About the UPA Chapters

What is a Local UPA Chapter?

The goal of Local UPA Chapters is to offer people with the same interest to come together regularly to share their experience and to encourage each other in the usability profession. The focus is on truly local activities connecting usability professionals with each other. Business meetings with invited speakers, Usability lab tours and Usability roundtables, where you can bring interesting usability problems to be solved jointly, are some examples of what a Local Chapter may offer. Above all; it provides a handy and convenient network for everyday access.

A Local Chapter is a group of UPA members who live or work in a particular locality and who, as a matter of geographic convenience, organize themselves to promote the goals of the Association cooperatively. It serves as a focal point for its members to share their professional experiences and provide educational opportunities in the advancement research field. Local UPA Chapters offer a number of benefits to its members.

A Platform for Networking

One of the greatest resources for professional and personal development is to meet with colleagues in the same field. You gain new information on state-of-the-art technology, access to others' experiences and knowledge and you will get the chance to broaden your insights.

Professional Development

Your Chapter meetings and activities allow you to expand your knowledge in the Usability research/development area. Chapters bring continuous education opportunities closer to home and provide a bridge between the annual UPA conferences. It is also possible to organize Mentor Programs as a way for the members to grow in their profession.

Exchange of Services and Contributing to UPA as an Organization

Local UPA chapters offer the possibilities of exchanging both professional experiences and services, such as reviewing each other's papers and conference contributions. It will also act as a greenhouse for new ideas that can be implemented globally by the Association, and provide UPA with potential new members to the Board of Directors.

A Creative and Stimulating Environment

Design contests and brain-storming exercises are fun and stimulating ways of learning more about usability and the other members of the chapter. Local chapters often organize activities such as usability lab tours and site visits to interesting work places, for example air traffic control centers and high-tech manufacturing plants. Learning more about usability issues in these "extreme" working conditions will often give you good ideas to bring back home.

See also: Creating a Local UPA Chapter

To learn more about local chapters please contact Director of Chapters.