UX People Event Supports User Experience, Information Architects & Usability Community

Compiling Chinwag's digital events listings is a great way to see the huge number of events supporting all aspects of the digital industry. One discipline under-represented is UX (user experience to the uninitiated).

So, when Nick Cochrane from Zebra People, got in touch about their new event UX People (22nd March), designed specifically to support people working in the user experience field, our ears pricked up and we asked him for more info...

What is UX People?
UX People is a new, one-day user experience conference which will be held in London on March 22, 2010. It is a unique day of presentations and workshops designed for UX professionals. Attendees will develop practical knowledge and new techniques which they can implement in the workplace the very next day.

Why have you decided to create an event like UX People?
UX People was designed based on feedback from the industry. During the last seven years we’ve interviewed over 2,000 user experience professionals and a recurring theme of our conversations was the lack of practical training. This testimony, combined with the fact there was a fantastic UX conference in London last year which didn’t feature a single UK speaker, left us feeling there was a major gap in the market for supporting practitioners from the UK while promoting the great British talent we know is out there.  

By creating UX People we’re able to offer relevant content to reflect the challenges faced by practitioners in their everyday work. In addition we’re able to promote the British UX industry and the great speakers we believe deserve a platform. As well as filling training gaps, UX People is an opportunity to network with peers and gain exposure to the leaders and innovators of the industry.  We’ve made sure the event is able to benefit and encourage UX practitioners at all levels by pitching tickets at an affordable rate, with an additional student discount.

What will people take away from the day?
By coming to the event you will go away having learnt or improved new practical skills and techniques from some of the leading UX practitioners in the UK industry. You will gain the knowledge to improve your ability to pitch and win user experience projects you’ll be able to hone your UX strategy skills, sharpen your communication or learn how to run even better workshops. There’ll also be hiring managers on hand to advise on job-finding techniques.

Aside from that, with all this UX talent in one place UX People will be the perfect place to get a handle on the state of the market, pick up on the latest innovations and enjoy a spot of networking with your peers.

Is this a one-off event?
This isn’t a one-off; it’s a bi-yearly event. We see this as the beginning of something great for the UK user experience industry. It’s a non-profit event and any money made will be ploughed back into future UX People events making sure they stay inclusive and affordable for all.

The presentations during the morning session will be recorded and uploaded to the UX People website – we’ve had a great deal of interest from Asia and the USA and want to ensure people who aren’t able to make it to the event in person have access to content from the event.

Who would benefit from spending a day at UX People?
While we’ve gone to great lengths to make sure UX People is accessible to students and people new to UX it isn’t by any means just for beginners. Students and people moving into the UX field from other disciplines will find a great deal to benefit them from the workshops, hiring managers and talks. Existing UX practitioners of all levels will find their specific demands catered for, as will anyone who is responsible for pitching and steering UX strategy.

This isn’t just an event for practitioners, however. Anyone who works closely with UX, from visual designers to project managers, will find plenty to their interest, while anyone looking to recruit in the UX field will be surrounded by the cream of the UK’s user experience crop in an informative but fun environment perfect for networking.  

Why is a recruitment company putting on an event like this?
As a recruitment consultancy who specialise in UX recruitment we know there is a major gap in the market for affordable, practical learning. The way we see it the better prepared UX practitioners are for delivering and selling UX in their everyday work the more opportunities will be created for everyone in the field. We want to help raise the standard of everyone’s game, and the game itself.
 
So.. you’ve heard what it’s all about, if you are keen to find out more on this unique day pop over to the Chinwag events calendar.

Picture courtesy of Rob Enslin. Some rights reserved.