I could never overstate how much I’ve learned from other designers and user experience professionals.
Yes, I read their blogs and their books. I attend their presentations. But, I’ve learned the most from being in community with others—working alongside them, having casual conversation, and lending a hand.
WordPress has such a large community that it’s been easy for me to find places to plug in; I’ve mostly enjoyed WordCamps, which are extraordinarily cheap compared to most conferences. I get a chance to learn from and engage with others on a frequent basis.
The design/UX community, especially in Atlanta, is a little harder to hop into sometimes. Maybe you’ve experienced something similar: the only chances you have to get into a community are meetups that happen at night.
If you’re like me, you’d rather not give too many of your nights away. So, you end up sacrificing those opportunities in the name of personal balance.
Mornings: The Secret Sauce
I’d thought about taking a shot at doing something about this in Atlanta for some time, but never felt like I had the support I needed to do it. Now, that problem’s been solved by not just having a support network, but working with a UX team at Pardot that’s full of people wanting to solve the same problem.
So, we’re giving it a shot. amUX will be a monthly, morning meetup focused on the design and UX community. We’ll provide coffee, breakfast, and a chance to chat before we hear from a diverse range of speakers.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, come join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 8:30am. If you’re not, stay tuned—we’re planning to record each week and post it on amUX.org.
Let’s see if we can’t do something about making this community better together.