We’re a group interested in gaining more user experience design skills when it comes to creating our own campus digital experiences. Our intention is to teach each other skills, giving people who do the work of designing the confidence to create better experiences. We also want to look at how our individual designs make up the larger campus digital experience.
The core of making a better experience is to understand the needs of our users and provide them with experiences that are usable, valuable, accessible, intuitive, engaging, and consistent.
Join the community
Get involved
- Offer to speak at an upcoming session.
- Tell us what you want to learn.
Get connected
- Join our Teams group.
- Join our email list by sending an email to:
uw-design-community+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu
2024 events
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March 18, 2024: Find gaps and share your ideas through Service Design
With guests from the Center for User Experience:
- Laura Grady, User Experience Architect
- Maria Dahman, User Experience Architect
Resources:
- Session slides (in Box): March 2024 slides
- Session videos (in Kaltura):
- Service Design glossary from Service Design Network
- Service Design 101 from Nielsen Norman Group
January 12, 2024: Representing our diverse community through photography
With guests from University Communications:
- Bryce Richter, Photographer and Digital Asset Manager
- Jeff Miller, Director of Photography
Resources:
2023 events
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December 14, 2023: Career journeys and lessons learned from UX professionals
With guests:
- Kedar Joyner, Product Designer (UX/UI), DoIT Web Platforms/Services
- Nick Gonzales, UX and Content Strategist, University Marketing
- Christine Anderson, User Experience Architect, Center for User Experience
- Norman Cuaño, UX Web Designer, PBS Wisconsin
Resources:
September 27, 2023: The storytelling process through video and podcasts
With guest Bonnie Willison from Wisconsin Sea Grant.
July 24, 2023: How do you write emails people will read?
With guest Dayana Kibilds from Ologie who led an email strategy and writing workshop.
June 21, 2023: Putting university values into action through the digital accessibility policy
With guests Leah Bowers and Laura Grady from the Center for User Experience.
May 17, 2023: The Stories We Tell: How Narratives Can Make (or break) Us
With guest Kacie Lucchini Butcher from Public History Project.
April 5, 2023: Design trends and metrics inspire the new face of TechNews
With guests Kyle Henderson and Justin Masuga from DoIT Communications.
February 22, 2023: UW brand font transition explained
With guests Danielle Cranmer and Kelly O’Loughlin from University Marketing.
January 23, 2023: Best practices for inclusive and diverse photography in higher education
With guests Cydney Scott, Susan McSpadden, Amanda Pitts, and Glenn Carpenter from the University Photographers’ Association of America (UPAA).
2022 events
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December 15, 2022: Send even better emails: Insights gained from emailing 50,000 people
With guest Kyle Henderson, creative associate director with DoIT Communications.
November 17, 2022: Content: How it can support—or impair—your DEI efforts
With guest Dayana Kibilds, strategy director with Ologie.
October 27, 2022: Build a better email: Tips and tricks for using Eloqua to send communications
With guest Rebecca (Bex) Quigley, Web Solutions Analyst with WIDA.
September 28, 2022: Design Community: Now Better and more Design-y?
We discussed your feedback, adjustments we’re making to our session format, and future topics.
August 25, 2022: Design Community Retrospective
With guest Bryan Husk, Administrative Associate Director, MS in SMPH’s Biotechnology Program.
July 21, 2022: Kickstart your Search Engine Optimization
With guest Jonathan Dedering, software engineer with DoIT.
June 30, 2022: Swag: If you buy it will they come?
With guest Alison Caffrey, an instructional designer with the Instructional Design Collaborative in the College of Letters and Science.
May 20, 2022: Color Theory: Using color to enhance your design
With guests Al Nemec, web operations manager at the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Kedar Joyner, product designer at the Division of Information Technology’s Web Platforms/Services.
April 22, 2022: Design thinking: problem-solving through creativity
With guest Mandy Morrow, Associate Director and Instructional Coordinator of the DesignLab.
February 28, 2022: Make Your Work Better By Understanding Your Users
With guest Maria Dahman from the Center for User Experience
January 24, 2022: The Hidden Benefits of Plain Language
With guests Jennifer Sell, Karen Parrillo, and Beth Gaytan from Cultural Linguistic Services
2021 events
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December 1, 2021: What should go on your homepage?
With guests Jenna Klinner and Matt Goins from WiscWeb
October 27, 2021: How to know the right way to label your content (card sorting)
With guests Adam Hills-Meyer and Laura Grady from the Center for User Experience
September 22, 2021: Three usability design techniques for your website (that you can implement today)
With guest Sandi Arendalkowski from the Center for User Experience.
Design resources
Make it accessible
Incorporate accessibility into your content, design, and development and support all people, including people with disabilities.
Content design
Best practices to plan, create, and manage digital content that is accessible, usable, and meet the needs of your audience.
UW–Madison brand
The visual and tonal identity of UW–Madison starts here, with our brand rationale, positioning statement, and pillars.
Design services
Design Strategy
Understand your users and their needs, or how to make things simple and intuitive.
Digital Accessibility Evaluation
Discover if a website, application, product, or tool can be used by everyone.
Design Research
Learn about what your users need, or what they might say about your product or tools.
