October 2023: Portfolio Sharing and Feedback

This month we are going to help each other improve our portfolios, and form some helpful connections, through small group portfolio reviews.

We will spend the first 10-15 minutes talking about the objectives of portfolios and tips for reviewing, then we will break into small groups to take turns sharing our portfolios and giving feedback. Finally, we will come together to share the things we learned.

Please join us prepared to share your portfolio or the start of a case study, or just a willingness to help out your peers!

Please register for this free event

Thursday October 19, 2023
12:00pm ET
Zoom – link in Meetup

September 2023: One More Patio Social at Graffiti Market

We will be having one more patio social while the weather is still warm enough! The meetup will be at Graffiti Market again (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

Thursday September 21, 2023
5:00pm ET
In Person – Graffiti Market (137 Glasgow St suite 385 · Kitchener).
Masks are optional but welcome 🙂

Also, in case anyone is wondering…

We will likely switch back to virtual meetups starting in October and through the winter to help keep everyone healthy and broaden our accessibility. We haven’t forgotten about you out-of-towners!

July 2023: Patio Social at Graffiti Market

June 2023: Patio Social

It’s feeling like summer, and we are itching to get back together in person! For this month, we will be hosting a social event at Barley Works, the Huether Hotel’s patio. If you are comfortable, please come out and join us for cool drinks and warm conversation with other UX professionals and enthusiasts.

This event is scheduled for 5pm – 7pm, but feel free to drop in at any point. Also, your friends and family are more than welcome!

Please register for this free event

Thursday June 22, 2023
5:00pm ET
In Person!! – Huether Hotel – Barley Works (59 King St N, Waterloo).
Masks are optional but welcome 🙂

May 2023: Accessibility – Beyond Requirements

The good news is that many companies are getting the accessibility memo. They eagerly work to list their issues in a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template), and covet compliance with requirements.

But, is that enough to make products that really work well for people with disabilities? And how can designers and researchers contribute?

Join Margaret Kuo and Serena Tran as they share some thoughts on what it means to be truly accessible, why that is important, and what YOU can do. Our goal is to have you leave with some new tools for your belt!

About Margaret and Serena

Margaret Kuo absolutely loves connecting with users, understanding what makes them tick, and how we can make better products for them. Margaret is grateful for her time at McAfee, where she got to regularly connect with users who are blind. She recently started as a Principal User Experience Researcher at BeyondTrust, moving into the enterprise security space.

Serena Tran loves learning about users – from understanding what they are thinking about to why they make the decisions that they do. She enjoys learning and creating products that provide meaningful user experiences that are backed by user-driven data. She has recently completed her Masters of Information in UX Design at the University of Toronto. She has also previously worked at McAfee, where she worked closely with users who were blind and ran user testing sessions with them to better understand their needs.

Please register for this free event

Wednesday May 24, 2023
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

April 2023: Structured Activities To Solicit Ideas

March 2023: Fostering a customer centric culture at your organization

Is your organization struggling to break silos and embrace customer centricity? Do you often find your research insights collecting dust in digital folders? Join me to learn how you can systematically share customer insights in a fun, inclusive, and engaging event across your organization to empower teams to make more informed and customer-centric decisions that deliver integrated and delightful experiences.

About Mariné Palamutyan

Mariné Palamutyan is a UX Research Manager at DocuSign responsible for a team of UX researchers who deliver insights to inform and influence product strategy for core application experiences and Product Led Growth.
Prior to joining DocuSign, Mariné spent nearly 12 years in the financial services industry, most recently as a VP, Lead UX Researcher at Union Bank (acquired by US Bank) and a VP, Sr. UX Researcher at Wells Fargo where she led research for various digital transformation initiatives.

Please register for this free event

Thursday March 16, 2023
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

February 2023: Discussing Deep Listening, with author Indi Young

Product design strategy often seeks to change a person’s buying decisions or to manipulate a person’s behavior. Such a product-focused mindset has driven our organizations into a corner. Even when product design teams want to benefit a person, they discover how they’ve harmed them instead by not recognizing their thinking and approaches.

Luckily, organizations don’t actually function by a set of rigid laws; business, education, government, and science are all based around people.

Deep listening lets your team understand what it couldn’t recognize before. The patterns and knowledge that result from deep listening are used to support someone in accomplishing their purpose in a way that matches their way of thinking better.

Join us as we chat with Indi Young about her new book “Time To Listen: How Giving People Time To Speak Drives Invention and Inclusion”.

Note that this event is on a Wednesday this month.

Please register for this free event

Wednesday February 15, 2023
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

December 2022: UX Resource Show And Tell

Are you looking for a gift for a fellow UXer, or a last minute addition to your own wish list? Maybe you are just curious about the UX books that people have been reading lately. December’s uxWaterloo will be a UX resource show and tell. We will be discussing the books and resources that we have found particularly great lately.

Bring your own recommendations and reviews to share with the group, or join just to hear others’ recommendations.

Please register for this free event

December 15, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

July 2022: Let’s talk about problems

Problems are everywhere and range in significance, scale, and impact. For most people in their day-to-day, problems are to be avoided. For those who find themselves in User Experience (and storm chasing), we seek
them. Time and again in the process of defining the work, starting with a well-defined problem is a reoccurring requirement to inspire action.

For those unfamiliar with starting with a problem, this pursuit can feel unnatural and even scary (like driving toward a tornado). This is a culture issue, and we will help. To do so, we need to look at all the different ways problems show up for us.

In this uxWaterloo Meetup we’ll take a look at problems. Not really that there ARE problems but the foundations of them, where to get them, have good ones, and ones that inspire collaboration, innovation, and most of all action.

Like all problems, they’re never one sided and neither will this Meetup be. We’ll kick off with a few problem topics that have some solid passion behind them as it relates to our work. From there we’ll open the agenda where you’ll help prioritize the next problem topics that matter most to you. Finally we’ll ignite the conversation and talk about how problems show up for you in your work.

About our speaker

Dana Marr currently holds the role of Head, Innovation Design at Farm Mutual Re in Cambridge, Ontario. Dana brings over 27 years of design experience to Farm Mutual Re, most recently performing the role of UX (User Experience) Design Lead, Global Innovation with Scotiabank. Dana has also held similar positions with D2L and BlackBerry. Dana brings a passion for providing a human-centered approach to innovation.

Please register for this free event

July 28, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!