Creating Community Around UX Design at NYU

Building Community Through Common Interests

What started with a few ITP students brainstorming ideas has grown into an official NYU club. Today, NYU UX Club has had more than 300 students participate in workshops, panels, and mentorship programs. They even hosted a weekend-long Design-a-thon, one of the first of its kind at NYU.

“Our mission and our goal at the UX Club is to grow as a community and learn UX together,” says Queenie. “Once we started exploring UX, we realized there were actually a lot of people who wanted to learn more. Our classmates also wanted to hear from industry professionals and grow as designers. I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

Connecting Students Across Disciplines

When designers apply UX principles to their work, they create products that are meaningful—ones that make a positive impact on users’ lives and the lives of those around them. Beverly and Queenie have been able to use the Tisch ITP program’s space for many of their events. And since they’re located on NYU’s Brooklyn campus, the club taps into NYU Tandon students and resources as well.

“370 Jay Street has been such an important place to grow this club,” says Queenie. “We’re surrounded by a ton of different programs that cater to UX design, including Tandon’s Integrated Design and Media program and their design engineering classes.”

Though many of the club’s events take place in Brooklyn, it is open to students from across NYU. From computer science and graphic design to psychology and communication studies, all are welcome to bring their unique perspectives to the club.

“UX Club is a place where students genuinely get to be in community with other aspiring UX designers,” says Journey Brown-Saintel. She’s a Master’s student studying educational theatre in colleges and communities at NYU Steinhardt. She also holds a BA in Drama from NYU Tisch. “You’re around people who are excited about the same things, building cool projects, and pushing themselves creatively. It’s incredibly motivating and a gorgeous little playground to grow as a designer.”

Learning from Leaders in the UX Field

In addition to building community with one another, UX Club @ NYU helps students create professional relationships with designers from the industry. They hold regular panels and workshops with professionals from a range of disciplines who engage with UX on a daily basis. They even offer a mentorship program that pairs students with designers, offering one-on-one insight and advice.

“So many professionals are happy to help and interested in sharing their insights,” says Beverly. “It’s such a great space. It’s been easy to connect with professionals who help guide and support us. And that’s really meaningful because it means they really want to connect with us.”

During their recent Design-a-thon, the club recruited judges with different backgrounds in UX design. The judges brought their expertise as product designers and product researchers to the competition. And their areas of focus, from AI to sustainability, helped shape the Design-a-thon’s theme.

“Design-a-thons are fantastic ways to meet and work with new people and create with collaborators,” says Journey. During the Design-a-thon, her team created Planet Pals, a sustainability-driven experience created with personalization and accountability in mind. “This experience showed me that good UX starts with us. We’re all users moving through daily moments. When we apply the principles we design with, we end up creating better experiences not just for products, but for each other.”

Designing with a Collective Future in Mind

As they’ve grown as designers and club leaders, Beverly and Queenie have, in turn, shared what they’ve learned with the club’s members. After securing internships in UX design, they then brought their experiences back to the club.

“We hosted a panel where we talked about how we got these amazing internships in UX,” explains Queenie. “Being able to see students grow, share advice, and help them out with their portfolios are my favorite things about the club.”

The same rings true for Beverly. “After our events, people thank us, literally echoing what we created this club for. Seeing that interest and being able to provide a shared space have been really rewarding.”