About UX Akron
UX Akron is a non-profit 501(c)(3) user experience (UX) community in Northeast Ohio. We offer in-person events and online events covering all aspects of UX. Events are free and open to the public. We do not charge membership fees.
Anyone is welcome at UX Akron—from students and those new to UX to seasoned professionals! Our in-person events draw people from Northeast Ohio, covering the cities of Akron, Canton, Youngstown, Kent and surrounding areas, and including Summit, Portage, Stark, Geauga, Cuyahoga, and Medina counties.
Our Mission
The mission of UX Akron is to share knowledge and networking opportunities, and increase awareness of the benefits of UX in organizations and as a career.
Our History
UX Akron was founded in 2012. Our goal is to serve as an educational and social resource for user experience professionals, students, and those interested in learning more about:
- User experience design
- Human-computer interaction
- Usability testing
- Information architecture
- User-centered design
- Knowledge management
- Visual design and prototyping
- User research and ethnographic studies
- User experience strategies for businesses
We host monthly events, from interactive presentations and hands-on workshops, to portfolio reviews and project-based demonstrations. Presenters are commonly working professionals in the user experience community, and we welcome anyone to share new ideas with the group.
Our Community
Who are UX Akron’s members? They’re a diverse set of passionate people from the community united in one goal: creating, designing, researching, and refining products that provide the best possible experience for their users.
Members who attend our events might be:
- Beginners to the UX field (such as students)
- Professionals looking to enter UX or make a career change
- Practitioners in the UX field (including UX designers, researchers, and developers)
Whatever your skill level or familiarity with UX, you can feel assured that our members will be passionate about their field of work and welcoming of newcomers from any background.
Get Involved
Anyone is welcome to attend UX Akron at no charge! You can find out more about what happens at each meetup or sign up for an upcoming meetup by visiting our Events page.
You can also visit our Get Involved page for other ways to connect, volunteer, and support UX initiatives in Northeast Ohio.
UX Akron events are great places for networking, learning, hearing about open jobs, meeting prospective employees/employers and practicing your presentation skills. Of course, you can feel free to attend by yourself (you’ll meet others quickly), but are encouraged to bring a friend or coworker as well. Once you’ve attended, we have some great ways to get more involved and learn about similar organizations.
Meet The Board
Melanie Bozzelli - Chairperson
Melanie Bozzelli is a Content Strategist and has been a strong advocate of UX practices and principles for 20+ years. She is passionate about providing exceptional customer experiences that are accessible and user-friendly, and enjoys collaborating with others to start, build, and grow positive outcomes.
Melanie has been active in the Northeast Ohio UX community since 2003. She joined UX Akron in 2013 and has been a board member since 2018.
When she’s not learning something new about Content Strategy, UX, CX, AI, or digital accessibility, Melanie spends time with her other lifelong passion—dogs! She has trained, shown, and rehabilitated dogs since her teen years. Her current pack includes two rescue dogs, Elsa and Remi.
Carrianne Tuckley - Vice President
Carrianne is an Information Architect with Interpersonal Frequency. She has 12 years of experience in Information Architecture and UX Design, and prior to this career change she was a developer. She holds degrees in Mathematics, Library Science, and Information Architecture. Along with serving on the UX Akron board, she served as a mentor for the Akron StartupBus in 2019.
Carrianne is actively involved with many local charitable organizations, most notably the Northern Ohio Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where she most recently was the 2021 All-Star Woman of the Year Candidate.
Carrianne lives in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio with her husband Chris and their dog Miss B. When she’s not working, you will most likely either find her walking in a distance race, baking, or experiencing live music in venues ranging from living rooms to arenas.
Jennifer Stencel -Board Secretary
Jennifer Stencel has been working in libraries since the age of fifteen. She has worked for Cuyahoga County, Medina, Shaker Heights, and 23 years at the Richfield Library of ASCPL, before recently settling in as the Director of Branch Services for Stark Libraries.
Jennifer holds an MLS from Kent State University and a post-masters from San Jose SLIS in Emerging Technologies. She volunteers for Museum and the Web conferences and World IA (Information Architecture) Day, and just ended co-hosting the podcast: Richfield Reads.
She is past a board member for Revere Community CARE (Chemical Abuse Reduction through Education) and VP for the Richfield Chamber Board.
Jen met her husband at BW. She, her husband Jim, and two teenage daughters love to ski. She is currently “attempting” to learn golf (five years and counting).
Jo Sugiura -Board Treasurer
Jo is an experienced graphic designer from the Akron area with an interest in UX and human-computer interaction. He has been active in UX Akron since 2012 after becoming interested in UX and design. Since then, Jo joined the board to help with the technology needs of UX Akron.
Jo is also lifelong tinkerer, graphic designer, illustrator, and is occasionally seen with a camera, or on a snowboard, or both.
Dan Minder - Board Member
Dan is an IT professional who has proudly spent his career in public education. He enjoys helping others overcome fear and frustration with tech.
Dan earned his MS degree in Information Architecture & Knowledge Management from Kent State University. His experience includes 18 years of problem-solving for end users, and he co-chaired a two-day public speaking and professional development conference in 2019. During the pandemic’s early days, Dan helped transition NE Ohio’s 109 Toastmasters clubs to virtual environments by training club leaders and administering Zoom accounts. In 2021, he was named Toastmaster of the Year for District 10.
Dan’s main UX interests include Information Architecture and Customer Experience. He enjoys weight training, backpacking, and reading. He lives near Akron’s Highland Square neighborhood with his wife, Megan, and their cat, Raven.
Christina Turner- Board Member
Christina Turner is an artist and designer pursuing her M.S. in User Experience Design from Kent State University. Currently, she’s researching and designing an information portal to help connect people with relevant resources through a project funded by the National Science Foundation’s I-CORPS program.
Christina has worked in the Akron-Summit County Library system for 19 years, and co-hosts the Richfield Branch Library Podcast with Jen Stencel. She’s previously served on the Board of Directors for SPACES Gallery in Cleveland, and co-owned the gallery FORUM artspace in the 78th Street Studios Gallery Complex. She’s a life-long Akronite who loves patterns, parties, and hikes in the MetroParks.
You can check out some of her design, illustration, and fine art work at www.happywonderfool.com
