UXnet FAQ
What, not another professional association. Why should I join this one?
Actually, UXnet is not currently a professional association. We don’t have members. We’re a group of people who want to see User eXperience (UX) grow through grass roots efforts and through the coordinated efforts of existing professional organizations.
Where does the money come from to support UXnet initiatives?
Our operating expenses are covered solely by donations and sponsorships. Contact us if you would like to learn more about these opportunities.
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’d like to accelerate the growth of UX as an interdisciplinary field; UXnet is 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 believe it’s worth investing elbow grease because we’re excited by the promise of User Experience. We’ve all been presented with a rare opportunity to participate in the creation of an interdisciplinary field; we hope UXnet will have some role in furthering the growth of UX, and we hope you’ll consider getting involved as well.
Where will the money come from to support UXnet initiatives?
Our proposed initiatives won’t require large investments. We will continue to rely on volunteer effort. But we also hope to make the case to UX-related organizations that investing in UXnet would be worthwhile, and we’re also going to be looking 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 believe that UXnet can 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 can help fill these gaps by providing infrastructure to help the UX community build itself.
