Nivan Community, formerly UX Synergies

Chicago community for the people shaping AI, UX, design, research, product & innovation

Free gatherings where ideas get challenged, refined, and taken somewhere.

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Nivan Community stats: 2,222+ members, 4.8 star community rating, free Chicago gatherings

WHO WE ARE

A volunteer-run community for Chicago's digital thinkers.

Nivan Community (formerly UX Synergies, and originally IxDA Chicago) enables real conversations about UX, CX, AI and the whole world of digital design. We invite members working in UX design, visual design, UX research, product development, AI, and customer experience to join us in person - to learn from and network with one another.

Speaker presenting on AI to a packed room at a Nivan Community event in Chicago

Speaker with a microphone in front of a Nivan Community screen at a Chicago gathering

Audience listening to a talk at a Nivan Community event in Chicago

Events from the Nivan Community

PAST EVENTS

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AUGUST 20, 2026 · 5:30 PM

The New Feelings of the AI Era

Ferris & Co, 1 W Monroe

Watch Recording →

APRIL 14, 2026 · 5:30 PM

Nivan Community - Spring Social

Theory, 9 West Hubbard Street

Nivan Community - Networking Event

Moe's Cantina River North

Learn more →

NIVAN COMMUNITY LEADERS

Who makes it happen

Niketa Jhaveri

Founder of Nivan and Chicago Chapter Lead for Nivan Community. She is a UX leader at Amazon, working at the intersection of AI, human behavior, and global experience.

Niketa's LinkedIn

Lon Taylor

Founder & Principal UX Researcher at First Insights. Helping clients in a wide mix of industries with user experience research, focus groups, usability testing and ethnography.

Lon's LinkedIn