We’ve received all kinds of questions asking how the change to UXPA may impact our current UPA members. Here’s a top 10 list of what this means for our members.

1. You are still a member – Nothing has changed regarding your membership.
2. You are an important member of the UXPA community.
3. You are going to get more from your UXPA membership.
4. You will have access to a more integrated, better connected UXPA community.
5. You will have more events to choose from.
6. Your local UXPA chapter is working with us.
7. You will soon see a new UXPA website, better organized content, and easy to find resources
8. You’ll stay informed on the latest in UX via more frequent, consistent UXPA communications
9. You’ll have access to new tools, materials, and programs.
10. You have a unique opportunity to truly shape the future of the organization.

And this is just the beginning. We turn to you, UXPA members and the UX community, to engage you in an effort to help us as we evolve into UXPA. We need your participation and feedback in order to create an organization that provides you with all the tools, resources, and community connections that you need and want. Use this forum to discuss what membership benefits you think UXPA should offer, then help us make that a reality.

In this post, we go into a little bit of detail on the “Top 10″ points outlined above.

1. You are still a member – Nothing has changed regarding your membership.

Your UPA membership carries over without any change or break, and you retain the same status as an active member of UXPA just as you had with UPA. For now, everything is status quo – Your website login, member number, renewal date, and other info stays exactly the same. Over the next year, we will be in frequent communication with you as we make the full transition to UXPA. We will let you know ahead of time if and when there is something to look out for, or if there is anything you need to know or do.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about UXPA membership benefits.

2. You are an important member of the UXPA community.

Whether you are a new member, or you’ve been a part of UPA for 21 years, you have a home with UXPA. You are why we are here today. We aren’t taking away anything – Usability, user research, and evaluation will continue to be an integral part of who we are and what we are about. And because you are already a member, your voice is most important to us. We value your input and your perspective, and promise to listen to what you tell us you need and want from us as an organization.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about a new UXPA SIG for “usability / research”.

3. You are going to get more from your UXPA membership.

You’ve asked for more, so we want to give you more. You’ve asked us to strengthen our focus on aspects of cross-discipline, cross-functional UX.  Our conference sessions, chapter activities, and publications already reflect that, but we want and need to do more. You’ve also asked us to provide you with more ‘novice’ content for people newer to the field, and more ‘expert’ content for advanced practitioners. You’ve asked for topical focus, so we are establishing SIGS for areas like healthcare and government. And, you’ve asked us to update our publications like UX Magazine and JUS. All of this is already in progress, and we’re excited to share with you soon!
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about UXPA publications or SIGs.

4. You will have access to a more integrated, better connected UXPA community.

You’ve asked for more opportunities to connect with members across the larger UX community; and more opportunities to connect with local chapters (not just your own). One of our goals for UXPA is to provide a stronger, more unified relationship between the international organization and the individual chapters, so that you have a central place and a singular way to find UXPA people, resources and content.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about connecting to other UXPA members. 

5. You will have more events to choose from.

You’ve asked for it, so we’re going to give it to you. In 2013 we will be partnering with both UXPA-DC (User Focus in Washington DC) and UXPA-China (User Friendly in Shanghai) for two UXPA International events. We’re very excited about this, and will continue to provide you with new and different opportunities to have exposure to various UX communities around the world.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about UXPA events and conferences.  

6. Your local UXPA chapter is working with us.

Those of you who belong to chapters will soon be hearing from your chapter leadership, if you haven’t already. We are working closely with the chapters to assist with rebranding efforts, and to ensure that we are providing and creating a set of tools and resources that chapters can leverage so that we can better integrate, share, and connect.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about UXPA chapters. 

We are also working closely with other UX-related organizations to create partnerships that provide you with more integrated and relevant content, events, and resources.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about partnerships with the UX community.

7. You will soon see a new UXPA website, better organized content, and easy to find resources.

Design is important and leaves a first and lasting impression. We are in the process of updating our website and collateral to the new UXPA brand, and our content will better represent the inclusion of designers in our membership and in our organization’s offerings. This means updating logos, colors, styles, to look more fresh and modern and current. We’re working on a more modern and balanced visual presentation, navigation structure, and better cross linking to aide in ease of use, faster access to information, and general usability.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about a new UXPA website.

8. You’ll stay informed on the latest in UX via more frequent, consistent UXPA communications.

We’ll be reestablishing a monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the latest UXPA activities, events, and goings on in the world of UX research, design, and evaluation. As a member, you’ll have first crack at this content. We’re also working on some new ideas for members-only tools and resources that will benefit you as a UX practitioner.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about UXPA communications and content.

9. You’ll have access to new tools, materials, and programs.

We want to provide first-class practitioner preparation and professional development for those new to our industry, and we want to have a certification program that establishes standards for those that practice User Experience. You have an opportunity to contribute to those materials, publish your own content, and utilize UXPA toolsets and resources to add to your knowledge base and advance your professional growth.
Share your thoughts and/or discuss ideas about professional development.  

10. You have a unique opportunity to truly shape the future of the organization.

We need your input – any and all feedback, ideas, suggestions, and help is welcome. This is a chance to truly get involved. Join the discussions and tell us what you want to get out of your UXPA membership; share your thoughts on what you like, don’t like, and really want from UXPA publications; give us feedback on topics and activities you’d like offered at upcoming UXPA events & conferences; discuss what kinds of resources or programs UXPA could provide that would optimally support your professional development; talk with us about what tools and features would be most useful to you from a new UXPA website; brainstorm with peers about how you want to connect with each other, with members of local UXPA chapters, with UXers who specialize in specific methodologies or business areas, and with others in the greater UX community; and ultimately, help us help you – collaborate with UXPA by volunteering however you can, and together we will shape the future of the UXPA organization.

We welcome your feedback.  If we haven’t addressed your question here, or you want to talk about the above points, please add your comments below or feel free to email us at feedback@uxpa.org. Thanks!