Nick Finck

User Experience Events
Aug 6th, 2009

Pretty frequently I get asked about user experience events, mostly by those interested in what events are on my radar and what is coming up within the region.  Unfortunately, aside from searching on sites like Upcoming or happening across some local tech calendars, there is no real one stop shop for all UX events.  There are a few sites out there that do list a lot of upcoming UX events but not all of them, and more often then not, they mix in events that I really wouldn’t consider UX related at all or at least not of interest to UX professionals.

So I created a basic list of some of the bigger conferences.  There are a few events in there that are funded by businesses or agencies, but for the most part they are mainly community or association driven events.  I have a few in there that are more academic in nature but most of them are focused at the practitioner.

UXCampLondon 2009

August 22, 2009

London, England, UK

UXCampLondon is a one day BarCamp in London for anyone involved or interested in user experience design, interaction design, information architecture and usability.

UX Australia 2009

August 26-28, 2009

Canberra, Australia

UX Australia 2009 is a 3-day user experience design conference, with inspiring and practical presentations, covering a range of topics about how to design great experiences for people.

dConstruct 2009

September 4, 2009

Brighton, England, UK

dConstruct 09 brings together leading thinkers from the fields of ubiquitous computing, interface design, gaming and mobile to explore the challenges of designing for tomorrow.

S3xD 2009

September 12, 2009

Washington DC, USA

S3xD is the event for business, government, and non-profit professionals charged with the strategy, design, and execution of social software.

IDEA 2009

September 15–16, 2009

Toronto, ON Canada

IDEA brings together leading interaction design thinkers from across the globe, and challenges them: to share beyond the concepts that inspire them most, and deliver practical guidance for attendees to begin making an immediate difference in the networked world of today and tomorrow.

UX Week 2009

September 15-18, 2009

San Francisco, CA USA

UX Week is the premier user experience conference, and in 2009 we look laterally at the disciplines that have influenced us. With a mix of inspiring talks from recognized thought leaders and hands-on workshops delivering takeaway skills, this event delivers for user experience professionals at all levels — directors, managers, and practitioners.

EuroIA 2009

September 25-26, 2009

Copenhagen, Denmark

This year we will explore the theme of “Beyond Structure”. That’s because websites have moved to a new level. Any random page can be accessed from Google. Pages themselves may consist of information from many sources. And even the concept of a “page” is changing thanks to new backend technologies. In other words, we’ve moved beyond the traditional sitemap and into a new and exciting era of web development.

Design Research Conference 2009

October 1-2, 2009

Chicago, IL, USA

The Design Research Conference (DRC), hosted by the IIT Institute of Design, brings together a growing community of design professionals advancing the role of design research in innovation.

OZ-IA 2009

October 2-3, 2009

Sydney, Australia

We are very pleased to announce Oz-IA/2009, the fourth annual Australian conference on Information Architecture to be held in Sydney on Friday/Saturday October 2nd & 3rd, 2009.

Web Directions South 2009

October 6-9, 2009

Sydney, Australia

Bringing together world experts in design, development and business, Web Directions is the professional and networking event of the year for the Australian web industry.

InfoCamp 2009

October 10-11, 2009

Seattle, WA USA

InfoCamp is an interdisciplinary un-conference for anyone interested in information architecture, user-centered design, librarianship, information management, and related topics. It features an egalitarian, community-driven format in which most presentations are designed and delivered by attendees.

Design by Fire 2009

October 20, 2009

Utrecht, The Netherlands

The Design by Fire conference strives to be the breeding ground for the newest ideas on interaction design. The conference provides a stage for inspiring professionals to share their passion for interaction design with peers.

User Interface 14

November 1-3, 2009

Boston, MA, USA

Get ready to learn side-by-side with world-renowned experts at User Interface 14. Nowhere else will you have the chance to spend full days learning from top design and usability authorities. UIE’s Jared M. Spool and his team of usability researchers created User Interface 14 for designers, information architects, and usability professionals who need to tackle their biggest design challenges.

2009 ASIS&T Annual Meeting

November 6-11, 2009

Vancouver, BC, Canada

We all share a world rich in cultural diversity but also one in which countries, organizations and individuals have never before been so closely linked politically, economically and socially. The theme of the 2009 Meeting, “Thriving on Diversity – Information Opportunities in a Pluralistic World”, recognizes this reality by offering participants the opportunity to explore how information research and practice can promote global communication while maintaining that diversity.

World Usability Day 2009

November 12, 2009

Worldwide

It’s about making our world work better. It’s about “Making Life Easy” and user friendly. Technology today is too hard to use. A cell phone should be as easy to access as a doorknob. In order to humanize a world that uses technology as an infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, government, communication, entertainment, work and other areas, we must develop these technologies in a way that serves people first.

CanUX 2009

November 12-14, 2009

Banff, AB, Canada

CanUX brings world-class instructors together with practitioners for hands-on learning. It’s a small gathering, limited to 80 participants, with a focus on practical skills for user experience professionals: designers, information architects, interaction designers, front-end architects, usabilitistas, and anyone else who’s passionate about making things work well for people.

OZCHI 2009

November 23-27, 2009

Melbourne, Australia

OZCHI is Australia’s leading forum for research and development in all areas of Human-Computer Interaction. OZCHI attracts an international community of practitioners, researchers, academics and students from a wide range of disciplines including user experience designers, information architects, software engineers, human factors experts, information systems analysts, and social scientists.

Interaction 09 South America

November 27-28, 2009

Sao Paulo, Brasil

The event aims to present and discuss the main lines of research in the design of interaction, promote the network among professionals in the community, presenting and promoting the discipline in many circles of knowledge: design, computer science, architecture, indicating that interdisciplinarity and plurality of views are the way we act.

MEX 09

December 2-3, 2009

London, UK

A two day strategy forum exploring the techniques and strategies for creating great user experience in a multi-platform digital environment. Learn what’s happening at the cutting edge of user experience, where innovative companies are combining mobile phones, PCs, interactive TV and the physical environment to create total customer experiences. A very different style of conference, combining pre-event debate, practical workshops and a wide range of innovative session formats to tap into the collective intelligence of the participants. Powerpoint pitches are officially banned!

Interaction 2010

February 4-7, 2010

Savannah, GA, USA

Join several hundred Interaction Designers from around the world as we address the design of interactive systems of all types: applications (web and desktop), mobile, consumer electronics, digitally enhanced environments, and more. Start your year off with stimulating talk, fun parties, and smart discussions about our growing field.

Webstock 2010

February 15-19, 2010

Wellington, New Zealand

Webstock is a range of web-related events with the aim of improving how websites are built through inspiration, education, insightful analysis and practical application. It features industry leaders and kick-ass speakers talking on topics such as accessibility, web standards, usability and other best practices.

IA Summit 2010

April 7-11, 2010

Phoenix, AZ USA

The Information Architecture Summit is the premier gathering place for information architects and other user experience professionals. The conference has grown from a special interest group’s efforts to define an emerging field, to a rich and expanding community of practice shaping and informing multiple disciplines.

CHI 2010

April 10-15, 2010

Atlanta, GA USA

CHI (ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems) is the premier international conference for the field of human-computer interaction. CHI 2010 looks outward to the human experience of computing in the world. “We are HCI” challenges our community to embrace the diversity of HCI in the world and to exclaim our commitment as a profession to empower people from all walks of life.

UPA 2010

May 24-28, 2010

Munich, Germany

For the first time in its history, the UPA conference will travel to the heart of Europe. Our key theme will focus on how UX professionals can create great user experiences across different cultures, meeting the challenges of delivering to diverse audiences.