April 2022: Group Discussions – Creating Effective UX Portfolios

Anyone who has applied to a UX design job has probably had some experience creating a UX portfolio. But for many of us, this is much easier said than done. What are hiring managers looking for in a portfolio? What job does your portfolio have? What if the work you’ve done is all under an NDA? Join us this month as we come together to discuss our experiences creating and sharing ux portfolios!

We’ll be using Remo, which will let everyone sit at virtual tables to discuss in small groups. We will also come together to share our learnings across groups. Please come ready to share, learn, and have conversations with other UXers!

Please register for this free event

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

March 2022: Designing Systems to Enable Accessible User Experiences

We’re excited to announce that our February Meetup with with Patrick Carrington has been rescheduled to March!

—–

Mobile and wearable technologies offer the promise of great opportunity, connection, new experiences, and natural interactions. However, what happens when these designs do not fully consider the relationship between people and the devices they use? For example, wheelchair users often use and carry multiple mobile computing devices, such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones. However, due to the assumptions many of these devices make about our abilities they remain challenging to use. My research group focuses on supporting the broad range of humans with diverse abilities as they interact with the world and people around them. Our ongoing research aims to support and empower people with disabilities as they engage in a range of activities, including mobility, social interactions, and competitive sports.

Patrick Carrington

Patrick Carrington is an Assistant Professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and his research emphasizes the design of systems to support people with diverse abilities. He studies mobile and wearable technology, builds assistive devices, and explores how to create experiences that support empowerment, independence, and improved quality of life. His current projects span topics including accessing digital content and media, transportation and mobility, and developing technologies for athletes with disabilities.

Please register for this free event

March 24, 2022
12:00pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!

December 2021: No Meetup this month

We are taking December off to rest and recharge.
We look forward to bringing you more great speakers and events in the new year!

October 2021: Applying a UX Approach to Buildings with Erin Corcoran

Buildings are made for people. We’ve all experienced places that felt ‘right’, that we were drawn to, or spaces that anticipated our needs intuitively, just as we’ve also visited buildings that are outright unwelcoming or confusing, or places that have negative impacts on our wellbeing.

Good and great spatial experiences don’t happen by chance – the architectural profession is increasingly using a strategic approach to design: adapting tools and approaches from parallel strategy and UX fields to inform our process.  Additionally, as we’ve adapted through the COVID-19 pandemic, a thoughtful, researched approach has become more critical as user expectations change and our clients seek to make informed decisions in a changing landscape.

This talk will introduce attendees to how a strategic / UX approach is used in architectural practice: how we study users and apply it to designs and how the conversation around human impact has shifted during the past few years in response to changing user and client needs.  Facing these new challenges has driven home the intersections of people, place, technology, and policies to create successful designs.

Erin Corcoran

As a Design Strategist and an Architect, I’m obsessed with how people use, interact with, and impact space. I’m also fascinated by how humans connect with each other, how we communicate and behave, and how we come together. Lastly, I love a good workshop, one of those gems where everyone comes in ready to hate it, but leaves energized and heard, feeling that they had an impact, and excited for the space or project to come.

With Gensler’s Boston’s team, I work to develop human-centric strategies for complex space and cultural challenges, working with public and private sector workplace clients, building owners and developers, post-secondary education groups, healthcare institutions, community organizations and many others.

Please register for this free event

October 28 2021
5:30pm ET
Live streamed to wherever you are!