UX Organizations
How to start and run a successful local group or chapter
Kyle Soucy & Nasir Barday
IA Summit 3.22.09

Why is this important?
• Networking/Professional Development
• Job hunting
• Share experience and knowledge
• Encourage and support each other
• Foster growth of the industry…

The growth of the industry is in
your hands
UX

What’s already out there?

What about UXnet.org?

Local Events: A Design Brief
Something to do
•
A place to do it
•
That’s it!
•
Nice-to-haves:
•
– Food
– Cushy venue
– Professional Audio/Video
– Live Stream

Places
Just about anywhere!
•
Bars/Restaurants
•
Schools
•
Design studios
•
Tool makers
•
Recruiting Firms
•

Things to do
Informal gatherings
•
Conference reduxes
•
Debate
•
Design Studios
•

Things to do
• Agency Walkthroughs
• Hands-on training and demos

Partyyyyyyyyyyy!

Invited Speakers
Easier than you think
•
Required honorariums rare
•
May have to pay speaker travel costs
•
Shape the content!
•
Idea: Speaker Exchange
•

Panels
• Need a strong facilitator
• Pre-plan with panelists

Design Slam
• Short (~7-minute) presentations
• Multiple speakers
• Toastmasters for designers

Promoting your events
• Mailing lists (tag with [EVENT])
• Social network love
• Calendars:
• Live Streams
• Co-sponsor events with other orgs

Volunteers
Lots will step up, few follow through
•
Split up work into bite-sized pieces
•
Be flexible enough to strip back
•
Establish a core planning committee
•
Get buy-in and give ownership!
•

How to start your own chapter
or group
Case study:

TechMaine UUUG
1
2
Massachusetts:
6
2
1. Boston UPA
2. Boston CHI
3. Boston IxDA
CT UPA 4. Boston STC
5. Boston IA
6. New England HFES
7. NE ASIS&T
8. North Shore Web Geeks
9. Refresh Boston
10. Boston Web Analytic
11. Web Innovators Group
Source: New England Archivist.org

The birth of NH UX
QuickTime™ and a
decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Where should we have meetings?
Source: www.visitnh.gov/student/geography.html

Do we join an association?
If so, which one?

Becoming a UPA Chapter
• Write a tentative plan and petition - decide Chapter
name, boundaries, and officers
• Create Chapter Bylaws - will you charge
membership?
• Hold a constituting meeting
• Submit paperwork to UPA Chapters Committee and
Board of Directors.

Outcome

Pitfalls to Avoid

• Don't plan month-to-month... plan months ahead
• Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
• Don't just have speakers... mix it up
• Don't let low attendance affect your momentum
• Don't take off months
• Don't forget to take pictures during events.

• Host your meetings in a central area and venture outside
of that area a few times
• Be careful not to form cliques by always talking to the
people you know at every meeting
• Always have name tags
• Change up the days that you have your meetings
• Be prepared if a speaker doesn't show

Thank you!
Questions?
Kyle Soucy
Kylesoucy@usableinterface.com
Nasir Barday
Nasir@userlicious.com