CONSORTIUM MEETINGS

General

Meetings usually occur in the Spring and Fall of the year with the exact dates and location of the next meeting being determined by members at the end of each meeting. Meetings may be hosted by a member company or be in a neutral city where learning opportunities exist. Typically meeting duration is a day and a half so members can return home on the second day. The Consortium Manager arranges the agenda for each meeting which includes both internal private sessions and external sessions at nearby venues.

The agenda exposes and engages members in discovery and learning around topics related to the full spectrum of user experience from specific, narrow user interactions to total user experience with a company’s products or services. This broad scope can result in presentations, demonstrations, and discussions about innovation, product development, branding, risk taking, project management, usability, design, offshore collaboration, user interaction technologies and many other related organizational, business, and functional topics.

Internal Sessions

All meetings include a members-only round robin where each member typically discusses changes in his/her corporate situation, organizational events, and managerial challenges, insights and discoveries. Other interactions between members focus on members’ presentations of a particular initiative they have introduced to their company, specific company processes, or discussion of topical issues. At final sessions, discussions center on administrative issues such as pros and cons of the overall meeting, membership, ground rules, expectations, and future meetings. All information exchanged at internal sessions is confidential and no notes are published.

External Sessions

These are hosted by targeted individuals at selected companies and universities located in the meeting city. Prior to a meeting, the Consortium Manager identifies suitable hosts and arranges with them presentations, tours, demonstrations, and/or discussions involving some aspect of user experience. The objective is to expose members to programs at other non-competing companies, cutting edge research and thinking at universities, and people they can connect with in the future for various beneficial purposes. Over the years, the consortium has visited a wide range of companies and universities as shown below.