Inspiring women in UX

Overview:

Ladies that UX is a global organization with over 45 chapters worldwide in most major cities. We are enthusiastic ladies who inspire, empower, and support each other in a safe and casual environment. We have a commitment to inspire and elevate women in the field. We encourage women who work in or are interested in User Experience to join us to form a family of ladies that UX Seattle.

The Seattle chapter started in 2015, and I became the Chapter lead in September of 2017. Under my leadership, the group has achieved:

Green shading indicates my time as Director.

My role:

Under my leadership, the Seattle chapter has grown from 1000 members to over 2800. I partner with various organizations such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Airbnb to host and plan monthly UX events. I mentor and guide others to address the needs of the Seattle UX community. I also work with other UX group leaders in the Seattle area to put together joint events.

Achievements

• Started a Slack channel for members to connect and communicate before and after events.

• Publish resources and relevant UX content on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

• Share LTUX stories to highlight individual members and help strengthen their network.

• Post select recorded events on Youtube.

• Organize regular monthly events for 50 to 100 attendees.

• Organize mini-meetups for up to 10 people to deep dive on a specific topic.

• Help numerous members make connections and obtain UX jobs.

In the works:

• Establishing weekly office hours to help members stay connected.

• Hosting Hackathons for members and the community.

Timeline

This year we started a Leadership Series to support and guide experienced UXers as they advance their careers. We also started a Mentorship Program to support junior members searching for their first UX role.

Highlights of our member survey results:

Why I got involved

As an introvert, I enjoyed the company of others but had trouble expressing myself. I started attending various meetups and hackathon events back in 2014 to get out of my comfort zone and learn new things. At first, it felt completely awkward to start a conversations with strangers, but I eventually became a regular at a few meetup groups. When a leadership opportunity came up for the LTUX Seattle chapter, I quickly raised my hand and got involved. I believe in building a community where we provide support for others and celebrate each other’s accomplishments.

Today, my colleagues and professional contacts can't believe I would call myself an introvert. Over the years, I have gone from getting nervous in casual conversations to leading thousands of members and helping them connect with resources they need. Now when I spot those who look uncomfortable at events, I confidently walk up and introduce myself.