoft Copilot Team, where he is advancing the design of AI-enhanced features. Passionate about driving meaningful change, Connor advocates that companies adopt an Impact Mindset, ensuring that products not only change behavior to satisfy user needs but also drive positive business outcomes. He is a contributor to numerous publications, advises emerging startups, and lectures at the University of Pennsylvania. Based in Seattle, Connor enjoys exploring the outdoors with his dog, Chai, and is a local community builder.
Past talks
4 talks · 2 eventsMaintaining a Growth Mindset in Our Ever-Shifting Landscape
The pace of change in the UX field is staggering: AI is accelerating, roles are shifting, and many professionals are left wondering how to keep up without burning out. Breaking from the design and development of AI-driven experiences, this workshop takes a more personal and empowering approach, helping you evolve with the change, not get swept away by it. Led by Connor Joyce, a behavioral scientist, AI advisor, and University of Pennsylvania lecturer, this session blends positive psychology, career strategy, and practical task decomposition to help UX professionals future-proof their careers. You’ll reflect on your own path, build clarity around what work will define your future, and develop the mindset needed to thrive in a world where automation is no longer optional. In this highly interactive session, you'll: - Deconstruct your role into core tasks and categorize them into three buckets: Let Go, Partner with AI, and Own as Human. - Learn how to apply a growth mindset to navigate comparison, uncertainty, and reinvention. - Gain tools to reframe fear, build identity beyond your title, and design your own evolution path. This workshop is for anyone feeling the weight, or the thrill, of our industry’s transformation. Whether you’re mid-career, emerging, or evolving, this is your space to regain clarity, reclaim confidence, and reconnect with the parts of your work that matter most.
From Design Systems to Interaction Systems: Creating Coherent AI Experiences
As AI becomes embedded into every digital product, many teams face a common challenge: building AI-enhanced features without a cohesive strategy, resulting in fragmented experiences and confused users. In this talk, Connor Joyce draws on insights from Microsoft Copilot, LinkedIn, and Google Gemini to propose a new approach: shifting from traditional design systems to “interaction systems” a scalable, adaptable model for designing AI-integrated experiences. This talk will unpack the patterns emerging across AI products, explore how to align user intent with interaction modes, and offer a practical decision framework for teams to ensure coherence across rapidly evolving features. You’ll walk away with actionable insights to guide your team through the next phase of product development—where AI is not a feature, but an experience layer.
Adopting a Growth Mindset in the Face of Industry Change
Generative AI is full of promise but turning that promise into meaningful change takes thoughtfulness and experimentation. In this session, I’ll share how I’ve been using GenAI in my day-to-day product work—from speeding up early research and ideation to improving documentation and internal alignment. We’ll explore frameworks and exercises that can help you: - Identify tasks in your workflow that are well-suited for GenAI - Understand where GenAI adds value (and where it doesn’t) - Build a sustainable plan that enhances both creativity and efficiency
Maintaining a Growth Mindset in Our Ever-Shifting Landscape
The pace of change in the UX field is staggering: AI is accelerating, roles are shifting, and many professionals are left wondering how to keep up without burning out. Breaking from the design and development of AI-driven experiences, this workshop takes a more personal and empowering approach, helping you evolve with the change, not get swept away by it. Led by Connor Joyce, a behavioral scientist, AI advisor, and University of Pennsylvania lecturer, this session blends positive psychology, career strategy, and practical task decomposition to help UX professionals future-proof their careers. You’ll reflect on your own path, build clarity around what work will define your future, and develop the mindset needed to thrive in a world where automation is no longer optional. In this highly interactive session, you'll: - Deconstruct your role into core tasks and categorize them into three buckets: Let Go, Partner with AI, and Own as Human. - Learn how to apply a growth mindset to navigate comparison, uncertainty, and reinvention. - Gain tools to reframe fear, build identity beyond your title, and design your own evolution path. This workshop is for anyone feeling the weight, or the thrill, of our industry’s transformation. Whether you’re mid-career, emerging, or evolving, this is your space to regain clarity, reclaim confidence, and reconnect with the parts of your work that matter most.