Meetup focused on user experiences wins Tampa Bay Tech award

One of the most important ways to grow Tampa Bay’s technology sector — and the high-skill and high-wage jobs that come with it — is ensuring talented workers find opportunity here.

Meetups foster those opportunities. Meetups bring people together and create communities that help people do more of what they love, according to a March report by Envato. They create connections that go beyond the usual social circles or co-workers, allowing for an exchange of ideas, inspiration and collaboration, the report said.

Tampa Bay Tech, Florida’s largest technology council, is showcasing the importance of meetups with its Meetup of the Year award, which recognizes a group that is leading their respective communities through growth, innovative, educational programming and impactful philanthropy.

The recipient of the 2018 award is Tampa Bay User Experience Group, which is one of the largest volunteer-led user experience professional organizations in south central Florida. In the IT industry,  user experience, or UX, includes user-centered design, user interface, usability, ergonomics and human-computer interaction.

Organizers of the Tampa Bay User Experience Group

Krissy Scoufis created the Tampa Bay User Experience Group in August 2013. Mike Gallers and Beth Galambos joined the leadership team shortly after the group started.

Their goal is to provide a network of design practitioners, product owners, web developers and product strategists who could share UX methodologies, principles and techniques.

The group provides education and community in order to spread the word about the user experience field and frequently partners with other regional technology meetups.

Membership in the group is free, and there currently are more than 800 members, according to the group’s website.

Tampa Bay Tech will celebrate the Tampa Bay User Experience Group and winners of about a dozen other awards at a Nov. 9 ceremony.