Tag Archives: events

December Conference Update

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Happy December, everyone! We’ve been pretty busy since our last update, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

First, thanks to everyone who participated in our volunteer survey. We now have a list of 73 (!) eager and qualified volunteers. You guys are GREAT! We’ve been working through the list to form the committee, and we hope to make an official committee announcement in the next few weeks. For those who didn’t fill out the survey or who might not have quite as much time to offer, please consider helping us review submissions when the time comes. We like for each submission to get at least 5 reviews, and we’re hoping for about 300 submissions this year, which means 1,500 reviews! We’ll definitely need all hands on deck.

cozy fireBut before we can review, people need to submit! Submissions will open in January. Fortunately, that position you assume when warming your toes by a crackling winter fire (or, for my lucky friends in the Southern Hemisphere, when lounging poolside) is also one that nicely accommodates a notepad, tablet, or laptop. So start making some notes and organizing your thoughts! (Don’t worry too much about format just yet – almost all submissions will be exclusively via web form this time around! Woo hoo! Bye bye, Word templates!)

Think you don’t have what it takes? We respectfully disagree.  Jim Ross has a good counterargument for every excuse you can come up with. And Giles Colborne has a great set of suggestions for writing a killer proposal. So just do it already, ok? Ok.

Need a little inspiration? Check out pictures from last year’s event, conveniently located on our new UXPA 2013 Web site! http://uxpa2013.org just went live! That site is specific to the DC event and will include up-to-date information on submission and notification dates and registration information as it becomes available.

You’ll hear from us again soon. In the meantime, please keep sending your thoughtful comments, ideas, and questions to conf2013@uxpa.org.

Happy Holidays!
Danielle and Christina

Portion of image licensed under Creative Commons: (Joseph Mischyshyn) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Drumroll, please…

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bullhornWe’re really excited to begin sharing details about the first of UXPA’s two 2013 conference events!

Washington, DC will be the location for the first event. Specifically, the event will be held July 9-12, 2013 at the Washington Hilton, a newly-renovated, contemporary, urban retreat near DC’s most sought-after neighborhoods. We think the location is going to make for a fantastic experience, with great space, great food, and great entertainment opportunities. We are especially excited to work with a strong local team that has held the successful User Focus conference in DC for several years.

And because making announcements is so fun, we’ve just got to share the theme for the event – Collaboration. We imagine just about every UX professional can relate to the need for collaboration both within the UX profession and with people outside our profession. Since the 2013 conferences will be heavy collaborations with other events, we thought this theme especially fitting.

While we are working hard to organize an exciting event, we know the real value for everyone is in the program content. We anticipate the official Call for Proposals will go out sometime in November, so start thinking about your submissions now and also consider signing up to review others’ submissions.

Finally, watch this space for more information about both the DC and China conferences! In the meantime, if you have a thought or suggestion or would like to volunteer to help in any way, please email chair2013@uxpa.org.

More to come!

Christina and Danielle

This is no easy chair: UXPA 2013 Conference Planning

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When Amy Kidd asked me to be her co-chair for 2012, I was really excited.  Nervous, but excited.  I had no idea what it would take.  But I knew she would help me along.  After all, Amy already had a year of chairing under her belt.  But every conference is unique: different locations pose different challenges, and changes to the association and conference model compound the uniqueness.  So when the 2012 conference was done, I began to panic.  Who would be my copilot?  And what did I learn during my experience with Amy that would help me select a co-chair?

I knew I needed someone: planning two major events on two continents in one year AS A VOLUNTEER is a crazy undertaking.  I knew I would have amazing leadership from Cory Lebson (DC) and Jason Huang (China).  I was also relieved that Nicole Tafoya would continue to bring her expertise to the planning.  But I needed someone to provide a continuum across both events: to plan together, to learn together, to commiserate and to celebrate.  I needed someone to lead for the future. I also needed someone whom I trust, respect, and who can deal with my personality for a year of intensive work.

Enter Danielle Cooley.

A picture of Danielle Cooley that I stole from LinkedIn.

 

 

 

If you’ve met, worked with, or in any way engaged Danielle, you know that I made an awesome choice (if I do say so myself).  Danielle has been a committed member of our association, a supporter of our profession, and has dedicated a lot of her time to both participating in conferences (presentations, facilitating workshops and conducting tutorials) as well as organizing conferences (running local events, volunteering with UXPA).  Danielle knows UX.  Danielle knows people.  And I’m lucky that I get to work with her this year.

We’ll be building out the conference committee soon, so if you’re interested in helping build UXPA, creating an amazing conference experience, or working with Danielle or me, please contact us: chair2013@uxpa.org or tweet it out: @uxpa_int. We’d love to work with you.

Welcome, Danielle! We’re lucky to have you!

Christina

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By the way…

If you’re curious about your 2013 UXPA Conference Co-chairs, here’s our very snoopable online presences:

Danielle – @dgcooley ; http://www.linkedin.com/in/dgcooley

Christina – @UXtina ; http://www.linkedin.com/in/xtinayork

The 2013 UXPA Conference Experience

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Over the past few years, there has been much experimentation with the annual conference: with the structure, the organization, the length, etc. All this experimentation is for the benefit of our conference attendees, members and non-members alike. The conference chairs and committee are always looking to improve the conference experience without passing additional cost along in the registration fees.

In 2013 we’re experimenting yet again…this time with the conference model itself. While details are not finalized yet, we’re looking to hold two major UXPA conferences in 2013. To do this, we’re partnering with successful regional events: User Friendly in China and User Focus in Washington, DC. We’re looking at an early summer conference in Washington, D.C. and a November conference in Shanghai, China.

Christina York, 2013 conference chair, and I will post more details as they become available. We also want to hear your ideas and feedback, so please help us shape UXPA conferences for 2013 and beyond by sharing your thoughts here.

We hope to see you at at least one UXPA event next year!