Seventh annual Midwest UX Conference announces Cincinnati is 2017 host city

On Oct. 12-14, 2017, Cincinnati will host the seventh annual Midwest UX Conference. The regional conference celebrates the growing practice of user experience design, and since its inception in 2011, has been held in Columbus, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Louisville and Pittsburgh.
 
“The conference is a reflection of the host city and the UX community within it,” said Jessica Schomaker, Cincinnati MWUX chair. “It’s really refreshing to get to go to all of these cities and see the UX communities there.”
 
The three-day event will feature hands-on workshops, keynote speakers, city excursions and networking events. Keynotes will be held at Memorial Hall, workshops will be at Cintrifuse and other locations in Over-the-Rhine and the closing party will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center.
 
Day one of the conference is workshop-based. Attendees will be able to go into the sessions and meet with international industry leaders who will teach skills needed for UX design.

 
“I moved here not too long ago and took a UX job,” Schomaker said. “The UX community in Cincinnati is remarkable, and the quality of people and conversations I’ve had are remarkable. It would be surprising to people outside of the Midwest that these conversations and groups are here because the perception is that good design happens on the coast. But good design is happening in the Midwest too.”
 
She feels that with the renaissance of OTR and downtown, Cincinnati is in the middle of redefining itself. “It’s a reflection of what UX does — it improves user experience, just like Cincinnati is doing.”
 
The Midwest UX Conference is entirely volunteer-based. With each new host city, new conference chairs are chosen from the local UX community, which allows each city to put on the best conference possible for the region.
 
“We get to highlight things that are happening in the city and highlight our favorite places,” Schomaker said.
 
That being said, the conference is still looking for volunteers and sponsors to help shape the event. If you’re interested in either role, send an email to hello@midwestuxconference.com.  
 
Early bird tickets are on sale now for $350, and can be purchased here.