XD Social Club - Logo Design - Javier Gómez
Some time ago, Rosina Nabazas, Jeri-lynn Gehr-Morlier, Enric De La Hoya, and Javier Gómez embarked on a mission to create better spaces for our Internal Design Community. Their journey led to the inception of the XD Social Club, a biweekly informal gathering with a serious goal: getting to know each other better.
This space has proven to be a success. It's a place to learn about each other (the ultimate goal), have fun, run a few icebreakers, and delve into shared topics. Initially, the agenda and speaker proposals were coordinated by all four of them. As time progressed, the format evolved. Now, they each take on different responsibilities or specific roles for a given period. Essentially, they applied the experimental approach we use in other fields to this playground. Each iteration brings changes and surprises.
Recording the sessions goes against the essence of this space. The value lies in being present, participating, sharing feedback, and contributing your 2 cents when appropriate. Speakers prepare simple yet engaging decks filled with eye-catching images, animated gifs, and other fun elements. The rounds of applause would be deafening if we were sharing these moments in person.
A couple of weeks ago, Javier Gomez decided to shake things up again. He doubled down, rewrote the rules, and added a new twist to the structure before it became repetitive. He invited Philipp Engel (UX Architect) and me to engage in a conversation about Design Communities. This time, given the nature of the presentation, the conversation was recorded.
It went quite well. Both Philipp and I have a history with Design Communities, so it was easy for us to share and spark each other's thoughts. The side conversations were surprisingly interesting. On one of our shared Slack channels, someone remarked:
Look at them, we've made creating eye-catching, animated, fun decks a thing, and they show up with their hands empty, look straight at the camera, and still get attention.
I can't recall if it was phrased exactly like that, but that was the gist. I'm also not naive and I'm aware that attention comes with the role or hierarchy in an organization. In this case, I think it was shared with good intentions, genuinely understanding that sometimes it's not only about the visuals. Sometimes it's about the narrative and the way we share. It was unprepared, unrehearsed, and spontaneous, filled with "ah's" and "eh's." There's plenty of room for improvement, but the change in structure, which Javier aimed for, made it worthwhile.
So much so that some of the audience thought it sounded like a podcast. And it didn't end there. Javier Odriozola took it to the next level. He created original music, an intro, and a closing, and then shared it with the broader internal XD Community. Thanks for that, Javi!
As the conversation unfolds, you'll hear us introduce ourselves, share who we are, what we do, and how we arrived at our current positions. We also talk about our past roles.
You'll hear about people who were instrumental in our involvement in Design Communities, like Peter Boersma and Tatiana Sidorenkova in Philipp's case.
We reflect on the lifecycle of communities—how they live, transform, die, and give life to new communities, educational opportunities, and mentoring spaces.
We touch on the differences between regions, geographies, and cultures, and the importance of sponsorship or funding for some of these communities to persist over time.
Calle Johannesson shares about community spaces in Canada, structured with the sustained support of a handful of companies, and Sarah Bracewell adds to this. Lauren Hirsh contributes valuable perspectives on several topics.
You’ll find references to: IxDA, UXPA International, +Mujeres en UX LATAM, Ladies That UX, adplist.org and a few more.
In the end, you'll find several reflections that I hope you find valuable.