
Ask HN: Are there any good online communities for UX design? - khurram
I'm wondering where i can find good online communities for front-end design. There's too many 'graphic design' forums but I can't find any good places to get feedback on GUI design.
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yanowitz
Forrst: <http://forrst.com/>

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pascalchristian
Also invite only?

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pmichaud
The Root is amazing, you will not find a more talented group of people. A
couple of us post here on HN. It's invite only but getting in is just a matter
of having a connection (you do) and an impressive portfolio (do you?)

<http://www.theroot42.org>

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NathanKP
So if we are interested in joining do we send an email to ben (at)
carbonfour.com, or do we talk to you?

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pmichaud
We can talk, sure.

And yes, pxlpshr speaks truly--Ben is a great designer, the founder of the
root, and he was the first rooter to work for FB.

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NathanKP
I don't have a huge claim to fame, just the design work that I am doing for my
as of yet uncompleted web app. To make a long story short I don't consider
myself to be a really professional web designer, but I would like to learn and
get feedback on my design efforts.

I can send you an email with examples of my design work. Should I send it via
the contact form on your site?

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kls
I caution you here, the problem with UX design groups is that you can become a
product of group think. You have to remember above all else, that you users
first and foremost are the greatest experts on UX design. While professionals
can teach you theory, they can also become dogmatic about sticking to the
principals (some, not try to generalize here).

My point being is relying on UX patterns and human factors theory does not
negate the most important UX principal and that is A/B testing. Users may not
be able to vocalize what they want but their actions and conversion rates
speak volumes about what is intuitive and what is not. Employing this simple
technique can teach you volumes about intuitive interface design.

Now with that being said these communities are great for inspiration and as a
support network when creativity or ideas fade. When you hit a creative block
they provide a plethora of talented people that can be extremely helpful.

Just remember, if you A/B test something and it goes against conventional
wisdom, stick with what works avoid the dogma. Always do what works, not what
is supposed to work.

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revorad
<http://dribbble.com>

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nsfmc
so, assuming that you're a dribble user, how do you rate the experience of
using the service? How does it compare with showing screenshots to your
friends over aim or talking at each other's desk? I'm intrigued, but i always
find the more immediate, non-crowdsourced techniques have worked really well.

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revorad
Sorry, I don't actively use dribbble myself. I recommended it based on the
opinion of a very good graphic designer, who swears by it.

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bottlerocket
The Interaction Design Association has a pretty active community:
<http://www.ixda.org/>

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DTrejo
<http://undrln.com/> exists, but it has been pretty dead lately.

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evo_9
<http://Pick.im>.

While Pick.Im isn't exactly a community, it's a pretty fine resource for
getting your name out there (or finding developers); I just used it the past
week to find a bunch of great local (Denver) UI designers that I'm
interviewing.

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christefano
Konigi: <http://konigi.com>

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richardmarr
I'd add UX Bookclub, and the UX Freelancers group on LinkedIn.

I'd also look at Product Management groups as UX is a specialism within that,
so ProductCamp and ProductTank for starters.

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abrudtkuhl
Stack Exchange for UI -> <http://ui.stackexchange.com/>

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amorphid
For SF Bay Area => <http://www.baychi.org>

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lowglow
I visited the site. I couldn't stand the design. I left.

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voidnothings
boxesandarrows.org is way to go :)

