From the months of July to September, the meetup group read Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donnela Meadows, and gathered to share insights from the reading experience. The book was highly readable and incredibly insightful, and the discussions give us new ways to look at the wicked problems we encounter in our day-to-day work. The book summary presentations for each part of the book are posted below:

Last week, many UX professionals and students joined the skill-building workshop lead by Matthias Klenk and Lavanya Ashok, and learned about user interviews and mindsets, and tried them out in 15 minute sessions with “coach” volunteers. The attendees worked in groups of 3-4 to come up with a semi-structured interview script and took turns interviewing a “user”, who turned into a “coach” at the end to give them feedback on what went well and what could use improvements. The interactions among seasoned people who practice research, and attendees, made this a fun and engaging experience. (The coaches also thought it was fun being on “the other side” for a change!) The groups came together again in the end and shared observations and learning to everyone. This marks a great first-time collaboration event by Vancouver Design Check-In and VanUXR meetup.

In late April, the VanUXR community met up at WillowTree Vancouver, where Shenoah Plewes shared a presentation of a framework to think about prioritizing efforts and activities to do research, based on decisions. We have uploaded the talk onto our YouTube channel, and you can find the Miro board template she shared as well.

A few nights ago, the VanUXR community met up at the Strathconahcona Brewing Company for a night of amazing drinks, conversations, and connection. It was a great opportunity for research professionals to catch up and hear about what’s going on in the research scene, as well as welcoming new members to the community.

Happy new year, VanUXR Folks! We are meeting for a casual pub night, to share insights and experiences over a few drinks/food. Whether you’re feeling energized about the new possibilities this year, or need to take a break from the screen to unwind, come through!

In anticipation for our November event UX Research Method - Sopheclean Prototyping @ BrainStation Vancouver, we had a short chat with Emergin Scholar, Thomas Girard, about his view on qualitative research, channeling empahty, and the possibility of imagination.