✨ Papaya AI Collaboration Meetup - Where UX, Product & R&D Meet AI

AI is no longer just a buzzword — it’s transforming the way we design, build, and deliver products. But the real breakthroughs happen when UX, Product, and R&D teams work together, using AI as their shared language.

At this meetup, we’ll dive into how leading teams bridge the gap between design, product, and engineering through AI-powered workflows. You’ll hear how companies are:
• Turning siloed initiatives into cross-team partnerships
• Building practical frameworks for AI-powered products
• Freeing time for strategy, creativity, and collaboration

Whether you’re a designer, developer, or product leader, you’ll walk away with real-world stories, tools, and lessons you can apply right away — and a stronger network of peers who are shaping the future of AI collaboration.

🎤 Speaker Lineup

1. Hagit Ben-Tzur & Erez Morabia
Hagit Ben-Tzur is the Head of Product Design at Papaya Global, with 15+ years in UX and product strategy, leading cross-disciplinary collaboration between UX, Product, and R&D. Over the past year, she has led AI integration into product workflows using Vibe Coding tools.

Erez Morabia is VP of Engineering at Papaya Global, with 25+ years in software development and agile leadership. A mentor and lecturer, he specializes in building high-performing teams and now co-leads Papaya’s AI integration, aligning R&D with Product and UX.

About the Talk:
The Evolution: From Separate AI Initiatives to True Partnership
When Papaya Global began introducing AI workflows, each team (UX, Product, R&D) took a different approach. Over time, separate initiatives evolved into a true partnership. By integrating the design system into development tools and using Vibe Coding as a bridge, teams achieved faster alignment, clearer understanding of product needs, and user-centered solutions at speed. Hagit and Erez will share how they turned AI from a siloed initiative into an organizational collaboration.

2. Hanan Lehr
Chief UX Officer at Pic-Time and lecturer at the Technion Graduate Program in Industrial Design.

About the Talk:
Work on What Matters: How AI Frees Time for Strategy and Collaboration
Hanan will share insights from implementing VibeCoding in UX and Product teams: creating a shared language with R&D, enabling early usability testing on live prototypes, and generating automatic documentation that serves designers, developers, QA, and knowledge base writers. The talk will demonstrate how AI not only accelerates processes but also builds a new collaborative language across disciplines.

3. David Balsam
Entrepreneur and product leader (Melio, Freightos, PointFive).
David blends behavioral psychology, storytelling, and AI to design products that drive action. He’s now building a fintech + AI startup and advising founders and product teams.

About the Talk:
A Framework for Building AI-Powered Products: Lessons from Adesco. How cross-functional teams at Adesco applied a practical framework for integrating AI into product development. David Balsam will share the challenges, successes, and key takeaways for Product, UX, and R&D teams.

4. Chen Hannah Weitzmann
Staff Product Designer, User Researcher, and strategist with 8 years of experience across startups and corporates. Passionate about user-centered problem solving and leveraging research and data to create meaningful impact. Co-founder of UXR Lounge, a community for UX professionals to learn and grow together.

About the Talk:
From Designer to Delivery: How AI Expands the Role of Design
As the first and only designer in a growing startup, Chen set out to scale design impact with limited time and resources. She’ll share how she built automation workflows using n8n and integrated Cursor into daily design processes—bridging the gap between design and code. The talk will cover real-world examples, practical tips, and valuable lessons on working smarter with AI, including freeing up time for deep work, taking ownership of more of the product delivery process, and positioning designers as strategic collaborators in the AI era.