Disbanding UXnet

On behalf of UXnet’s board of directors, I have a bit of difficult news to share: we are disbanding UXnet.

UXnet simply is not structured to achieve its goal of building a sustainable network of UX people. We don’t have the ability to tackle or pay for the kind of development work that such a goal requires. We’ve tried hard for eight years, but it’s time to recognize that our approach isn’t the right one and move on.

The good news is that much of this good work–developing the infrastructure for speeding the development of user experience–has been taken on by individuals and projects that are not associated with UXnet. That’s fine by us–as long as it’s happening. It’s not important for UXnet to continue to exist for its own sake. We just want the community to grow and flourish by whatever are the best means available, and we’re thrilled to see the progress and success of other initiatives that support the UX community.

Although we’ve never quite fulfilled all of our goals–all ambitious, and many of which have been a bit ahead of the curve–it’s important to recognize that we have had some successes. Perhaps most importantly, as one of the early facilitators of social networking for the user experience community, we’ve helped UX people connect at a local, often in-person level–stuff that doesn’t show up on the radar, but is the point of a network. All in all, it’s been worth it, and we have no regrets.

And that we’ve gotten this far is testament to the many volunteers who’ve put in impressively generous amounts of hard work and, in many cases, have contributed their own money. Speaking on behalf of our board, we are impressed, grateful, and proud of the contributions that UXnet volunteers have made over these past eight years without compensation and with minimal recognition. The UX community owes them a debt of gratitude.

If you are one of those volunteers, such a local leader, and would like to stay in touch with other UXnet volunteers, we suggest that you join this group. There can you share information with others who are interested in continuing to volunteer to further some of the past goals of UXnet.

We look forward to the community’s continued growth and vibrance; thank you!

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