Heads up! We added you to this list because you've been part of Experiencing UX community (Slack, Meetup, or LinkedIn) over the years. If a monthly email isn't something you’re looking for, unsubscribe below — you’re still welcome at everything else we do!
Hi, {{first_name}}!
Experiencing UX has a newsletter now. This is the first issue!
In our membership survey, we asked where you'd like hear from us about what’s going on and in the works. Email won — ahead of Slack, Meetup, and LinkedIn.
So this is where the real updates will live. Events, jobs, member Q&As, once a month. Slack and LinkedIn will still be core communication channels.
But if you only pay attention to one thing, make it this.
What’s cooking at Experiencing UX?
Thanks to everyone who filled out the membership survey! We got 26 responses, and 2 things came back loud and clear.
Socializing and networking was the most-requested item on the list — 22 of 26 checked it.
AI also showed up in more than half the answers about what's hard at work right now, even though we never asked about it.
We're planning the first Experiencing UX event in a long while. Either an in-person social or a livestream panel on YouTube about how AI is changing the work. (BTW: We have a YouTube channel!)
🤔 Didn’t see the survey? It’s still open! Weigh in here: https://forms.gle/e9EcALqjfuBNeDBx9
Other events around town
There’s always something happening in Des Moines. Here are some of the meetups and gatherings you might be interested in …
A partnership with Tech Fuse DSM 💻
Tech Fuse DSM is a month away – October 15 & 16. Experiencing UX is participating in the Tech Fuse DSM Community Partnership program! In addition to some shoutouts during the conference, Tech Fuse DSM has provided a special Experiencing UX registration code and will fund a small prize giveaway for members who registers using the user group’s code.
September 14 (Monday), 6:30–8:00 PM: DSM Web Geeks – The Great Migration: An AI-Assisted Journey from TypeScript to Python
September 15 (Tuesday), 11:00–11:45 AM: Des Moines Partnership – Talk to a Recruiter: What You Don't Know About the Hiring Process
September 15 (Tuesday), 4:00-6:00 PM: Des Moines Partnership – Entrepreneur Field Days: Transforming High School Sports (Bound)
September 22 (Tuesday), 4:30 PM: ProductTank Des Moines/Ames – End of Summer | Product Networking Mixer
September 22 (Tuesday), 5:30 PM: Pyowa – Pybites Coding Exercises
September 23 (Wednesday), 7:30–8:30 PM: IxDF (global online meetup) – The AI-Assisted Web Designer: Faster Delivery Without Losing Creative Control
September 24–26 (Thursday–Saturday): dsmHack – Hack Away Hunger: 48-Hour Accelerator Hackathon (at Corteva)
🎟️ September 28 – October 1 (Monday – Thursday): Iowa Startup Week – Socials, Conference Sessions, Pitches, and more!
October 8 (Thursday), 8:00–9:00 AM: Technology Association of Iowa – TechBrew with Featured Guest: Todd Herren
October 10 (Saturday), 3:00–6:00 PM: dsmHack – Hack Away Hunger: Final Presentations & Awards (Location TBD)
🎟️ October 15–16 (Thursday–Friday): Tech Fuse DSM 2026 – Iowa’s community-led Tech & IT conference.
Member spotlight: Nick Throckmorton, UX Designer
Get to know Nick, a Des Moines-based UX and product designer with 7-plus years of experience easing digital friction for grocery and fintech clients. Most recently, he worked on a pharmacy platform redesign that lifted daily fulfillments by 103% for Hy-Vee.
Have someone in mind for our next feature? Want to volunteer yourself? Hit REPLY and tell us why! 📣
What's changed most about how you work in the last year?
Anyone who answers without referencing AI is actively trying not to (I know, I'm rolling my own eyes at my answer, here). I find that AI is the most useful when I can free up my senses to pay attention to other things.
AI notetaking has been huge for me in recalling what a client has talked about regarding their website. Instead of focusing on taking great notes, I can have an active and engaged conversation with my product partner.
Another way I use AI is for development (I know, eyeroll again); but my clients love that I'm a one-stop shop.
Who or what has helped you most in your career here?
Ellen Butler was my professor at Grand View in 2017 when I was going to school for my UX Certificate. I found a message years later in my company's Slack channel that she recommended me to my first job (which may have been to fill the position she left).
I was bartending to keep the lights on while I was looking for my first UX job; I thought I was never get into product & design. That recommendation meant more and more to me as the years passed and the industry got harder to break into.
What have you read, used, or watched lately that's worth other people's time?
Mike Monteiro's Design is a Job
What's something you'd be happy to get stuck talking about?
My poor fiance has to listen to me talk about guitar pedals and golf constantly. I'm not big on watching golf, but I play at least twice a week.
As far as guitar pedals go, I'm currently building an Instagram-worthy pedal board.
Professionally, I would love to talk to anyone about why companies should reallocate marketing funds toward better UX for their products.
What's the best way for someone to get in touch with you?
Since I'm getting so many spam calls and texts these days, the best way to get a hold of me is to send me a message on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickthrockmorton/
Who’s hiring? A few jobs around town:
Open positions worth knowing about, whether you're looking for a new job or know someone who is.
Senior Web Designer at TwoTone Creative, West Des Moines, Onsite
Design Lead at Wellmark, Des Moines, Hybrid
UX Designer at John Deere, Onsite
Hiring? If you have an open role, or you know one that should be on this list, send us a link! We'll share it with our community and make sure to include it next month if it’s still open.
One thing to read this month
Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra
Why? Most of us got into UX because we wanted to make things easier to use. Kathy Sierra argues we've been thinking about it wrong.
The goal isn't a better product. It's a better user.
That one reframe changes how you think about onboarding, documentation, support, and every design decision in between. It's one of those books that makes you want to go back and rethink something you shipped last month.
Short, punchy, and a little bit uncomfortable in the best way.