Congrats! Michigan UXPA Receives World Usability Day Microgrant

When I heard that the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA) was offering microgrants to cover program expenses for World Usability Day events, I was thrilled.

I knew exactly what that microgrant could be used for: professional video recording of our World Usability Day (WUD) Detroit event.

For years I’ve been wanting to record WUD Detroit events, but I was never able to find a sponsor to cover the cost.

People asked me every year, will you record it, Deborah?

And each year, I had to reply, no. I haven’t found a sponsor.

And I would ask if their company would sponsor the professional video recording. But no one ever said yes.

This year was going to be different.

Applying for the Microgrant

I read the microgrant application instructions and started to write my first grant application.

That’s right, I’ve never written a grant application in the past. I’ve helped others write them, but never wrote one on my own.

I crafted my words carefully, making sure I:

• Described what Michigan UXPA was planning for WUD
• Reasons for our request
• Highlighted how the microgrant would be used
• Explained the benefits

I shared our plans to upload the video with captions to YouTube, allowing more people to learn about inclusive design. The microgrant application was submitted.

And less than a day later, Michigan UXPA was notified they received one of the microgrants.

Woohoo!

About the UXPA World Usability Day Microgrants

This is the first year UXPA has offered WUD microgrants to chapters.

The goal of the microgrants is to reimburse program expenses related to World Usability Day 2017 chapter events.

From what I read, any chapter established in the past three years would receive priority in the application process, though all chapters submitting a proposal would be considered.

With this year’s theme of Inclusion through User Experience, it seemed to me our application would be a good fit.

Our goal is to provide more opportunities for people to learn about designing for everyone through inclusive design.

Since our Michigan UXPA chapter recently launched in summer 2017, we fit the grant criteria of being prioritized in the application process.

Michigan UXPA and World Usability Day Detroit

For World Usability Day 2017, Michigan UXPA is partnering with Refresh Detroit to host an evening event on November 9, 2017 with special guest Elle Waters, director of strategy at Simply Accessible.

Her presentation includes hands-on demonstrations and stories from inclusive usability studies.

Waters will share best practices and practical recommendations for considering a range of people’s abilities and needs in your design process.

Registration for the event closed tonight; we have almost 50 people attending!

I’m looking forward to a great talk. And I’m excited that we will finally be able to offer a recording of our WUD Detroit event.

Thank you, UXPA!