November 2024: Book Club – Discussing Design by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry

This month, we are hosting a book club! We will be chatting about the book Discussing Design by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry.

“Real critique has become a lost skill among collaborative teams today. Critique is intended to help teams strengthen their designs, products, and services, rather than be used to assert authority or push agendas under the guise of “feedback.” In this practical guide, authors Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry teach you techniques, tools, and a framework for helping members of your design team give and receive critique.
Using firsthand stories and lessons from prominent figures in the design community, this book examines the good, the bad, and the ugly of feedback. You’ll come away with tips, actionable insights, activities, and a cheat sheet for practicing critique as a part of your collaborative process.
This book covers:

• Best practices (and anti-patterns) for giving and receiving critique
• Cultural aspects that influence your ability to critique constructively
• When, how much, and how often to use critique in the creative process
• Facilitation techniques for making critiques timely and more effective
• Strategies for dealing with difficult people and challenging situations”

The book is available in many book stores, but also feel free to use the uxWaterloo slack channel to share your copies.

Please register for this free event

Thursday November 21, 2024
7:00pm ET
Google Meet – link in Meetup

October 2024: UX Project Case Study with Lorena Troya

NEW TIME! Based on the survey feedback, we are trying this virtual meetup at 7pm to see if it works better for more members.

This month, uxWaterloo member Lorena Troya is going to present a project that she worked on recently.

Lorena is a UX and service designer with six years of experience applying innovative methodologies in designing and consulting for digital products and services. She has worked in Latin America and the United States. She is passionate about creativity and innovation

She will be sharing the process of redesigning a POS system for a sports store and improving the user experience for their employees during sales. As a consultant, she often needs to work with tight deadlines and meet high expectations from clients, which are some of the primary challenges she will discuss.

Do you have a project or case study that you’ve worked on and would like to share? Reach out. We’d love to highlight you and your work!

Please register for this free event

Thursday October 24, 2024
7:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

August 2024: Patio Social at Graffiti Market

Our next patio social of the season is coming up! We will once again be on the patio at Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St. Suite 385, Kitchener).

Drop by and say hi to other local UXers and UX enthusiasts! Friends and family are always welcome to join.

Please try to RSVP if you are planning on attending, so that I can update the reservation numbers.

Please register for this free event

Thursday August 22, 2024
5:00pm ET
In Person, Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St suite 385 · Kitchener)

July 2024: Patio Social at Graffiti Market

Our next patio social of the season is at a different time than usual (due to booking conflicts): Wednesday July 24 at 5:45pm. We will once again be on the patio at Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St. Suite 385, Kitchener).

Drop by and say hi to some other local UXers and UX enthusiasts!

Please try to RSVP if you are planning on attending, so that I can update the reservation numbers.

Please register for this free event

Wednesday July 24, 2024
5:45pm ET
In Person, Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St suite 385 · Kitchener)

June 2024: Patio Social at Graffiti Market

We will be moving our meetups outside for the summer!! Our first patio social of the season will be at Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St. Suite 385, Kitchener)! We will be out on the patio for at least 2 hours, so please drop by for as long as you would like. This event is open to all UX professionals and enthusiasts.

Please try to RSVP if you are planning on attending, so that I can update the reservation numbers.

Please register for this free event

Wednesday June 19, 2024
5:30pm ET
In Person, Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St suite 385 · Kitchener)

May 2024: UX design in the gaming industry

What does a UX Designer do in the games industry?

UX Design in games have come a long way, from early player experiences crafted by engineers, to Graphic Designers creating beautiful interfaces with motion graphics, to interactive 3D environments in PC, Console, mobile and VR experiences. As the world of interactive content expands, so does the need for Player (user) focused experience designers. Please join Eddie Visser in a discussion of the role of a UX designer in the world of interactive entertainment design. We’ll discuss game target audiences, multi platform controller inputs, publisher guidelines, accessibility and how to create immersive interactions that drive the gameplay experience and narrative for games.

About our speaker

With over two decades of expertise in the gaming & entertainment industry, Eddie Visser has brought service design methodologies to companies such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Keywords Studios and Sumo Digital. As a Senior Art/UX/UI Director, he has collaboratively built creative pipelines for the likes of Forza Motorsport 8, Art Directed Nintendo’s Punch-Out and lead UI & UX development on Square Enix Sleeping Dogs & EA’s Need for Speed Underground 1 & 2. Prior to working in games, Eddie cut his teeth in the world of online advertising, designing user experiences for the likes of Mercedes, MensHealth Magazine and African telecom & streaming service providers.

Please register for this free event

Thursday May 16, 2024
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

March 2024: Bring Your Own Topic

March’s meetup is going to be super casual. Bring your lunch, and join us for an hour of socializing and sharing.

Feel free to bring a topic you’d like to discuss, a design you’d like to share, or a question you’d like to ask the group, or if you’d prefer, just show up! The goal is to meet some nice people, and hopefully hear a few interesting things about UX.
 

Please register for this free event

Thursday March 21, 2024
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

February 2024: Sketchnoting As A Visual Communication Tool

Join us for a presentation where you’ll discover the power of sketchnoting as a visual communication tool in product design. Sonny will share insights on how you can start incorporating this skill into your own work, give examples and answer any questions in the field of design.

Sonny Chhen has been in the design industry for over 18+ years and an artist his entire life. Working on mobile, desktop, and web products, he brings his unique view of artistry into the field as well as mentoring others on how they can do the same.

Please register for this free event

Thursday February 22, 2024
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

January 2024: Design Critique Session

It’s 2024 and we’re back at it! This month we will be hosting a group design critique session. Using the framework from Discussing Design by Adam Connor and Aaron Irizarry, we will be facilitating design critique of some UX work.

Please bring any designs that you would like another set of designer eyes on, including designs from your day job (if your company is ok with that), freelance design work (again, check with clients), side projects, or portfolio case studies.

Don’t have anything for review? That’s ok, come look at the designs critically and help provide feedback. Providing and receiving critique are skills that can only be strengthened through practice!

Please register for this free event

Thursday January 25, 2024
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

November 2023: Mentoring and Collaboration – Life Lines in Changing Times

One of the best things about hanging about in the UX space is, no doubt, the variety of types of people, professions and backgrounds in the ecosystem. And the rapid pace of evolution! How do you take full advantage of this time and place to build your skill set, do meaningful work and stay inspired? How can decoding your collaboration style and applying intention to knowledge sharing opportunities keep you moving forward?

Join us and find out.

About Our Speaker

Christy Pettit is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Pollinate Networks Inc.

Christy has over 25 years of experience helping organizations with innovative leadership and successful implementation of effectiveness best practices in companies worldwide. Christy has supported billion-dollar clients through transformation to successfully increase employee engagement. Christy is an expert on developing knowledge collaboration networks, mentorship programs, effectiveness tracking and assessments for the future of work.

Christy has a BA in English and History from the University of Toronto, with a year of study at the University of Sydney. Christy has a Graduate Diploma in Management and a Masters in Business Administration from Athabasca University’s Centre for Innovative Management.

Please register for this free event

Thursday November 23, 2023
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup