UXnet FAQ
What, not another professional association. Why should I join this one?
Actually, UXnet was not a professional association. We didn’t have members. We were a group of people who wanted to see User eXperience (UX) grow through grass roots efforts and through the coordinated efforts of existing professional organizations.
Where did the money come from to support UXnet initiatives?
Our operating expenses were covered solely by donations and sponsorships.
Why did you start UXnet?
Regardless of one’s definition of UX, it is inherently a multi-disciplinary field and no single organization covers everything of interest and relevance to all UX professionals. We saw the need for getting UX-related organizations and individuals working together more effectively. We wanted to accelerate the growth of UX as an interdisciplinary field; UXnet was our effort to make that happen.
Why use the label User Experience?
We know that some people object to “user experience” because:
- They don’t like the word “user,”
- They don’t like the word “experience,” or
- They don’t think you can design an experience.
Despite all this, we chose it for our umbrella term because:
- It’s in common usage and reasonably well understood,
- It is neutral—and used by all of the communities in one form or another, and
- We had to call it something!
What do you stand to gain from starting UXnet?
We’re all busy people who are volunteering our time; but we believed it was worth investing elbow grease because we were excited by the promise of User Experience. We were presented with a rare opportunity to participate in the creation of an interdisciplinary field; we hope UXnet had some role in furthering the growth of UX.
Where did the money come from to support UXnet initiatives?
Our proposed initiatives did not require large investments. We relied on volunteer effort. But we also hoped to make the case to UX-related organizations that investing in UXnet would be worthwhile, and we looked at other funding models as well.
Why should existing organizations be interested in UXnet?
Interdisciplinary perspectives are required for solving contemporary design challenges. No one field, nor its corresponding association, can bring all these perspectives to the table. That’s why professional associations and other organizations are just beginning to cooperate on planning events. We believed that UXnet could accelerate such collaboration by facilitating discussions focused on how UX-related organizations might help each other grow.
Why should UX practitioners care about UXnet?
UX practitioners know that there is no single field that provides them the methodology and wisdom they need to do their jobs. Similarly, no single organizations affords practitioners the opportunity to interact with UX colleagues from other fields. UXnet helped fill these gaps by providing infrastructure to help the UX community build itself.