An Incomplete List of Design Communities in Boston
Last updated May 11th, 2022
Over the years I’ve had many conversations with people trying to break into design or find communities of like-minded creatives in Boston. As a queer woman who identifies as an intersectional feminist, I often seek communities where I can feel safe and seen. However, I’ve also mentioned some organizations because I believe in their mission, and want to support them.
Organizations
Design Museum Foundation (Boston)
“We’re a new kind of museum focused on educating the world about design. We’re based in Boston, but we don’t have our own gallery space. We’re a distributed museum with exhibits & events all over town.”
UXPA: Boston's User Experience Professionals Association
“UXPA Boston provides a forum for usability practitioners to share techniques and experiences. It attracts newcomers to our field and experienced practitioners, as well as the distinguished professionals who have been defining and shaping the field of usability for decades. Membership is free, and includes access to job listings, networking opportunities, event notifications, collaboration projects, resume-building activities, and more.”
AIGA Boston: American Institute of Graphic Arts
“AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force. As the largest community of design advocates, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.”
“Our mission is to empower women+ in the workplace and educate, promote, and support diverse and inclusive companies and organizations. We aim to achieve this by taking a holistic approach. We provide tech and tech-adjacent women+ and their allies an opportunity to network and connect with each other as well as with companies who wish to hire them. At the same time, we support companies in their diversity and inclusion efforts by providing them with the knowledge, skills, and tools to create an inclusive environment, in a safe and welcoming space.”
CDRC: The Community Design Resource Center of Boston
“With a staff of one and a design community of several thousand, we provide pro bono technical assistance to community groups, nonprofits, and municipalities in projects that involve and benefit underserved communities throughout metropolitan Boston, AND we support, promote, and celebrate Boston-area architects and designers doing public interest work.”
“Women with Purpose strives to connect, cultivate and empower women who identify themselves as minorities by enhancing professional and leadership skills to help women thrive personally and professionally. We conduct a series of seminars, with topics ranging from (but not limited to) negotiation skills, personal branding, and financial literacy. Our goal is to empower women to achieve their greatest potential by providing unparalleled opportunities for professional development and skill-building.”
Slack Teams
This is a community of ~8k designers. The 'Boston' channel has 200+ people in it. They post about meaningful, mission-driven design work. They have channels like ‘climate crisis’, ‘career advice’, and ‘events’.
This is a local community of mostly women in tech. The Slack team has channels for topics like ‘events’ ‘genderstuff’ ‘jobs’ ‘feedback’ and ‘knowanyonefrom’. Their ‘general’ channel is quite active — folks are incredibly willing to support others. I've learned about a lot of important topics and events through their Slack presence.
This is a global community of 16k designers. They are active and have many channels for topics, design feedback and global events. It’s a great Slack team to get a pulse on global design challenges and events.
UXPA Boston
UXPA Boston is an active, local community of ~ 1.3k user experience professionals. They have channels for topics, events, research, tools, mentoring and more.
This is a global community of more than 25k LGBTQIA+ people that work in tech. They have many active channels, and I’ve met some cool people — especially during the pandemic when we were all craving connection with like-minded people.
Design Justice Network
This is the Slack community for the global Design Justice Network (DJN). You need to be an organizational or individual member to access the Slack team. There are active channels for the various initiatives DJN members are working on. I find that the people in this community are extremely passionate about design equity.
This is a small (but mighty) community of those working with corporate America who is trying to transform the design industry to practice more equitable design. It was started by Annie Jean-Baptiste, the author of Building for Everyone, the first book about building inclusive products across the intersections of 12 dimensions of diversity. She’s Head of Product Inclusion & Equity at Google.
Where Are the Black Designers?
This global community’s focus is exactly what you think it is. Its goal is to create a space for Black designers to elevate their work and to advance the industry, which is dominated by white people.
Events
I've mostly been to their monthly networking events - hosted by different companies in tech that are members. I follow their events by email, but people will post about them in the Slack channel — they just don't promote them heavily there.
Here was the piece they did on me for my talk about emotional intelligence a few years ago.
They have 3k members. Their events are very hands-on. I have met cool people doing these. I’ve even taken my fiancée Sarah to a few. :)
They have morning events, dinners, field trips, film screenings, etc. I especially enjoy their morning events because I get to learn about other creative fields. I also enjoy their quarterly event UNITE and how they showcase the intersection of design and everything else.
Conferences
May | Boston, MA
This is the UX event in Boston. Many people from Mad*Pow speak at it. It’s large (over 1000 people attend) and fairly inexpensive to attend ($300 for a regular ticket).
June | Boston, MA
A two-day event that happens in many cities across the States. It can get pricey ($1500) but is worth going to once if you can find the budget. I do find that the same folks seem to speak year after year — but if you’re new to the field, it’s a great introduction.
November | Boston, MA
An event for students, career changers, and UX professionals new to the field who want to network with others. They have thought leaders on hand to provide mentoring and career guidance throughout the afternoon. I’ve mentored for it in 2018 & 2019.
November | Boston, MA
One day a year — celebrated all around the world.
"World Usability Day’s goal is to raise our standards so that technology works to harness human potential. Every second Thursday in November events occur around the world that bring together different communities to celebrate how we can make our world easy for all."
Health Experience Design Conference (HXD)
April | Cambridge, MA
Yes, this is a MadPow conference, and I work for MadPow. However, I volunteered at it before I worked here, and it made me want to work here even more than I already did. It’s large, multi-track and incredibly inspiring if you care about improving our experiences with healthcare in the U.S.
Financial Experience Design Conference (FXD)
October | Boston, MA
This is another one of our conferences. It is a lot smaller than HXD and includes interactivity, which is always a nice break from keynotes.
November | Boston, MA
A one-day event in Boston about the design of workplaces. It’s affordable ($150). I went in 2018 and it was awesome. I found it very interactive and thought-provoking. I met lots of cool creatives — not just web designers.
March | Boston, MA
I’ve been to one of their events during the week; an exhibition at the Cyclorama in the South End. There are many events throughout the week. I like how it celebrates all aspects of design in our lives.
October | Boston, MA
HubWeek is a joint production of The Boston Globe, Harvard University, MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital. Its goal is to build a better future. It celebrates thought leaders from the fields of art, science, and technology. I’ve gone to some of their events at the MFA — they were great.