In 2014, we started the Medical Technology UX/HF Meetup to connect with other UX|HF professionals in the Boulder/Denver area working in healthcare. As anyone who works in this field knows, there is no shortage of interesting and juicy challenges for UX / HF practitioners. The goal of our meetup was to form a group of experts who could share resources, experiences and mentor the next generation into this vital profession. A mere 5 years later, we’ve met over 35 times and have grown to over 350 members, and made countless new friends!
One of our most popular meeting formats has been the presentation of PEP talks. “PEP” stands for “Practical Exercises for (UX/HF) Practitioners”.
Each PEP Talk meeting follows the same format:
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Introduce (30 minutes)
A UX research or design method is introduced to the group by a UX|HF expert. The introduction focuses on the basics of why, when, and how to perform the method.
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Practice (30 minutes)
The audience next splits into small groups to practice the method by working through a short exercise introduced by the speaker. We’re convinced the success of this step depends on an ample supply of popcorn or seasonal treats which are always plentiful!
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Discuss (30 minutes)
After the small group exercise, the audience comes back together for a large group discussion and questions. We’re always impressed by the quality of questions and discussion from the audience. Even those who are experienced practitioners of the topic area, walk away with new ideas and inspirations.
At the end of the evening, our attendees consistently tell us that they found the evening informative and fun. We also get frequent requests to publish the presenter’s slides from the session which we are happy to do. It recently occurred to us that publishing PEP talk slides might be helpful to those who weren’t able to attend the meetup as well. What perfect content for our Sage Insights posts!
We hope these talks are informative and enhance your UX/HF practice. We look forward to sharing them with you in our future Sage Insights posts!
BY SHANNON HALGREN / ABOUT AUTHOR
